AMU Emergency Management Opinion Public Safety

Oklahoma Legislature Declares an Emergency

Examining the definition of ’emergency’

The Oklahoma legislature has declared an emergency, and [link url=”http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/cf_pdf/2015-16%20INT/SB/SB1619%20INT.PDF” title=”created legislation“] to deal with it. The emergency is so dire that it is described in the legislation as: It being immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health, and safety, an emergency is hereby declared to exist.

There are emergencies, and there are emergencies

So what is this dire emergency?

— Is it another [link url=”http://ktul.com/weather/blog/oklahoma-leading-the-tornado-count-for-2016″ title=”wave of tornadoes sweeping the state“] and causing injuries, deaths, and hundreds of millions in damage?

Nope, not that.

— Is it the gun violence that is the [link url=”http://www.newson6.com/story/30188387/top-9-states-with-highest-rates-of-death-by-gun-see-where-oklahoma-ranks” title=”eighth highest in the nation“]?

Nope, not that either.

— Is it the 900 earthquakes that have [link url=”http://time.com/4273258/usgs-earthquake-map-oklahoma/” title=”swarmed the state“] since fracking began?

Nyet.

— How about the fact that the [link url=”http://kfor.com/2016/03/03/first-case-of-zika-virus-confirmed-in-oklahoma/” title=”first case of the Zika virus“] in the state has been confirmed?

Nicht.

No, apparently this public health and safety emergency is caused by the possibility that Caitlyn Jenner might visit the state and [link url=”http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/28/politics/caitlyn-jenner-bathroom-trump-tower-donald-trump/” title=”want to use the ladies’ room“].

So, let’s talk about the definition of ‘Emergency’

According to Merriam-Webster, an emergency is: ‘an unexpected and usually dangerous situation that calls for immediate action.’

And when we in Emergency and Disaster Management think about ’emergency,’ it usually involves responding with police cars, rolling out fire trucks, activating operation centers, and applying for aid to help with operations and budget issues.

It is worth noting that the term ’emergency’ has been misused by governments before. In one recent example, the State of Michigan enacted an [link url=”https://www.michigan.gov/documents/snyder/EMF_Fact_Sheet2_347889_7.pdf” title=”Emergency Manager law“] that should have actually been called an Emergency Financial Controller law. The controversy surrounding the law, the implementation of it, and its suspect impact on how the Flint water crisis played out has served to give the field of emergency and disaster management a negative public perception that it didn’t earn.

[relink url=”https://amuedge.com/iaem-professionals-concerned-over-possible-misuse-of-term-emergency-manager/”]

But this misuse of the word ’emergency’ comes more from our faerie tales: recall Chicken Little running around claiming: ‘The sky is falling!’ or Peter crying: ‘Wolf!’ until no one believed him any more. Neither worked out well for those who over-reacted–and it’s quite likely that this over-reaction won’t work out well for Oklahoma either.

I mean, can you envision that a transgender schoolgirl wanting to use the ladies’ room would be cause for dispatching the police cars and rolling out the fire trucks? Evidently, the Oklahoma legislature can.

The Takeaway

So, this is the danger in what’s going on here: If the Oklahoma legislature cannot tell the difference in importance between a transgender person using the bathroom of choice on the one hand, and tornadoes, gun violence, earthquakes, and Zika on the other, then are these the people we want protecting our health and safety and guiding us into our challenging future?

It’s up to you, of course. My role is just to lay out the evidence and the options. But in this case, I think the options are clear.

What do you think?

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