Significant budgetary and political constraints should not keep people from fully exercising their authority and cause them to suffer the consequences should an attack take place. Working under budgetary-constrained environments is always difficult, but it takes on more urgency when there are clearly identified enemies that intend to harm the homeland. Difficult times call for innovative measures.
This article derives from an extended interview with Dr. Rajko Anic. As a physician during the 1992-1995 Yugoslav war and an accomplished mixed martial arts fighter, Anic explained that - when in a fight and the opponent seems to be countering every move - "If Plan A doesn't work out for you, then try B, C, or even D."
The DomPrep Journal features original content written by practitioners in various emergency preparedness and resilience fields. Addressing the needs of professionals dedicated to preparing and protecting their communities, the first four issues of the 2016 volume have been downloaded a total of more than 200,000 times! To view these or other past issues, visit the DomPrep Journal page.
All infrastructure is not the same. Across disciplinary sectors, agencies and organizations must identify the key elements necessary to ensure "a system" (e.g., community) has a minimum level of resilience, as a system is only as strong as the weakest link. DomPrep hosted a roundtable discussion to address "Critical Infrastructure - A Failing Grade."
Roads crumble, bridges fall. It is not that the United States cannot maintain, improve, and build more infrastructure. It is that so many people believe it is too difficult because of these myths. The myths have to be debunked to allow new ways of thinking.
Sea-level rise is in the news with increasing frequency. Yet, the longer-term threat is largely underestimated. The risks in terms of economic impact, emergency preparedness, and national security have profound strategic importance. The latest news from Greenland and Antarctica strongly suggests that there is no time to waste when it comes to preparing for this threat.
Establishing mutual trust between opposing groups in a time-sensitive environment can be a huge challenge. Trust and communication gaps exist between news media and public information officers. It is important to understand the different operational procedures, the roles and responsibilities, and the effects that each stakeholder has during a large-scale incident.
Television coverage of a disaster portrays many people trying to explain what happened. For those who are charged with leading emergency response and disaster relief agencies, the diversity of media outlets and the different kinds of experts the press calls upon to help analyze cataclysmic events can be overwhelming.
For an emergency, planning personnel provide direction and operations personnel provide action. At first glance, their roles may seem very different but, in reality, they are dependent on one another - like two sides of the same coin. Effective planning requires operational input, and effective operational response requires careful and comprehensive planning.
Over the past five years, the term "Whole Community" has become a common catch phrase. However, the question is, "How well is this concept being implemented?" On 16 November 2015, DomPrep hosted a roundtable discussion with subject matter experts to answer this question and share key takeaways and suggestions for building community resilience.
