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.
When a tornado touches down, a school is under fire, or another disaster strikes, patrol officers often are the first response personnel at the scene. In addition to their traditional crime-fighting roles, patrol officers must be able to manage an incident until more support arrives, which requires additional training for these officers and more collaboration within the community.
A top-down approach provides guidance and support from federal agencies to local jurisdictions. A bottom-up approach ensures that local needs are being heard at the top. However, when local agencies are tasked with national security efforts, more guidance and support may be needed from above.
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.
How the war in Ukraine will end is unclear. However, research shows that there is the potential for devastating effects on a global scale. As such, it is important for emergency planners to reassess their all-hazards plans to ensure their communities identify the threats and ensure their planning processes include procedures and resources to respond to these threats.
Many cities across the United States are not adequately prepared to accommodate people with disabilities during and in the wake of major disasters. However, some of the current gaps in whole-community preparedness are beginning to close. If more-inclusive planning efforts continue to expand, communities will be able to better meet the needs of all of its citizens.
If a nuclear device were to be detonated within any of the nation’s major metropolitan areas, the healthcare system both inside and outside the blast-damage zones would be seriously affected. Predicting the “what ifs” and planning for such scenarios can help hospitals and responder agencies cope with and manage the numerous deaths and injuries that may certainly occur.
A June 2022 exercise challenged amateur radio operators with establishing a Communications Unit with no power or pre-positioned equipment. The exercise was successful, but the key takeaways are already helping to improve collaboration and communications throughout the region.
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.
The current monkeypox outbreak is different from historical outbreaks that remained endemic and rarely became international events. Now the situation is changing daily. This article explains what precautions are needed to prevent the spread and how new approaches should be implemented to tackle it.
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. 