I've been in Calgary over the last few days. I must say I felt some guilt about heading to a city that probably didn't need another single soul to stretch its resources. Yet I found a place of resilience and goodwill that made the piles of rubble and mud seem less formidable. We were in the town of Okotoks which had suffered somewhat less than other places but Okotoks is just a short way from High River and the same cannot be said of that community. Every morning as I visited Starbucks for my morning pick me up (more like a "drag me kicking and screaming into the day") I overheard the question, "Are you in yet? What's it like?" Various responses would come back about when people would get back into their homes and what they found when they were let back in.
You could see in among the devastation the sense of community and the generosity of individuals who perhaps felt they had been spared from the rising water by luck or some unexplained fate. And you could see the money pouring in. Every grocery store, coffee shop and restaurant seemed to be collecting donations of money and supplies. It is interesting to note that the donations that were flowing in were things that most of us take for granted: toothpaste, razors, toilet paper, Kleenex... It is hard to imagine starting again from scratch but many families will be doing just that.
Along with the money and supplies came the volunteers. I watched members of the Church of Latter Day Saints, who had donned bright yellow t-shirts, preparing to leave for communities unknown to help out. Among them were youth and older church members who appeared to be packing up vehicles with the fierce determination of knowing there would be a long day ahead.
I also watched the television news that told stories of young people arriving in communities to remove mud from basements. These youth had got the job down pat and were able to clear a basement in just a few hours. My mother-in-law mentioned to me that she had heard an older gentleman lament that "these were the young people he had often complained about." He was regretting those words now as these teens offered their services, which mostly consisted of strong hands and strong backs, willingly.
For me it was interesting to see multilevel government at work. I often say in this column that I worry about the decline in public trust in institutions, the civil service and politicians in general but when I visited the Telus Spark Science Centre I was heartened to see a display that allowed the public to express their thanks to the officials who had helped out and to those who had shown leadership. The Calgary mayor, Naheed Nenshi, was clearly among those whom the public admired. I watched him on a local cable station discussing the plans for both the short-term needs and the long-term rebuilding. The provincial government too was there to open the cheque book and to begin the plans to recover the infrastructure. The federal government also pledged support. The governments' work will extend beyond condolences and this is where we see the critical role of a good state. Three levels of government working together to rebuild devastated communities. Political scientists often study the relationship among levels of government to discover the challenges and successes of coordinating complex areas of public policy: transportation and infrastructure, for example. We use the term "multilevel government" as a way to distinguish not only the hierarchy but also the distinct authority and responsibilities of each state apparatus. Coordinating efforts across these complex jurisdictions is often difficult because sometimes a government's list of areas of responsibilities outstrips their human and fiscal capacity. This is particularly true of local governments.
This will make an interesting case study. But, even as I write these words, I am struck by the fact that "case study" seems too banal to describe the sadness and loss of the people who lives were torn apart by two raging rivers. I can say that everywhere I went the motto, "Come hell or high water we will recover" demonstrates the resilience of the human spirit.
