# 1898
Two and a half years after the Federal Government first sounded the alarm urging all communities and all businesses to have a pandemic plan, far too many have yet to begin work.
The lament is, this is another unfunded mandate.
And in a world of increasingly tight budgets and a weakening economy, there simply isn't the money available to devote to pandemic planning.
Maybe next year . . .
Unfortunately, a pandemic doesn't care about budgets, or excuses. It will come whether our cities and towns are prepared or not.
We can hope that the next pandemic is still years away, or that when it comes, it will be mild like we saw in 1957 and 1968.
But hope isn't a plan.
It has been 40 years since the last pandemic, and they historically come around every 30 to 40 years. While sometimes they are mild, right now we are watching an incredibly lethal virus wend its way around the world.
The H5N1 avian flu.
Maybe it never adapts to humans, in which case we will have dodged a bullet. But if it does, and retains even a fraction of its current lethality, we will be on the receiving end of a public health disaster.
Communities that fail to prepare are likely to see far greater losses, both in terms of lives, and their economy, than those that have a realistic plan. Collateral damage could claim as many lives as the virus itself.
Unfortunately, even some of the existing pandemic plans are flawed, either under-estimating the impact of a severe pandemic, or relying on resources that probably won't be available.
At a recent pandemic seminar in Alabama, Lt. Joseph McClellan of the Alabama Department of Homeland Security had this to say on that subject :
While looking over various agencies' plans, McClellan said he's found that too many call for support from Alabama State Troopers.
"There aren't enough state troopers to fill those spots," he said. Those plans need to be changed, he said.
Alabama's State Police will no doubt be as hard hit as any other agency. At a time when demand for their services will be at its highest, half of their officers may be absent due to illness or caring for a sick loved one.
The same will likely hold true for every EMS, Fire Department, Law Enforcement Agency, Relief Agency, Emergency Operations Center, and Hospital in the world.
And as we saw in 1918, and again today with the H5N1 bird flu virus, a full recovery can take weeks. And of course, depending on the lethality, a certain percentage will never recover.
How does a community cope with this sort of crisis? How do they treat the sick? How do they bury the dead? How do they get medicines and food to the people who need it? How do they maintain essential services (law enforcement, garbage, water, sewer, even power) when half of their employees are absent?
How does a community function amid the chaos of a pandemic?
Particularly when there can be no mutual aid from surrounding communities who will be dealing with crises of their own. Nor will FEMA be coming to the rescue.
Thousands of communities across this country, and around the world, will be literally on their own.
- The first step to surviving, and coping with a pandemic, is to have a realistic pandemic plan.
- The second step is to test the plan by holding drills.
- The third step is to refine the plan based on what you learned from those drills.
A good pandemic plan is a living document.
But how do you do these things without a budget?
One option is: You go to the people, the residents of each community, and you ask them to volunteer to serve on pandemic preparedness committees.
That's how.
You recruit from your local law enforcement, Fire, Hospital and EMS personnel first if possible, because they are likely to have a greater understanding of the issues. Ideally a member of the city council or county commissioners would also volunteer, to serve as a liaison between the group and the local government.
Of course local business owners, members of civic organizations, or the clergy are all potential volunteers. Frankly just about anybody with a modicum of common sense and a desire to help would be an asset.
Ordinary citizens are capable of extraordinary contributions. You just have to trust them, and empower them.
Just look at the grassroots efforts being mounted today by ordinary citizens. On my sidebar you'll find links to GET PANDEMIC READY, the READYMOMS ORGANIZATION, the PREPARED CITIZEN, and STUDENTS PREP AMERICA. You'll also find links to flu forums, like FLU WIKI, FLU TRACKERS, PLAN FOR PANDEMIC, ZONEGRIPPEAVIAIRE, AND PFI, all created by everyday people.
Oh, I know its a radical thought. It would mean admitting you need help, and blurring the lines between local government and the public.
And it would require leveling with the public about the threat. You can't sugar coat the problem and expect people to volunteer. But if you are honest about it . . . I'm sure people would respond.
After all, its been done before.
During the dark early days of World War II, when victory was anything but assured, ordinary citizens (often wealthy, older businessmen) were recruited by the Federal government to advise and assist the military. They were called `dollar-a-year-men', and they volunteered their services because their nation needed their expertise and wisdom.
We need to tap that American spirit again.
This idea is especially appropriate for smaller towns; communities under 100,000 people. These communities are the least likely to have the financial resources to put together a professional pandemic plan, yet they are every bit as vulnerable to a pandemic as larger cities.
In the final analysis, when the next pandemic comes, it will be fought on the local level by ordinary citizens. It makes sense to incorporate them into the planning process now. If nothing else, it will give the public a better idea of what to expect should a pandemic strike.
If a city, or a county can afford in-house or professional planning, then by all means do so (although soliciting input from a citizens group isn't a bad idea). But for too many communities, that apparently isn't an option.
Neither is doing nothing.
So, if the choice is no plan, or a plan created by citizen volunteers . . .
Well, I'll go with the citizen's plan every time.
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