Responding Respectfully to People With Disabilities | Domestic Preparedness Photo: Source: Joe Loong, June 30, 2013, CC BY-SA 2.0
Healthcare

Responding Respectfully to People With Disabilities

by James Martin -

Emergency preparedness often involves preparing for a particular type of disaster. However, each disaster can affect people differently depending on their individual physical and mental abilities. This article helps emergency preparedness and response professionals address the needs of individuals with disabilities and access and functional needs and know how to respond respectfully and provide the best possible care.

 
Healthcare

Wanted: Mental Health Support for Disaster Trauma

by Ruth Baugher Palmer, Mary McNaughton-Cassill & Mary Schoenfeldt -

Disasters are often described in terms of the physical damages they incur. However, the significant impact on mental health, which can have even longer-term consequences, sometimes is not addressed until after the response phase of the disaster is complete. This article explains the importance of immediately and simultaneously addressing both the physical and psychological effects of an event.

Preparedness

Creating a Common Operating Picture for Wildfire Season

by Akshay Birla -

Life is beginning to return to normal following the past two years of the pandemic, but the world is still as unpredictable as ever. When it seems as though one catastrophic situation is coming to an end, another tends to emerge as the newest public safety issue. This article addresses the wildfire threat and the need for a common operating picture.

Commentary

Discovering Another New Normal

by Catherine L. Feinman -

Because of the interconnectedness of so many aspects of society, the authors in this July edition of the Domestic Preparedness Journal help readers better understand what is needed in the new normal: a common operating picture, predictable lifelines, new or repurposed technological tools, and more. The new normal after COVID will be quite different from the years after 9/11. However, with critical thinking, research, and innovation, communities will discover their new normal – again.

Commentary

Societal Violence & Its Impact on Critical Infrastructure

by Timothy Scarrott & Nathan DiPillo -

An examination of past violence shows how terminology can affect the incident-reporting process and subsequent statistics for various incident rates. However, statistics clearly show that the COVID-19 pandemic did increase societal violence, which can significantly impact critical infrastructure. This article connects these dots and provides suggestions for reducing future impacts of societal violence.

Resilience

Teleforensic Tools – From Telemedicine to Law Enforcement

by Michael Melton -

Telemedicine capabilities have become valuable medical tools to provide life-saving treatment to patients where and when needed. Similarly, off-site skills and knowledge can be transferred to on-site law enforcement personnel through teleforensics to identify and thwart threats, while increasing crime clearances. This article describes how expanding capabilities, identifying needs, delivering instructions, and facilitating remote applications are examples of technology serving as a force multiplier across disciplines.

Resilience

Four Takeaways From the Nashville Christmas Bombing

by Robert F. Kelly & Dean C. Alexander -

The Nashville Christmas bombing provides valuable lessons about targeted violence incidents. This research on pre-attack indicators shares four key takeaways for law enforcement and other preparedness professionals to understand regarding lone wolf and leaderless resistance attacks. Knowing other pre-attack indicators may help thwart a future attack even when the motive is unknown.

Resilience

Making Communications a Predictable Lifeline Solution

by Charles J. Guddemi -

Community lifelines ensure that businesses and the government can continue functioning and society can thrive. However, a breakdown in daily operations is inevitable when one or more lifeline is lost. In communications, this means a disruption in technology that has become interwoven into societal norms – talking, texting, data transfer, social media, etc. This article shares possible solutions to the predictable loss of the communications lifeline.

Healthcare

Public Health Preparedness– Finding Its Path Forward

by Raphael M. Barishansky -

Public health preparedness has emerged and matured as a distinct discipline since the events of 9/11 and the subsequent Ameri-thrax attacks. Although, in the past, public health agencies were pushed to the forefront of various emergencies, the planning and infrastructure for public health emergency response were not funded and not in place until after 2001. This article describes the gaps that need to be addressed as the discipline continues to face public health emergencies worldwide.

Updates

Biden-Harris Administration Announces over $1 Billion in Project Selections to Make Communities More Resilient to Climate Change and Extreme Weather Events

Vice President Kamala Harris, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas, and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell announced the selections for $1.16 billion in climate resilience funding through two competitive grant programs to help communities across the nation enhance climate and disaster resiliency.

DHS Establishes New Office of Health Security 

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) established the Office of Health Security, a new office that will serve as the principal medical, workforce health and safety, and public health authority for DHS. 

HHS Strengthens Country’s Preparedness for Health Emergencies, Announces Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR)

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that Secretary Xavier Becerra has elevated the existing Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) from a staff division to an operating division, taking on the new name of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR). This change will allow ASPR to mobilize a coordinated national response more effectively and efficiently during future disasters and emergencies in close collaboration with its sister agencies.

FEMA, AARP Release New Resources to Help Local Communities Protect Older Adults Before, During and After Natural Disasters

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) have released new resources to help local officials and emergency managers protect older adults in their communities before, during and after natural disasters and support communities in mitigating the effects of extreme weather events.

DHS Prize Winners Announced in $195K Challenge to Counter Extreme Temperatures

In September 2021, DHS Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas, announced a new series of prize competitions focused on strengthening nationwide resilience to climate change. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced the winners of the Cooling Solutions Challenge prize competition.