I’m in Las Vegas this week. Yeah, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas;, but it also happens to be the venue for the annual IAEM (International Association of Emergency Managers) Conference and EMEX 2011. Last night, when I got here, I managed to learn a sobering and thoughtful lesson in psychological resiliency.
Stay with me here and let me explain.
The first thing that happened to me when I arrived at the Rio Hotel and Casino is that my sister, Debbie, drove off with my Blackberry. The second was that I lost my wallet.
Ten years ago, not having your cell phone wouldn’t be a calamity because there were pay phones one could use to place calls; AND we kept important numbers in our head or a PDA or Day Timer. Ten years ago, one could explain a lost wallet to a desk clerk who could find a way to allow you to check in without a picture ID and major credit card.
Today, we keep our memories (and contact information, playlists, photos, etc.) in our smart phones, and not having a picture ID and credit card makes one somewhat of a social outcast.
As long as I’ve been an Emergency Manager, I must admit I simply froze in amazement when I realized that I couldn’t call my sister to bring my cell back because her phone number was in my cell and I didn’t know what it was.
After spending some time trying to get the hotel personnel at the registration desk to let me use a landline phone (no luck), and running around trying to find someone I knew so I could use their cell phone (no luck), it occurred to me I did have my laptop (duh!!!). Except there was no free wifi and I couldn’t tether to my Blackberry because – it was in the car with Debbie. That’s when I pulled my wallet out, got distracted by events, and lost track of it.
Later that evening (over drinks – of course) David Black, the Emergency Manager at the University of Toronto, was talking about research comparing the relationship between resiliency and various factors, including socio economic status. It occurred to us that those folks who are more socially mobile and financially solvent can be less resilient to emergencies, because their contingency plan is to throw down a credit card and make it go away. On the other hand, people who don’t have that luxury can be more accustomed to finding resources and managing on less. The more complex the systems we live in and depend on, the more vulnerable we can feel when they disappear.
Example: I recall a major, long-term power outage in a community where many of the calls to the emergency responders were from people who couldn’t get their garage doors open so they could park their cars and didn’t know what to do about it. If you’ve been in this business for very long, I’ll bet you have many stories along the same lines.
Here’s the lesson for Emergency Managers: planning for resiliency means planning for psychological resilience and that has many faces that can effect your response in many different ways. Before you dismiss this by handing it off to the medical/mental health section in your EOC, think about it: Is this a gap in your planning that is gonna come back to haunt you?
Back to my story: It took longer than I want to admit for me to realize I really wasn’t in any danger and did have resources I could draw on. I blame the delay on the distracting cacophony of slot machines.
I’d like to thank these people at the Rio: Steve (Conventions and Events), Andrew (Bell Desk), Sam (Front Desk) for making listening to my story and helping me get registered. Also, Bill (Security) for putting up with my multiple visits asking if my wallet had been found and then calling me immediately when it was turned in. It was untouched except for the couple who found it kicked between a couple slot machines. And thank to my sister, who not only brought my smartphone back as soon as she realized she had it, but staying around for moral support.
Now I can concentrate on the rest of the IAEM conference and not worry about paying for my own drinks.
