Preparing the U.S. for an Outbreak of African Swine Fever | Domestic Preparedness Photo: Gary Flory (2015)
Preparedness

Preparing the U.S. for an Outbreak of African Swine Fever

by Gary A. Flory -

Responding to outbreaks of transboundary animal diseases is just one of the many challenges emergency planners and responders in rural localities face. Unfortunately, the infrequent nature of these events makes it easy to put off the planning, training, and research needed to fully prepare for animal disease outbreaks.

 
Commentary

The First Open-Source Equitable Decision Intelligence Model

by Eric Kant, Joel Thomas, Chauncia Willis, Sarah K. Miller, Nissim Titan, Tzofit Chen, Brian Kruzan, Camila Tapias & Alexa Squirini -

When incidents are catastrophic and/or happen in compromised environments, complexity can increase rapidly and dramatically, compromising response objectives and resulting in catastrophic failure. The cost of these failures is measured in destruction and human lives, making even minimal reductions in capabilities untenable. A rapidly changing environment requires that the modern emergency manager is capable of quickly understanding community needs, including the needs of underserved populations and traditionally underrepresented groups.

Resilience

Transportation Security in a Holistic Homeland Security Enterprise

by Daniel Rector -

Transportation security is the act of ensuring the protection and continued functioning of mobility systems for both people and commerce. It includes air, maritime, and all forms of surface transport. Transportation security is an enormous undertaking involving all government levels, the private sector, volunteer organizations, and the public. These organizations must work together to identify, prepare for, and respond to any threats or hazards that could affect the transportation infrastructure or the people and goods that travel within it.

Commentary

Resilience in 2022 – Planning, Resources, & Connections

by Catherine L. Feinman -

A quick search through articles on DomesticPreparedness.com for the word “resilience” reveals a possible shift in focus for preparedness professionals over the years. In 2005, the Domestic Preparedness Journal published many resilience articles that focused on creating standards and plans in order to more rapidly return to normalcy. By 2010, there seemed to be a greater focus on funding, grants, and other resources needed to be able to sustain operations when disasters occur. By 2015, education, communication, and collaboration were key buzz words in articles on resilience. Then 2020 arrived along with much reflection on what could have been done better to be resilient in the face of an unprecedented event and how to endure the consequences of past decisions.

Updates

National Human Trafficking Prevention Month

January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month . Every year since 2010, the President has dedicated the month to raise awareness about human trafficking and to educate the public about how to identify and prevent this crime. The U.S. Department of State raises awareness of human trafficking domestically and abroad, through U.S. embassies and consulates.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg Highlights Department’s Work to Combat Human Trafficking

“Human trafficking takes place on every mode of transportation in America – and we must change that,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “I ask all transportation professionals to join this effort, and it’s equally important for commuters and travelers to be empowered to recognize and report signs of human trafficking anywhere it happens in our transportation systems.”

NHTSA Announces $260 Million in Grants for Highway Safety Programs Made Possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

The Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced the release of nearly $260 million in highway safety grants. The funds will help address the traffic safety crisis on America’s roads by helping states and territories support a broad array of traffic safety priorities. When full-year distributions are completed, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will increase the funding available for these vital life-saving programs by 31% over the previous fiscal year's levels.

New Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Department of the Interior (DOI) and FEMA today announced the establishment of a Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission. Establishing this commission fulfills a key provision of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and represents a critical step in combating the nation’s wildfire crisis and improving resilience in America’s landscapes.

HHS Announces Availability of Nearly $48 Million to Increase the Public Health Workforce in Rural and Tribal Communities

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, is announcing the availability of nearly $48 million in American Rescue Plan funding for community-based organizations to expand public health capacity in rural and tribal communities through health care job development, training, and placement.