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COMMENTARY ARCHIVES

Avoiding the Complacency Trap After This Hurricane Season

Mark Misczak November 23, 2022
Despite punishing hurricanes in Puerto Rico and Florida, the 2022 season has been relatively quiet for much of the Gulf coast and Atlantic seaboard. This article describes the resources that help communities mitigate risk now before the next hurricane season.

We Want to Hear from You!

Domestic Preparedness November 16, 2022
Interested in sharing your thoughts on ways to improve the Domestic Preparedness Journal? Willing to help by participating in a 60-minute market research interview? We’re conducting interviews by videoconference the week of December 5th and 12th and we want to hear from you!

The Role of Faith in Disasters

Michael Prasad November 9, 2022
Many faith-based organizations have disaster response and recovery components as major elements of their own missions. By partnering with governmental and nongovernmental organizations, faith-based groups can coordinate locally to support response and restoration efforts, as well as provide mental health and spiritual care when resources are critically needed.

Training the Next Generation of Cyber Guardians

Steve Stein November 2, 2022
Despite small local governments being overrun with malware, ransomware, and myriad other threats, it is difficult to find experienced cybersecurity professionals. Meanwhile, students search for nonexistent entry-level jobs. One Washington State-based nonprofit is seeking to close this cybersecurity gap.

Rationale for Structuring Pandemic Response on a War Footing

Thomas Russo October 26, 2022
Given 20 years of pandemic planning, is it not surprising when people ask, “Why were we not ready?” This question should be explored whether the time has come to put the country on a warlike footing for pandemic response with a coherent, institutionalized, and tested pandemic policy.

Listen to the Warnings, Plan for Threats

Catherine L. Feinman October 26, 2022
Emergency preparedness professionals continually strive to protect the lives and health of those within their communities. This October edition of the Domestic Preparedness Journal describes how some professionals are doing that.

Lessons From Leading Virtual Operations

Jennifer Pearsall October 5, 2022
Over the past two and a half years, most emergency preparedness professionals experienced some level of virtual work, even at emergency operations centers (EOC). And it appears that some aspects of working virtually is here to stay – including during a response. This article describes some lessons learned from one

Resources Not to Be Overlooked

Catherine L. Feinman September 28, 2022
The term “whole community” is frequently used in preparedness materials and discussions. In practice, though, how often is the whole community represented and all community resources considered? Here are some key resources that should not be overlooked.

Building Resource Capacity – Start Now

Andrew (Andy) Altizer and Timothy S. Murphy September 21, 2022
Building resource capacity involves research, planning, and execution that should begin now. Identifying potential dangers, considering “what if” scenarios, capitalizing on other events and incidents, and overcoming barriers are key components for building resilient communities. This article explains how to get started.

Uvalde Shooting – A Predictable Surprise

William H. Austin September 14, 2022
When intentional acts of violence occur, people often wonder if the incident was preventable. For example, after a mass shooting killed 19 students and 2 teachers in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022, many were questioning the predictability of the gunman’s actions and the decision-making process of the responders. This

Preparedness – A Constant Juggle

Catherine L. Feinman August 31, 2022
It is impressive to see how emergency preparedness professionals across disciplines constantly juggle numerous tasks and projects while balancing the needs of everyone they serve. In addition to managing their teams, leaders must educate and train personnel for many scenarios and help ensure the team members’ physical and mental well-being. Managing

Hospital Response – A Personal Training Experience

Erin Valentine August 17, 2022
Effective trainings are ones where the participants remember and later implement what they learned into their daily operations. Not everyone knows how they would respond in a true emergency. However, some trainings provide a more realistic glimpse into disaster scenarios than others. This first-hand account describes what it was like

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Domestic Preparedness

2883 Highway 71 E
P.O. Box 285
Del Valle, TX 78617-9998

Editorial Statement

Founded in 1998, Domestic Preparedness continues to be a pioneering thought leader in the emergency preparedness, response, and recovery space. The multidisciplinary editorial focus helps professionals acquire critical information to develop collaborative, real-world solutions. With relevant, multidisciplinary, whole-community intelligence from the front lines, practitioners can learn from diverse perspectives. The authoritative, practitioner-centered, multimedia information platform disseminates intelligence the way busy management-level public- and private-sector professionals want to learn. This is the trusted source for content written by practitioners, for practitioners, with relevant, real-world best practices.

DomesticPreparedness.com, the Domestic Preparedness Journal and the Weekly Brief include facts, views, opinions, and recommendations of individuals and organizations deemed of interest. The Texas Division of Emergency Management and the Texas A&M University System do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of, or otherwise endorse, these views, facts, opinions or recommendations.
©2025 Texas Division of Emergency Management

Domestic Preparedness

2883 Highway 71E

P.O. Box 285

Del Valle, TX 78617-9998

Editorial Statement

Founded in 1998, Domestic Preparedness continues to be a pioneering thought leader in the emergency preparedness, response, and recovery space. The multidisciplinary editorial focus helps professionals acquire critical information to develop collaborative, real-world solutions. With relevant, multidisciplinary, whole-community intelligence from the front lines, practitioners can learn from diverse perspectives. The authoritative, practitioner-centered, multimedia information platform disseminates intelligence the way busy management-level public- and private-sector professionals want to learn. This is the trusted source for content written by practitioners, for practitioners, with relevant, real-world best practices.

DomesticPreparedness.com, the Domestic Preparedness Journal and the Weekly Brief include facts, views, opinions, and recommendations of individuals and organizations deemed of interest. The Texas Division of Emergency Management and the Texas A&M University System do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of, or otherwise endorse, these views, facts, opinions or recommendations.
©2025 Texas Division of Emergency Management
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