BG needs to revisit its emergency plan

Since Sept. 11, 2001, the term "emergency preparedness" has become a household word for every American. Today, nearly three days after village officials in Buffalo Grove issued a boil order for the village's water supply, I find myself questioning their ability to quickly communicate the problem at hand to a town of 50,000 residents.

I first learned of the boil order three hours after it was issued, from a one-sentence e-mail forwarded by a friend. Since it was already after 6 p.m. and village offices were closed, I visited the Buffalo Grove Web site only to find the link outlining the problem at hand was impossible to access.

So, I boiled six quarts of water in my pasta pot and ran to a grocery store to purchase a case of bottled water.

My 22-year-old son called as he headed down I-88 from the University of Iowa: "Please don't drink the water, I'll be home in about two hours." In turn, I left a message on my husband's phone, knowing he was on a cross country flight from Los Angeles, and might return when I was asleep.

It is difficult to understand the village's actions (or lack thereof) on that Friday afternoon. Could "reverse 911" calls have been made? How many media outlets other than the cable channel were notified? Could community service officers or off-duty policeman, firemen or public works employees' been sent up and down streets with bullhorns? E-alerts or text message alerts? Perhaps, electronic signs could have been posted near village hall or the town center area. Were health care providers and community's nursing homes and retirement communities contacted immediately?

Today, nearly two days after the boil order was lifted, it now appears that some of the early test results may have been false positive, and perhaps the drinking water in Buffalo Grove was safe all along. Yet, in the future, without a better disaster plan in place the village of Buffalo Grove could be in "hot water" if confronted with a natural disaster, public health crisis, terrorist attack or gun-toting madman.

Darcy Gans

Buffalo Grove