SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
June 15, 2008
Sullivan’s Salvos 6/17/08
It is pretty much all flooding today. I have spent dozens of hours sandbagging and moving things, and dozens more in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). There isn’t time to do much in this edition of Salvos, so I’ll try to keep this short and factual.
I cannot even attempt to give you up to date information in this environment. I urge everybody to check out official city and county websites for current facts, and listen to 800 AM and 1630 AM. All have been good sources of information.
If you have called or E-mailed me about something unrelated to the flooding, I apologize. There simply has not been time to return those messages. Please bear with me; I’ll get back to you as soon as my responsibilities related to the flood subside. Thank you for your patience.
A bit of advice - use common sense. Stay away from all water. Do not try to get from east to west (or vice versa) in the metropolitan area UNLESS IT IS CRITICAL THAT YOU DO SO! Do not cross town even to go to work or to volunteer. Stay on your side of the river! If you clog our few open streets, you slow emergency responders and put others at risk!
A second bit of advice… take care of yourself. Get enough sleep, drink plenty of liquids, and take more breaks than you think you need for your mental and physical health. Share your feelings, and be understanding of others.
A third bit of advice… beware of fraud! There are scam artists that have already moved into our area. Never give out your vital information, and demand photo IDs and call back phone numbers from anyone claiming to be some type of official. Do not hesitate to check people out; legitimate individuals will not object.
No one has worked harder through all of this than County employees. Secondary Roads staff deliver sand 24/7, close roads and bridges, work out detours, and see half their facilities gobbled up by the feds. Yet not one word of complaint. Information Services moves EVERYTHING – servers, web, E-mail, data – EVERYTHING – from the Admin Building to Secondary Roads and has it fully functional in about twelve hours. Facilities helps everyone else move, then gets elevations on every County facility and sandbags them tight. Then there are the folks who keep us safe… Ambulance, Sheriff, and Emergency Management are all performing magnificently. Finally, it was great to see clerks, accountants, secretaries, administrators, inspectors, social workers, elected officials, and others all pitching in to move things, sandbag, and do whatever is necessary. Unbelievable work, folks! You are amazing! The public should be VERY proud!
All non-essential County employees should STAY AWAY from work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Areas under County control are flooded, and County employees should NOT attempt to enter flooded areas. In addition, we do not want County employees clogging our east-west streets. Non-essential County employees should call in each day to the Department Head or Elected Official for whom they work for further information. The Board of Supervisors will meet at 10:30 AM on Wednesday to decide what will happen beyond Wednesday.
Everyone who has volunteered in any capacity… I love you! You are the best! Keep up the heroic work! This is what makes Johnson County great! Unfortunately, our work has barely begun.
Finally, a note of personal privilege… with so many people suffering such massive personal losses this week, I hesitate to even bring this up. It might sound silly to all of you, but it is very difficult to express what the Sutliff Bridge meant to me. I don’t think the loss has really sunken in just yet; please be understanding with me in the weeks to come.
DID YOU KNOW? Because Johnson County has been declared a federal disaster area, affected residents may already begin applying for aid by calling 1-800-621-FEMA or visiting www.fema.gov.
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
www.johnson-county.com.
"Sullivan’s Salvos" is sent once per week to any interested party. It will give a brief update on issues of interest to Johnson County residents.
These messages come solely from Rod Sullivan, and neither represents the viewpoints of the whole Board of Supervisors nor those of groups or individuals otherwise mentioned.
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As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. I look forward to serving you!
---Rod
posted by Rod @ 10:34 PM
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