Cape leaders, workers shine during water crisis

Cape Girardeau's recent water situation reminded of a line from a TV show character: "The most costly disruptions always happen when something we take completely for granted stops working for a minute."

How true!

Safe, abundant tap water is something we take for granted, as we do light coming on when we flip a switch or the engine purring to life when we turn the key or press a button.

For a few days, though, we couldn't know for certain whether the tap water in the city was safe after a 14-inch pipe burst. It took about a day for workers to fix the pipe and then two more days for rounds of testing to show no contaminants in the water. The all-clear came four days after the discovery of the leak.

During those four days, we saw examples of dedication, community and communication.

Dedication. Municipal and contract workers sloshed around in waist-deep water for nearly 24 hours to repair the line. They required special equipment to keep the water at bay and saw through the line, as well as lighting for the overnight hours. Public Works director Stan Polivick and water manager Erica Bogenpohl were especially leading the way. They and their charges worked efficiently and effectively, and we are thankful for their efforts.

Community. From suppliers increasing shipments to firefighters and other municipal employees handing out hundreds of cases of bottled water — free of charge — we came together to look out for each other and lessen the hardships caused by the disruption. Some organizations and churches also helped with water donations. Well done.

Communication. City officials updated progress on a regular basis, informing the public in clear language what was happening and what residents needed to do. This flow of information boosted confidence and lowered concern. This was a textbook example of how to handle a crisis situation.

Mayor Stacy Kinder said as much when speaking to a group in Jackson recently.

"The chief job of our city staff is to be prepared. My biggest hope is that our residents will come away with a general belief that they have a city government that is concerned about every citizen and cares deeply about serving our community well and that can handle disasters in as professional and timely a manner as possible," she assessed.

She's right.

We can't know what crisis might come at any moment, but recent events showed us our municipal leaders are up to the task of responding quickly and competently, keeping the public in the loop along the way.