From the Wash Post on April 11: A plan to defeat coronavirus finally emerges, but it’s not from the White House. In the absence of federal direction, states and America’s top experts forge the path ahead.
Book Review: Exploring Lessons Learned from a Century of Outbreaks: Readiness for 2030: Proceedings of a Workshop. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2019. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. PDF available for free download.
Reviewed by Donald Watson, editor of the website the OARS List — Organizations Addressing Resilience and Sustainability. Co-author with Michele Adams of Design for Flooding: Resilience to Climate Change (Wiley 2011), he has served as SME and consultant for United Nations, U.S. AID, EPA, FEMA, and emergency planning, humanitarian and disaster relief organizations.
Mr. Watson has done two reviews, a Watson review LONG VERSION(9 pages) and a Watson review SHORT VERSION (4 pages). Both are included here. Note that Watson includes a section called “Why this publication is of immediate interest and relevance to emergency professionals.”
The Diva is most appreciative of his willingness to tackle this major report.
From Politico: Trump Broke the Agencies That Were Supposed To Stop the Covid-19 Epidemic. The government agencies designed to protect us are riddled with vacancies and temporary officials. No wonder we’re facing a catastrophe. An excerpt:
Trump is obviously not responsible for the appearance of the novel coronavirus—but he is responsible for the government’s spiraling failure to respond appropriately in a timely manner. He has ignored the hiring practices, protocols, norms and expertise that would have given him and the federal government a better shot at defeating Covid-19. Three years into his administration and with a Republican-controlled Senate ready to move nominees through to confirmation, he didn’t build the national leadership we needed. That inescapable fact is Donald Trump’s fault.
The “next 9/11” is happening right now because Trump ignored the lessons of the last one.
From CNN: ‘No one really knows who’s in charge’: States navigate federal agencies amid crisis
The wide range of officials and entities involved in the federal government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has fueled confusion over who exactly is in charge of fulfilling the dire needs of hospitals nationwide — and how supplies in high demand will ultimately be distributed.
Nearly three weeks since taking over the federal operations response, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has enlisted help across agencies and industries to respond to an emergency of unprecedented magnitude. The vast scope of the response, as well as the involvement of the White House, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and the Pentagon, has at times perplexed governors and lawmakers desperate for equipment for their states to treat coronavirus patients.
“FEMA is tasked with figuring out what areas need different resources. Is it FEMA? Is it the White House? Is it HHS?” a congressional aide told CNN. “No one really knows who’s in charge… who’s making decisions.”
The article: The Data Speak: Stronger Pandemic Response Yields Better Economic Recovery. Direct link to MIT Study: The data speak: Stronger pandemic response yields better economic recovery. Study of 1918 flu pandemic shows U.S. cities that responded more aggressively in health terms also had better economic rebounds.
From BusinessWire: ServiceNow Releases Four Emergency Response Apps to Help Customers Navigate COVID-19 Crisis Management. Company partners with Washington State Department of Health to share emergency operations app with all public sector customers at no charge.
The Diva does not have the requisite background to evaluate these apps, but they seem worthwhile. She welcomes comments and a review by readers.
From HSToday: Pandemic Preparedness: Start Your After-Action Report and Improvement Planning Now. Author is Andy Jabbour is co-founder and Managing Director of The Gate 15 Company and the Faith-Based Information Sharing & Analysis Organization (FB-ISAO).
The Diva recommends the FB-ISAO reports.
From the WashPost, some history: America was unprepared for a major crisis. Again. Political Reckoning: The first in a series exploring the political dynamics surrounding the coronavirus crisis.
The U.S. was beset by denial and dysfunction as the coronavirus raged. From the Oval Office to the CDC, political and institutional failures cascaded through the system and opportunities to mitigate the pandemic were lost.
From Politico: Does the Trump Administration Have the Talent To Make the Stimulus Work? As the New Deal shows us, it takes expertise, professionalism and skill to execute massive government programs—qualities the White House lacks. Some excerpts:
Unlike FDR, who vastly expanded state capacity, Trump has waged war on the federal government, leaving vast numbers of key roles unfilled, bullying and hollowing out the ranks of the nonpartisan civil service and populating his White House and Cabinet with men and women of little qualification. FDR hired capable pros—people with decades of experience in law, social policy, economics and other fields. Trump’s closest advisers are his son-in-law, who inherited a real estate company, and his daughter, who before entering public service operated a fashion line. One of the top deputies at the Office of Presidential Personnel—a key office that selects, vets and ushers through the clearance and confirmation processes top administration officials—is a 23-year-old college senior.
Trump’s task is in some ways harder than the one FDR faced in 1935: The economic downswing is more immediate, brought on by a disease pandemic. Yet there is little in the administration’s track record to suggest it is staffed to meet the challenge.
In the new blog called Hazard Doc, Prof. Susan Cutter of the Univ. of SC, features an article titled The Federal Government is no longer a reliable partner.
I commend the article to you. Consider following this new blog.
Recovery Diva 