Here’s hoping the swine flu doesn’t make it to Western Tidewater, but the odds are decent that it will.

Two new cases were reported Friday at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, bringing to four the number of Virginia cases of the virus that has swept through Mexico and infected some 155 Americans.

Should the swine flu reach these parts, the Franklin/Southampton community just might be better prepared than others, thanks to the foresight of a group that started meeting in late 2006.

The Pandemic Committee, consisting of Southampton Memorial Hospital, public health and area government officials, was formed in anticipation of just such an occurrence. The notion of a worldwide flu pandemic might have seem farfetched at the time, but the current swine-flu scare is proof that such preparations were wise.

We commend those who initiated the project. Though we hope this community never experiences the worst-case scenario that organizers prepared for, it’s comforting to know that a plan is in place to cope with the consequences.