disaster Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Center of Excellence for Homeland Security-Emergency Management

Light a Candle or …

LCrerar_CoE2025-06-24T17:17:09+00:00

Light a Candle or ... By Jim Mullen "Much of the strength and efficiency of any government in procuring and securing happiness to the people depends ... on the general opinion of the goodness of government, as well as of the wisdom and integrity of its governors." (Benjamin Franklin) Franklin was on to something. And natural disasters are unique tests of natural resilience. Elected leaders are often judged harshly on the quality of their response to a crisis; a widely perceived failure to provide swift assistance to help communities heal undermines faith in our political system's stability. And yet, [...]

Light a Candle or …LCrerar_CoE2025-06-24T17:17:09+00:00

Mutual Aid in Times of Disaster: Navigating EMAC in Emergency Management

LCrerar_CoE2025-06-24T17:18:21+00:00

Mutual Aid in Times of Disaster: Navigating EMAC in Emergency Management By Jim Mullen Credit Note: the bulk of the information below is taken from the National Emergency Management Association. Note: The outpouring of mutual aid support to California’s wildfires, as well as North Carolina and Georgia and other disaster impacted states, is not an uncoordinated, spontaneous reaction. What the nation sees in major disasters is the activation of a “well- established capability of state-to-state mutual aid exists in the form the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). Ratified by the US Congress in 1996 (Public Law 104-321) 50 states, [...]

Mutual Aid in Times of Disaster: Navigating EMAC in Emergency ManagementLCrerar_CoE2025-06-24T17:18:21+00:00

BUILDING EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT STAFF: A REFLECTION

LCrerar_CoE2025-04-04T00:06:22+00:00

BUILDING EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT STAFF: A REFLECTION By Jim Mullen By 2001, numerous national experts had cited Seattle’s emergency management team as one of the more creative and successful units in the country. A national conference invited me to present my concept of the ideal level of expertise, training and education for a municipal emergency management team. The question: How had Seattle’s staff been constructed? What combination of skills, education and experience were desirable? Diverging from other panelists’ focus on “professionalizing” of emergency management through degrees and certification programs, and an “accidental” emergency manager myself, it was an interesting opportunity [...]

BUILDING EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT STAFF: A REFLECTIONLCrerar_CoE2025-04-04T00:06:22+00:00

Political Hokey Pokey: Navigating Politics in Emergency Management

Jasmine May2025-06-24T17:19:14+00:00

Political Hokey Pokey: Navigating Politics in Emergency Management By Jim Mullen In a world where politics can often feel like a chaotic game of “hokey pokey,” it’s vital to remember that emergency management is about serving all communities in times of crisis—regardless of political or social affiliation. We all remember that charming limerick from our childhood. Essentially, it describes how we put the right foot in and then out, followed by the left foot, in and out, and so on. It’s important to recall that this children’s dance had rules to be followed. One foot went first, then another, and [...]

Political Hokey Pokey: Navigating Politics in Emergency ManagementJasmine May2025-06-24T17:19:14+00:00

Now What?

Jasmine May2024-11-21T19:16:25+00:00

Now What? By Jim Mullen As climate change impacts and political challenges grow, local and state governments must focus on building resilience. This article highlights the critical role of emergency management in preparing for future disasters. The federal election is over. A new Administration will assume the reins on January 20. There will be concern that federal budget priorities may not be geared toward resolving FEMA’s annual funding shortfalls despite evidence that successive administrations (and Congress) have failed to adequately provide sufficient resources on an annual basis, even in the face of increasingly complex events. However, local and state governments [...]

Now What?Jasmine May2024-11-21T19:16:25+00:00

Disaster Exercise Scenario “Injects” – What Might Stretch Credulity?

Jasmine May2024-11-14T19:30:06+00:00

Disaster Exercise Scenario “Injects” - What Might Stretch Credulity? Emergency Management Once Removed By Jim Mullen Somewhere, or in many “somewhere” in the United States, diligent emergency management professionals are designing disaster exercises. Some will be tabletops; some full field exercises; some a mix of tabletop/field activity. Some will receive highly visible public attention; others may occur outside public view. Not all will successfully achieve their stated objectives. If a readiness gap is revealed or detected, a good public purpose will have been served, because capability gaps that surface, if addressed, will be more manageable if the after-action considerations have [...]

Disaster Exercise Scenario “Injects” – What Might Stretch Credulity?Jasmine May2024-11-14T19:30:06+00:00

Imagine This…

Jasmine May2022-06-28T17:45:54+00:00

Imagine This... by Dr. Mary Schoenfeldt Trauma, Resilience, Self-Care, Burnout, Compassion Fatigue, PTSD and Post Traumatic Growth… all common words these day, aren’t they? They have become such everyday familiar words we use them freely in conversation, but what do they really mean? And more importantly, why does it matter to you? Imagine this… your home is destroyed in a disaster… or your community is shattered by an unimaginable act of violence against innocent people. You watch responders of all kinds drive 100 mph hour with lights and sirens blaring to the scene to help. You think this is the [...]

Imagine This…Jasmine May2022-06-28T17:45:54+00:00

A Retrievable Legacy for Disaster Mitigation – March 2021

Jasmine May2021-04-07T22:06:08+00:00

A Retrievable Legacy for Disaster Mitigation By Jim Mullen Emergency Management, Once Removed In 1997 James Lee Witt, Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA), established a pilot program to reduce the human and economic cost of disasters. The purpose: incentivize the government, private sector, and the public to collaborate on the identification and reduction of a community’s most serious natural disaster hazards. That initiative was Project Impact. Seattle in late 1997 was among 7 jurisdictions chosen as a pilot site to demonstrate the effectiveness of Witt’s vision. As a chosen “pilot” jurisdiction, Seattle’s Office of Emergency Management OEM), where [...]

A Retrievable Legacy for Disaster Mitigation – March 2021Jasmine May2021-04-07T22:06:08+00:00

Washington Disaster Resiliency Work Group

Jasmine May2021-04-07T22:27:00+00:00

In the 2019 legislative session Insurance Commissioner, Mike Kreidler proposed legislation to help our state prepare for and mitigate climate disasters. The Senate Bill 5106 was signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee and created a workgroup represented by 27 organizations including legislators, state agencies, insurance companies, Tribal leaders, municipal groups, and other key parties to review and make recommendations on how to best coordinate and improve disaster resilience work in Washington state. The law took effect on July 28, and a final report, Disaster Resiliency Work Group Final Report - November 2020, was delivered to the state legislature on [...]

Washington Disaster Resiliency Work GroupJasmine May2021-04-07T22:27:00+00:00

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