How complacent have we become about city safety?

When I was a little girl, we had wonderful big family dinners with my grandparents and an assortment of aunts, uncles and cousins. The summertime ritual at the home above our family's Boardwalk store always included interesting discussion. The chatter often turned toward the weather, notably the possibility of another big storm hitting Ocean City.
Tales of my grandparents fleeing the storied September 1944 hurricane from our ice cream and candy store fascinated me. Out of nowhere, the storm intensified, the tide came up and Emma and Ira Johnson had to leave. The approach at Brighton Place and Fourth Street washed away, so they along with my Aunt Ruth, their housekeeper Millie, and Bill the ice cream maker were forced to flee on Park Place. As they hit the street, a wave crashed over them and the wooden planking behind them cracked apart. They were headed for Plaza Place, where my great-grandmother awaited.
Millie could not swim, so my ingenious grandmother tied a sheet to her, and then tied it to herself. Fending off debris and floating automobiles in waist-deep water, they made it to Corinthian Avenue and finally to Plaza Place. Driven by 100-mph gusts of wind, waves crashed over the Boardwalk and through the front doors of the store.
"It was awful, the Boardwalk was ripping apart right in front of us," my aunt Ruth Johnson Vanze recalled. "A storage building on the Boardwalk just blew apart, the waves were ferocious. We had no idea the storm would be that bad. I was 16 and I'll never forget it."
Have we forgotten? I fear we've become somewhat complacent. Catastrophic storms happen and they will happen again. Are we prepared? I often imagined how terrified they must have been. In those days, they had little warning of impending storms. There was no weather channel, so when a squall arrived, they didn't know if it was a run of the mill Northeaster or a hurricane.
In 1962, the ocean met the bay and the entire south end of the island was underwater, most of it destroyed. On the 40th anniversary of that epic storm, I wrote of survivors' memories. Karen Heist recalled her twin brothers throwing pillows in the deep water covering the first floor from the second floor of their 32nd Street home. Sandy Corson-Beyel said the water was up to the second floor of her Snug Harbor bay front home, recalling the fish bowl feeling of looking out the picture window on the first floor and seeing nothing but water. It lasted through more than a half-dozen high tides for four days.
That storm was a big surprise, arriving on a full moon with high tides rising until the water nearly consumed the island. Former fireman Bob Hart recalled leaving for work that morning and not arriving home for several days as our treasured public servants went into rescue mode.
In 1991, powered by a high tide, the ocean poured through the glass doors of Brighton Place beachfront condos, furniture floating down the street with the incoming waves. No one expected that storm either, but it sure wreaked havoc. A few months later history repeated itself, taking bigger chunks of the beach and Boardwalk.
I was a little surprised at a recent council meeting when our (sadly, soon to be former) emergency management coordinator tried in the short two minutes allotted him to explain how woefully unprepared we are for the next disaster.
In a resignation letter submitted to Mayor Sal Perillo, Don Charles sums it up.
"The challenge is for you and the next coordinator to have emergency management be the highest priority within Ocean City. It is not a question of 'if' but rather 'when' Ocean City experiences a disaster whether a natural disaster or otherwise," Charles wrote.
If history is any guide, Charles is right. Despite his emotional plea to fund $28,500 for a professional assessment, including a sophisticated city-wide encompassing emergency plan prepared by a company called Emergency Preparedness, a divided council declined.
Though technology has improved, we have more to fear from a hurricane today than we did 60 years ago. The potential for destruction is multifaceted. And in a post 9/11 world, hurricanes might be the least feared probability. What would we do if there were a terrorist attack during the Fourth of July fireworks extravaganza or any busy weekend? Did the Virginia Tech community expect a mass murder to occur on their bucolic campus? Emergencies are so dubbed because they come at unexpected times and require fast action. The more you prepare for one, the more you can prevent disaster and save lives.
"Public complacency is the biggest obstacle to overcome in emergency preparedness," said Charles. "Hopefully the public will see the need to demand that greater city resources are devoted to put Ocean City in the forefront of municipal preparedness. That is not the case at this time."
