June 30, 2015: I am
still preparing notes from last night about basement, sewer, and sanitary line
issues. The audience question and answer session took at least 90 minutes.
Until I get those notes up, here’s something to think about. At last night’s meeting
I addressed the mayor. In 2012 when (Hurricane) Superstorm Sandy threw Bay
upside down I heard the same concerns I have been hearing this week: lack of
communication or acknowledgement from the city. In the case of Sandy, people
did not know who to contact or what to do or where to go. During last week’s
storm people needed help and wanted answers. Because of Hurricane Sandy
residents prompted the mayor to work on an Emergency Communications Plan with a
Task Force. Today we are almost 3 years past that superstorm and I wanted to
know what happened to the plan. Short answer - she told me and the nearly 50
other residents in attendance that she “is still working on it”. And for the
first time, at a meeting, I was rendered speechless…I think I literally said I
don’t even know what to say to that and sat down.
Another resident spoke to the need for a plan as did
Councilman Henderson, who also expressed surprise that the plan was never
finished. Never adopted, never tested, never implemented.
The mayor did address the issue via email with a similar
response she gave at the meeting. After the meeting a citizen wrote and felt we
needed a plan to reach everyone especially our most vulnerable residents. The
mayor wrote that she agreed “for life threatening or potentially life
threatening events only. Flooded basements do not rise to that level of
emergency.” She fears people will become immune with too many emergency
messages. (This week could have been the first message since Superstorm Sandy.
Is one message in a 3 year period “too many”?) She believes her current methods
of communication are effective and sufficient in light of the fact “that less
than 10% of our households were affected.” Our infrastructure is a city wide
problem; in the long run it affects 100% of the households. Her methods of
communication are clearly not reaching the people that need it the most, when
they need it the most. We need an emergency plan. Add to it a communications
plan for those pesky little non-emergencies – like your basement flooding – 2
or 3 times a week.
Through the years I and others have tried to explain the
need for better communication and interaction with the public; ironically, good
communication starts with good listening. The feedback I receive is that no one
is listening.
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