Agriculture & Food Defense Archives

Space Aliens – Emergency Management Roles & Responsibilities

Michael Prasad October 27, 2021

Planning for the emergency management needs of space aliens on Earth, in terms of their well-being before, during, and after disasters could be the plot of a science fiction movie script. The movie District 9 has a similar premise: the aliens that arrived on Planet Earth were not warriors, but

Revisiting Face Masks Near the End of a Long Journey

David Mayfield May 19, 2021

On 11 March 2021, the world reached a dubious milestone – one year since the World Health Organization (WHO) first declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Soon after that declaration, a large portion of the world shut down. In the 12 months that followed, community stakeholders have become relatively well-versed in

Formalizing the Role of Intelligence & Investigation

Michael Prasad April 28, 2021

Emergency managers need actionable intelligence before, during, and after disasters. More than just situational awareness, the collection, analysis, and sharing of intelligence can provide an incident’s response and recovery command and general staff with much needed decision-making information.

Technical Assistance for Healthcare System Preparedness

Audrey Mazurek and John Hick March 3, 2021

The mission of the U.S.Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) is to save lives and protect Americans from 21st century health security threats by leading the nation’s medical and public health preparedness for, response to, and recovery from disasters

Ghosts of Viruses Past

Catherine L. Feinman February 24, 2021

A decade before COVID-19 emerged as a pandemic, emergency preparedness, response, and resilience professionals were focused on infectious diseases. The H1N1 (swine flu), H5N1 (avian flu), and SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreaks were real, and lessons needed to be learned in preparation for something bigger. So, in April 2010,

Think Recovery, Not Just Re-Entry, for Post-Pandemic Future

Ann Lesperance and Grant Tietje December 2, 2020

Ten years ago, a team of representatives from King and Pierce counties, cities of Seattle and Bellevue, Joint Base Lewis McChord, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory set forth on developing the Regional Recovery Framework for a Biological Attack in the Seattle Urban Area. A collaboration of the Seattle Urban Area

COVID-19 Testing – What It Is & Why It is Important

Matt Scullion October 28, 2020

In the age of COVID-19, community leaders and the public they serve are bombarded with news related to testing. However, many do not understand the value the results can provide, to whom they should be given, and the actions that are allowed and should be taken. These questions need to

The New Age of Police Reform – Part 1

Joseph W. Trindal October 21, 2020

As if the first two decades of the 21st century were not dynamic enough, the first year of the third decade has impacted every person on multiple levels. While the viral pandemic continues to affect every profession, health care professionals around the world are dramatically reassessing their service delivery models.

All Models Are Wrong (But Modeling Is as Necessary as Ever)

Terry Hastings and Colin Krainin August 19, 2020

British statistician, George Box, famously stated that “all models are wrong, but some are useful.” The nation’s experience with COVID-19 has highlighted this fact as policy makers have struggled to calibrate their actions based on imperfect data and modeling. Yet, modeling is useful and will continue to be an important

The Epitome of Failure – Part 2

William H. Austin May 27, 2020

The aeolian winds took control of the surrounding environment. A death-defying vortex formed and, along with it, a perturbation as inconceivable as the Camp Fire was overwhelming. This article continues to chronicle the story of a mega-disaster. Part 1 described how the Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) spent the

Avoiding the Three As: Apathy, Atrophy & Attrition

Christopher Tantlinger May 6, 2020

Emergency management is everything to everybody, but it often lacks the glue that is so desperately needed to manage catastrophic events. This is likely the result of two common pitfalls that the profession has long suffered from, pitfalls that can begin as soon as one walks out of the meeting

Triggered Collapse, Part 6: A Nationwide Call to Action

Drew Miller April 22, 2020

Similar to pandemic preparedness, the U.S. government is not doing enough to prepare for failure of municipal water systems when the electric grid goes down. Government programs do not address loss of law and order or cessation of food production and delivery services. Elected and appointed officials often downplay the

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