The last plan was prepared in 2004 and must be resubmitted per FEMA requirements every three years.
"The plan is now outdated and woefully incomplete," said Charles. "I have advised council that the city is not prepared for an emergency. The previous plan met the minimum federal requirements. Even though it was not required to include a plan for the continuation of government, it should have included it. We're an island; we should have a plan to run this government off the island if need be."
Everything pales in comparison to the need for a post-disaster recovery plan. What would we do if Katrina arrived in South Jersey?
"This is an obvious and glaring deficiency," said Charles. "Ocean City should not just meet the minimum standards. We have the resources to be a model for all municipalities. Not just for the sake of being a model, but because we are an island community, we have an exposure. This is not just for a natural disaster; we could have any number of emergencies."
You know something is amiss when, at a council meeting, former council president, Frank McCall, Cape May County's emergency management coordinator, and Councilman Jody Alessandrine agree on anything. Councilmen Roy Wagner, Keith Hartzell and Jack Thomas agreed with the former mayoral candidates that McCall could assist the city in formulating a plan.
"Those at the county and state level are not in a position to provide a level of commitment for Ocean City to be a leader in this area," said Charles. "The local manpower and expertise does not exist for Ocean City to provide the type of leadership that I'm talking about in the area of emergency management."
Charles said he worked closely with Det. Scott Morgan of the OCPD. Praising Morgan's talents, he said he would be the perfect candidate if he didn't already have a full time job.
"His available time is limited," said Charles. "Even though he is incredibly well-qualified, his main responsibility as a police detective limits his time.
"We recommended a consultant for, in the context of a $56 million budget the relatively paltry sum of $28,800," said Charles. "As a member of the public pointed out, the city spent more than that on fireworks. It comes down to a matter of priority. The sun has begun to shine on emergency management, for the first time ever. The community needs to stay focused and demand the best. This consultant has an enormous amount of experience, the best reputation of anyone I ever heard of."
Charles said another firm submitted a similar proposal in 2005 for more than twice the cost. He streamlined the process, utilizing department heads within the city to reduce the cost.
"I even had an agreement that if it came in less, we'd be billed less," he said. "It was a sweet contract. It doesn't get any better than that in city government, especially when dealing with a firm with a high level of expertise.
"I respect council's decision making authority," he added. "They have the right to approve this or not. I strongly disagree with this decision. They will bear the consequences of this decision. All I can do as coordinator is make a recommendation and state the reasons why."
Thomas said he had concerns.
"No other community in South Jersey has gone to a consultant, they all do it themselves," he said. "Frank McCall has said he will do it with the appropriate people. Why should we spend the money when other communities do it themselves? That's the issue I have."
Emergency management is important, it's a shame Charles wasn't given more time to publicly plead his case. Every school day the city houses nearly 2,000 faculty and children. With water, water everywhere, I can remember my son evacuating the primary school by walking across planks of lumber to the safety of an awaiting school bus on several occasions.
And what of the holiday weekend when there are close to 200,000 people on the island? What about a fire, flood or mass shooting? Are we willing to "wing it" to save a few dollars? Shouldn't Ocean City strive for the best?
I've known Charles for a long time and you won't find anyone more upstanding and honest. He's beyond reproach, the kind of detail-oriented leader you want to have in an emergency. When someone as hardworking, dedicated and thorough as Charles says we need outside help to prepare the "best" plan, why would we not believe him? Charles says we're "woefully unprepared" for an emergency just as the National Weather Service predicts intensifying hurricane activity, does anyone care?
My grandparents were woefully unprepared; fleeing a storm that came with little warning, fearing for their lives. There are better ways to prepare for an emergency than tying a sheet to Millie and hoping for the best. It makes for good dinner conversation, but it was a frightening ordeal that taught them a tough lesson. My grandparents learned not to be complacent, have we?
 

Ann Richardson can be e-mailed at annrichardson@catamaranmedia.com  or you can comment on this story by calling 624-8900, ext. 250, or visiting www.shorenewstoday.com  and clicking the Speak Out link.