Our area experienced a significant snowfall during the last day. I suppose it was technically classified as a blizzard. We received around 20" and the power went out for a good part of our community. As luck would have it, I had scheduled to take the day off to do some skiing; don't be too envious, because it didn't happen. Regardless of my personal plans, our executive director made the decision to close all non-essential facilities due to the weather which means just about everyone had the day off.
Given everything that happened at home, I wouldn't have been able to get to work anyways. However, by the afternoon the snow was clear and roads were passable. My wife and I took the dogs for a walk around town and discovered both the library and our community's park district facility closed. I have mixed feelings about these facilities being closed. I can appreciate that many employees had their own crisis to deal with and would have had considerable difficulty getting to work. On the other hand, with many people not going to work for similar reasons and a good part of the community without power, should there be a place for people to go?
I might not of thought of this concern if I hadn't participated in the Citizen Emergency Response Training (CERT) that prepares people to help in disasters. It is good training, but I have my doubts about the actual effectiveness of the team in a real disaster. There are certain parallels to the drills we did in grade school where you went in the hall and put your head between your knees for a tornado. In hindsight, this was probably more panic management than effective injury mitigation, but I digress. I just wonder if being a government organization means that we should be available when people most need services, even if it just means a place to go.
