Evacuations and warnings in general are very public events. It is hard to avoid the spotlight and microscopic examination that comes following a failure.
See this New York Times article, “Facing a Dire Storm Forecast in Florida, Officials Delayed Evacuation.”
I understand the hesitation and reluctance to put people through an evacuation when one is not really needed. There are the “Chicken Little” and “boy who cried ‘wolf’” syndromes that people want to avoid. On the other hand, there are life-threatening disasters that require quick assessments and judgments on the actions to be taken.
I imagine that it was not just the emergency manager for Lee County, Fla., who was calling the shots. Senior elected officials had to be part of the mix. I recall a senior leader, an executive director, who once said, “I can’t make a decision until we have all the facts.” That type of person/leader is not one who you want calling the shots when it comes time to evacuate or warn.
As I’ve written in the past, if I’m going to be hung, I want it to be for something I did and not for something I did not do. Being proactive in public warnings is a good thing and is necessary.
As for accountability and performance management, you only need to look at the actions of neighboring counties to provide a ruler that others will measure your actions by.
