Mitigate the Impacts When Communities and Nature Collide
Catherine L. Feinman
May 29, 2024
Emergency preparedness professionals plan for and try to mitigate natural hazard events, but nature is unpredictable. In this May edition of the Domestic Preparedness Journal, experts discuss past hazards and steps communities can take to mitigate their effects.
A Critical Imperative for Natural Hazards
Sandra Dennis-Essig
May 29, 2024
As the number and size of natural hazards increase across the globe, communities can take a comprehensive preparedness approach to mitigate their potentially devastating effects. By integrating the intricate interrelations of physical, social, economic, and environmental factors, communities can better withstand, adapt to, and recover from the shocks and stresses imposed by such events.
Key Bridge Collapse: Unity of Effort
Michael Prasad
May 22, 2024
As the response to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse continues in Baltimore, Maryland, the unity of effort among the many agencies and organizations involved has facilitated the progress. Together, they have been addressing the priorities of life safety, incident stabilization, property and asset protection, environmental and economic restoration, and recovery.
The Psychology of Crisis
Mary Schoenfeldt
May 22, 2024
The psychological side of a disaster or other impactful event is a critical component of crisis management. However, many people still do not fully understand the predictable phases and patterns that could help them take the appropriate steps or actions to move through the crisis and mitigate its impact. Understanding the psychology involved makes a crisis much more manageable.
Resilience-Based CI and Domestic Preparedness: A Long-Overdue Imperative
Jeff Gaynor
May 15, 2024
For decades, preparedness leaders have known and publicly warned about the rapidly growing and metastasizing threats to and exploitable vulnerabilities of U.S. critical infrastructure (CI). Ongoing iterations of the 1990s-era CI status quo (i.e., cybersecurity- and protection-focused efforts) have proven no match for the existing, much less looming, threats to and often self-inflicted vulnerabilities of the country’s cyber-reliant CI and domestic preparedness.
Shielding Communities: Public Health Strategies for Natural Hazards
Raphael M. Barishansky and Andrew D. Pickett
May 15, 2024
Public health risks are common concerns when natural hazards occur. However, history shows that the increasing frequency of events and growing population sizes have been increasing the scale of events and the needs of affected populations. To mitigate complex public health challenges, personnel across disciplines must plan, coordinate, and develop response strategies that build a mutual understanding of the risks and hazards communities face during these events.
Elegant Community Preparation
Aaron Titus
May 8, 2024
Elegant community preparation means having a process that makes disaster planning efforts simpler for community members. By collaboratively focusing on novel factors in an easily understood way, individuals and families can better prepare for any disaster or disruption.
Navigating the Seismic Dance: Preparedness in the Ring of Fire
Alicia Johnson
May 8, 2024
The Pacific Ring of Fire, a moniker that evokes images of volatility and destruction, is not merely a geographic term but a constant reminder of humans’ vulnerability to the earth’s whims. Learn about the multifaceted nature of earthquake risks and delineate the indispensable role organizations play in mitigating the impacts of such calamities through informative, equitable, and persuasive techniques.
