Last summer, Alberta, and Calgary, where I live, was hit by the biggest flood most of us have seen in our lifetimes. Annually, during the spring, it is expected that Fish Creek Park will flood, and that some pathways and areas of the park will incur damage; last year’s flood however, was on a whole new level. During a time where homes were being destroyed, spectators crowded to witness the flooded downtown area; grocery stores sold out of water within hours, creating an apocalyptic feel to the city that surely would cause residents to put their own security and that of their family above others. Instead, Calgarians worked together in a volunteer effort to help the city. In such times of disaster, it takes a great leader to unify a city and rescue it from drowning, and during last summer’s floods that man was Naheed
Nenshi.
When the devastation of the floods first swept Calgary, Nenshi was up and working for 43 hours straight, completely focused and dedicated on restoring the city that, as mayor, he was responsible to. To keep Calgarians updated on the state of affairs in their city, and to advise them how to best stay safe, he posted updates online several times throughout the day, at one point, even posting an update in the middle of the night. Eventually, concerned citizens implored the devoted mayor to go home, and take a nap. But Nenshi’s determination had payed off, only twelve days after being flooded, Calgary’s downtown was up and running as normal, and in just under two weeks C-train lines were back up, allowing over 110,000 people from the south to travel downtown to work.
While a large component of Nenshi’s effectiveness in dealing with the floods can be attributed to his phenomenal dedication to his city, the other key part was his communication with Calgarians. Known for his tech-savvy campaign at election time, Nenshi is fluent in social media communication, and relied heavily on Twitter to get his voice to the most Calgarians in the quickest time period. Nenshi used social media to support Calgarians, not only updating them regularly, but also using the sites to encourage citizens to do more, become involved in community initiatives to help neighbours in need. This proved highly effective in motivating citizens to act; a viral call for about 600 volunteers to meet at Calgary’s McMahon Stadium met with 3,000 volunteers by 10 a.m., five times the number
hoped for.
Nenshi took charge at the onset of the crisis, and involved the average citizen in the process of rebuilding the city, encouraging us to be leaders in our own right. That being said, despite the commanding yet reassuring approach Nenshi adopted during the flooding, if individuals chose to make foolish and potentially dangerous decisions, Nenshi exhibited little tolerance towards their behaviour. When some Calgarians decided to raft down the Bow River while it was still far above safe water levels, Nenshi handled the situation with gravity, clearly articulating the dangers of doing so, and denouncing those on the river as “selfish and ridiculous,” putting themselves at risk while taking away valuable and much needed emergency services away from flooded communities. With this statement, Nenshi not only demonstrated the inappropriateness of such behaviour, but also reinforced that as a collective, we all had a larger responsibility during the floods, a responsibility to our community, to both assist in recovery efforts and to ensure that we ourselves behave responsibly, and think of the community at large when choosing what we believe are merely personal risks.
The leadership that Nenshi instills in us, as responsible citizens and Calgarians, and the determination that he fosters in other, these are the qualities that truly make Nenshi a leader. Not only is he dedicated to the welfare of his citizens and of their city, but his effectiveness in communicating this devotion, around the clock, encouraged the citizens of Calgary as a whole to look up to his level of commitment and reach towards leadership in their community. Nenshi’s online campaign reached out to a variety of citizens throughout the city, and the constant encouragement provided empowered Calgarians to lead their city towards recovery.
The effectiveness with which mayor Nenshi handled the flood situation was impressive, he truly worked around the clock to help our city recover in phenomenal time from massive devastation, not only this, but Nenshi opened himself up to the citizens of Calgary, providing updates constantly to ensure both safety and public awareness. His inclusion of all Calgarians into the flood recovery efforts, through regular communication and an encouragement for the practice of stewardship in flood devastated areas, met with outstanding individual initiative on behalf of Calgarians. Post flood, Nenshi’s popularity ratings soared, unsurprisingly, considering the awesome dedication and leadership skills he exhibited; if the floods proved anything, they would be a demonstration of the personal integrity of the common citizen when inspired by a true leader. Nenshi is surely a man we can all respect and aspire to emulate.