EP 54: A Day at the Beach (The Wild Intersection of Gov't and Summer Vacation)

It's summer, and beach towns all along the coast are each receiving thousands and thousands of visitors from across the U.S. Take Atlantic Beach, N.C., for example. It has a year-round population of about 1,500, but in the summer months that number surges to roughly 50,000. How in the world does such a small community -- with limited staffing and resources -- prepare for that? How can it provide adequate services, like police or even enough public water, amid outsize demand? What's the procedure when someone calls the authorities to report mysterious matter washing ashore? And did you know it's somebody's job there to make sure the beach is still there for tourists? Yes, literally. It's amazing how it all comes together, though we suntanned beneficiaries seldom ever consider it. Let's think back to that classic summer vacation as we hear from a panel of experts in this special live episode of Municipal Equation, recorded with an audience in Atlantic Beach.