Disaster planners recognize the need to build interagency, interdisciplinary support to combat
widespread disasters with far-reaching consequences. However, gaining such buy-in can be challenging –
especially when stakeholders do not recognize the threat to their communities or do not understand the
roles they can and should play in mitigating such threats. This is important considering that an
international threat can quickly become a local problem and a local threat can transform into an
international concern.
DomPrep hosted the 2018 Emerging Homeland Security Issues Panel in conjunction with the Clean Gulf Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, on 13 November 2018. The active discussion among panel […]
During the first two decades of the 21st century, the nation’s security and defense focus was
primarily on terrorism by non-state actors and lone wolves. During that same period, advances in digital
and information technology were rapidly adopted by government and industry. Often, technology’s
implementation was quick and cheap with little regard to being secure, which created security gaps and
vulnerabilities. Threats include the weaponization of information by utilizing social media and
sponsorship of “news-media” programs.
Fire, wind, and water – a lot of water. The year 2018 delivered all in a series of natural disasters that seemed almost continual. Throughout the year, there was a […]
From infectious diseases to terrorist attacks, state and federal agencies must collaborate to
provide the most effective responses for large-scale public health events. New types of threats
continually emerge, terrorist tactics evolve, and environmental conditions change. Each of these factors
contributes to the complexities that emergency preparedness professionals must consider when preparing
for, mitigating, or responding to any threat.
Emergency management is an evolving discipline that requires a progressive emergency manager to
fulfill new and expanding requirements for success. Successful leaders in this field follow a systematic
problem-solving process and excel at coordinating multiple agencies and information sources rather than
simply being experts in one subject. The seven and a half traits discussed here describe the ultimate
emergency manager.
In each disaster, examples of community resilience emerge: neighbors helping neighbors; volunteers
filling response gaps; businesses providing unexpected resources; and first responders going above and
beyond their call of duty. Many people have an innate urge to respond to disasters by donating their
time and money, giving blood, providing transportation, feeding and clothing survivors, and so on.
Imagine a disaster response of the future where that natural instinct to help is harnessed and nurtured
by emergency preparedness professionals.
New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM) has designed an internship program specifically tailored
for high school students. The agency shares its lessons learned to help other agencies understand why
such efforts are important, how the program works, and what steps agencies can take to start their own
intern programs. Engaging at the high school level helps recruit a valuable yet underutilized resource
and promotes overall community resilience.
A healthy community is a resilient community. From pandemic threats to school shootings, crisis
events continue to affect the health and wellbeing of the surrounding human population long after the
crisis ends. These health effects can then weaken a community’s ability to cope with future disasters.
As such, physical, psychological, environmental, and technological factors all play key roles in
determining how well a community prepares for, mitigates, responds to, and recovers from a disaster.
During September 2017, two major Category 5 hurricanes impacted the U.S. Virgin Islands. More than one year later, the scope, scale, and magnitude of Hurricanes Irma and Maria are still being felt. The three islands that make up the U.S. Virgin Islands – St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John – suffered prolonged critical infrastructure shortages and failures in the aftermath of the storms. A lack of reliable access to electricity and water compounded challenges as the islands sought to recover from a hurricane season that caused an estimated $282.27 billion in damage and claimed over 3,300 lives.
Disaster planners recognize the need to build interagency, interdisciplinary support to combat
widespread disasters with far-reaching consequences. However, gaining such buy-in can be challenging –
especially when stakeholders do not recognize the threat to their communities or do not understand the
roles they can and should play in mitigating such threats. This is important considering that an
international threat can quickly become a local problem and a local threat can transform into an
international concern. 
DomPrep hosted the 2018 Emerging Homeland Security Issues Panel in conjunction with the Clean Gulf Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, on 13 November 2018. The active discussion among panel […] 
Fire, wind, and water – a lot of water. The year 2018 delivered all in a series of natural disasters that seemed almost continual. Throughout the year, there was a […] 
Emergency management is an evolving discipline that requires a progressive emergency manager to
fulfill new and expanding requirements for success. Successful leaders in this field follow a systematic
problem-solving process and excel at coordinating multiple agencies and information sources rather than
simply being experts in one subject. The seven and a half traits discussed here describe the ultimate
emergency manager. 
During September 2017, two major Category 5 hurricanes impacted the U.S. Virgin Islands. More than one year later, the scope, scale, and magnitude of Hurricanes Irma and Maria are still being felt. The three islands that make up the U.S. Virgin Islands – St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John – suffered prolonged critical infrastructure shortages and failures in the aftermath of the storms. A lack of reliable access to electricity and water compounded challenges as the islands sought to recover from a hurricane season that caused an estimated $282.27 billion in damage and claimed over 3,300 lives. 