New Kent Charles City Chronicle

News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | March 29, 2024

Editorial: Let’s make life easier for emergency workers during times of a natural disaster

By Andre Jones | October 17, 2018 1:01 am

First of all, I want to thank all of the emergency workers, technicians, and first responders who assisted with restoring power and clearing the roadways after the devastation of Tropical Storm Michael hit our area. But with that said, let’s talk about what we can do as citizens to make these people’s jobs easier.

I have had a few conversations with numerous emergency workers and law enforcement personnel throughout the ordeal and I feel that the dialogue exchange will benefit us all, especially after some of the things I personally witnessed.

The first thing law enforcement officials encourage in times where disaster relief is needed is to stay off the roads, especially when you don’t have to travel. Unfortunately, there were six deaths caused by the remnants of Tropical Storm Michael. It’s sad because most of those could have been avoided if people chose to stay at home. Police officers and responders risk their lives everyday in hazardous conditions not because they want to, but because they have to in efforts to keep us safe. With trees stretched across the road and flooding in the localities, officers carried chainsaws and looked to clear roadways. When a person chooses to leave home without knowing road conditions, it only worsens the situation. Exposed power lines, complete darkness, flooded out roads, and downed trees were only a few of the issues that was dealt with. Hopefully, the next time we experience this type of storm will consist more of preparation and not impatience to get from one place to another.

The second thing I encourage is for drivers of motor vehicles to brush up on driving laws. Anyone who drove to the intersection of Route 106 (Emmaus Church Road) and Route 60 (Pocahontas Trail) in New Kent knows what I mean. With the traffic lights not working due to lack of electricity, intersections become four-way stops. Unfortunately, I had to traverse through that intersection a few times and there were several vehicles traveling on Route 60 flying through the intersection without a concern. I witnessed a few near accidents and could only shake my head as people disregarded the intersection (that had well-placed stop signs) during the outage. A similar situation occurred at the intersection of Route 60 and New Kent Highway (Route 249) as cars would stop for long periods of time to allow others to make turns onto highways instead of alternating as properly instructed. The last thing anybody would like to have is emergency workers who are tending to roads to respond to a potentially life-threatening accident when it can be avoided.

The final thing I want to say is thank you to both Dominion Power and local groups who assisted with helping those in need. With electricity out in most localities for at least two days, times like what we experienced only proves to us why we are human. Our hearts and ability to bond in times of need is amazing. Cutting trees in roads and driveways and people loaning generators to those without electricity were some of the kind gestures I saw. My only hope is that we carry this generosity in a way where we do these good deeds all the time and not when we’re in a bind.

Hopefully this message comes across as a tale of growth and not a tale of criticism. Yes, we all make mistakes, but we also make decisions that affects others. Let’s make choices and assess situations to assist those who have to work in times of trouble. One small decision will have ripple effects, so it’s up to you if you choose it to be a seed that brightens up a garden, or a runaway snowball that builds up just to fall apart when it gets too big.