What Now?

How many of you remember the avalanche in April 2008 that took out the Snettisham power supply? Juneau and Douglas residents had to drastically reduce their power consumption.

I was thinking today about that time. Everyone, private citizens, government offices, churches, private companies, all worked together to drop the amount of electricity we used. The power company had to raise their rates to pay for the diesel that was fueling the generators that we’re providing our power.

This time we’re living in, this pandemic,  is similar in that we are expected to work together to flatten the curve and reduce the spread of the virus.

Unfortunately, it has become an opportunity for people to become even more polarized than we were before the pandemic (if you can believe that it is possible).

Wearing a mask or refusing to has become a political statement. Insisting that things go back to normal or that we continue the measures that helped prevent further infection, illness and death have resulted in protests and civil unrest, arguments and ad hominem attacks against those with whom we disagree on social media.

There are very few people left (if any) who remember the Influenza epidemic of 1918. I remember my mother, who was 7 years old during the epidemic, describing the impact it had on her town and nearby towns in northern New Mexico.  I remember her talking about a diphtheria outbreak that took the life of her baby brother. And finally, I remember her talking about her terror every summer when polio would break out when my older brothers and sisters were young.

Thankfully, we have vaccines against diphtheria, polio, and most strains of influenza.

COVID-19 is a brand new disease. There is no vaccine, and no cure. The only thing that medical providers can do is treat the symptoms and hope the people who are afflicted recover.

When the Snettisham avalanche took out the power lines, we had a tentative date when they would be repaired.  In our current situation, there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight. In fact, there are predictions that things could get even worse.

In addition to the threat of disease hanging over our heads, we are also experiencing a cataclysmic economic downturn. Juneau will lose millions of dollars in revenue due to the cancellation of the tourist season.

So, how do we cope? What do we do?

I wish I had an answer, but I don’t.

But, maybe, if we really try to pull together like we did in 2008, that would help. I see individuals helping by sewing masks. I see breweries and distilleries making hand sanitizer. I see businesses completely changing their business models and switching to manufacturing personal protective equipment. I see folks taking food to health care providers and making donations to local nonprofit agencies.

Maybe, curbing our anger against those who disagree with us might help? I’m as guilty as anyone of name calling and blaming.

Eventually, this crisis will end. Until that time, maybe we can try to (as author Heather Lende says) find the good.