Author: Eastern equine encephalitis or (EEE), a public health risk, certainly. Massachusetts health officials sent out an automated phone message on Tuesday Aug. 3rd. The message said that on Wed. the 4th and Thur. the 5th there would be aerial spraying from 8pm to 3am each night, and that you should keep windows closed and air conditioning units off. Mind you, on these nights the humidity was very oppressive. I had to wonder what these ‘health officials’ were thinking in regards to the elderly who would have to sit in sweltering conditions while this spraying were going on? Could we wait for drier conditions? Maybe use OFF in the meantime?
So on Wednesday night people turned off their AC units, buttoned down their windows, and sat in the heat, only to find out on Thursday that the spraying had been cancelled due to windy conditions. There had been no automated phone calls telling anyone of this, so one night of suffering in the heat needlessly, thank you ‘health officials’. Your looking out for us.
On Thursday another automated phone message was sent out, this time giving the same warning as before, close windows and turn off AC units, again on yet another oppressively humid night. Wednesday night had been a trial run with no spraying, now some more suffering for the elderly, and the rest of us. Friday morning we find out that spraying had not been done in Plymouth Thursday night, according to the police, that would be done on Friday and Saturday nights instead! So, Thursday was another pointless night in the sweltering heat for no good reason, thank you ‘health officials’, again, looking out for the elderly and the rest of us once more.
Now mind you, the automated messages tell us to close our windows and turn off our AC units while spraying is taking place between the hours of 8pm and 3am. This sounds dire, the spray must be bad for us to inhale, one would think. But the ‘health officials’ now wanted to spray, according to the message, on Friday and Saturday nights when the most people are out at restaurant’s, the movies, malls, weekend get-togethers having a good time. This is when the ‘health officials’ think its a good time to spray, on everyone’s head! Wouldn’t the middle of the week, when most people are at home because they have to work the next day be a better time? Thank you once again ‘health officials’, your just looking out for us?
From the governor who gave the ‘green light’ for this, right on down the line, it must be a prerequisite, that in order to be a public official, you must already be brain dead.
Mark Shean, written on 8-7-10
Posted in Blog