As most (if not all) of you are probably well aware by now, last week the World Health Organization declared that COVID-19 can officially be characterized as a pandemic. In the days since then, global, national, and state leaders have enacted numerous, rapid changes in an attempt to hinder the spread of the virus. We’re all a little shaken right now. We’re all doing what we can. And we may not know when, but eventually, we’ll get through this.
In the meantime, I wanted to let you know the specific ways in which we have made changes to the WICDI project plans. Culverts and floods aren’t going away, and neither are we! However, in the interest of protecting our health and the health of our communities, we are carrying out the following changes:
- All project staff are now working remotely. Email is the best way to reach me, as well as the rest of the team, during this time. I will be updating my email signature to include a reachable phone number.
- All future WICDI CoP meetings will be held remotely, until further notice. We have been planning a meeting in late April or early May to discuss our survey results — this meeting will be held virtually. I will be in contact with all of you to discuss options for this meeting. I want it to be as well-attended and as interesting as our in-person meetings.
- Our project goals and general timeline remain the same. We are still here, working on bringing your culvert data and mapping methods together.
If you have any questions about these changes, feel free to reach out. I greatly appreciate how many members of our Community of Practice have been in touch with me in the past few weeks. Your patience, perseverance and good spirits all help drive our team as we keep showing up and taking care of business.
I look forward to speaking with many of you and maybe even seeing your faces on a screen in the near future. Take care, find humor, follow CDC guidelines, and be well!
