Domestic Preparedness

This is an article by Judy Kruger and Vince Davis, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, February 4, 2026. In light of growing disasters, community resilience hubs give neighborhoods a single, trusted place to access help, coordinate resources, and recover faster. Learn how these hubs strengthen response capacity and build lasting community resilience, by reducing strain on emergency man...

This is an article by Caitlyn Wan Smith, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, February 4, 2026. All levels of government play a role in post-disaster support, but federal leaders are now weighing major shifts in how those responsibilities are divided. Some argue that more responsibility would spur greater investment in resilience, even as states face stagnant revenues and competing budg...

In this episode, host Nicolette Casey Phillips speaks with Richard Serino, former deputy administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and longtime emergency management leader. Their conversation dives into the evolving priorities facing today’s preparedness professionals, the importance of survivor‑centric leadership, and the lessons Serino has learned from decades of service in emerge...

This is an article by Joshua Dise, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, January 28, 2026. Food is often overlooked in special event security, even though it is a critical ingredient of special events and operates largely outside security perimeters. Food defense is a coordination problem, not a technical one. Learn how making it routine will require tighter integration between security...

This is an article by Dawn Brantley and Sara Zalieckas, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, January 28, 2026. As states examined operational demands of a looming 2026 World Cup, a clear gap emerged: FIFA coordinated with host cities, but states lacked a formal seat at the table. Learn how the National Emergency Management Association, with its nationwide reach and trusted ties to state...

This is an article by Richard Schoeberl and Dan Scherr, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, January 21, 2026. Large special events face everyday risks that are heightened by global instability. Securing these gatherings requires a proactive, intelligence-driven, multi-layered approach. Learn how planning can integrate all security and response functions from preparation through post-ev...

This is an article by Dawn Brantley and Vance Taylor, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, January 14, 2026. For decades, emergency planning for large events has centered on a presumed “average” participant, addressing people’s access and functional needs late, treating those people as exceptions, or overlooking them entirely. Learn how to advance whole community planning at large-scale...

This is an article by James A. Burghard, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, January 14, 2026. Eleven U.S. cities will host FIFA World Cup 2026 matches, serving as international gateways for many hundreds of athletes and millions of visitors. The tournament will span more than a month, intensifying demands on public resources and emergency response. Learn about the great opportunity an...

In this episode, Nicolette Casey Phillips from Domestic Preparedness talks with Nathan DiPillo, a critical infrastructure analyst at the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, and Samuel Alva, the director of operational technology Security at Novacoast. This conversation takes a deep dive into the intersection of informational and operational technology, and DiPillo and Alva’s recomm...

This is an article by Judy Kruger and Jesse Spearo, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, January 7, 2026. U.S. aviation security relies on layered technologies, interagency cooperation, and continuous monitoring to detect threats that traditional checks could miss. Modernized systems strengthen resilience against evolving risks. Learn how leaders in emergency management, homeland securi...

This is an article by Michael Prasad, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, January 7, 2026. From the World Cup to the 250th anniversary of its founding, the United States will host an exceptional slate of high-profile events in 2026. Two event classification systems are crucial to the security of all in attendance. Learn how these systems are the starting point for organizing resources,...

In this episode, editor Catherine Feinman talks with Cathy Lanier, the Chief Security Officer at the National Football League (NFL). Lanier spent 27 years at the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., moving up the ranks from rookie officer to the Chief of Police. With a lifetime of experience in protecting communities, she discusses how that experience prepared her for the NFL and ta...

This is an article by Rodney Andreasen, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, December 31, 2025. Every storm and every response offer hard-won lessons, but too often, they fade before the next disaster strikes. When organizations do not turn experience into action, failure becomes the default outcome. This subject matter expert has seen the evidence in research and in past responses. Wha...

This is an article by Michael “Griff” Griffin, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, December 24, 2025.  Instead of repeating past mistakes, one wildlife rescue nonprofit teamed up with state regulators to turn lessons learned into action. Together, they created the nation’s first wildlife-focused emergency operations center. Learn how this organization built response plans, born from Te...

This is an article by James Augustine, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, December 24, 2025.  Prepared communities are not accidental. Rather, preparedness is built through purposeful education and meaningful engagement. By partnering with civic groups, schools, and workplaces, emergency managers can offer formal, practical guidance tailored to local risks and the people who live ther...

In this episode, Halley Maxwell from the Harris County Public Health Preparedness and Response Division joins host Teresa Farfan to discuss the importance of engaging international communities in disaster response and preparedness. She explains the challenges of ensuring culturally appropriate communication and the need to build trust across communities while maintaining collaboration with local l...

This is an article by Alexandra Duncan, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, December 17, 2025.  For people with substance use disorder, losing access to treatment can be life-threatening. Communities hit hardest by natural disasters already struggle to access proven medications. Learn five strategies that can ensure treatment remains available during emergencies to be fully prepared fo...

This is an article by Josh Curry, Andrew Jackson, Chandler Clough, Johnny Hicks, and Ryan Rockabrand, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, December 10, 2025. Disaster financing needs to move from reactive spending to proactive risk management. A market-based approach can protect communities by securing disaster funding through contractual mechanisms rather than political processes. Lear...

This is an article by June Kailes, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, December 10, 2025.  People with disabilities face higher disaster deaths because planning failures turn hazards into disproportionate threats. Even with solid local evacuation plans, everyone needs a personal plan that involves neighbors, friends, family, or colleagues.   Learn more about why the public should be re...

This is an article by Jack B. Carter and T. Todd Lindley, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, December 3, 2025.  Red flag warnings fall short in dynamic and complex wildfire environments. Recognizing this, an interagency working group developed a better firestorm prediction model that saved hundreds of millions of dollars in assets during the 2022–2024 wildfire seasons in Texas and Okl...

This is an article by Judy Kruger and Vern Elliott, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, December 3, 2025. Direct and indirect wildfire smoke exposure poses a risk to responders and residents, but situational awareness can help reduce unnecessary exposure. Learn about the risks and vulnerabilities associated with smoke and how to mitigate their impact on communities. Now to the featured...

In this episode, Teresa Farfan talks with Lance Wood, a former meteorologist with the National Weather Service and a weather scientist with more than 30 years of experience studying weather patterns and extreme events. Wood discusses emerging natural hazards that threaten lives and livelihoods, not only in his home state of Texas but across the nation. This conversation was recorded on May 28, 202...

This is an article by Charles Guddemi, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, November 26, 2025.  Mobile command buses serve as rolling nerve centers, boosting response speed, coordination, and situational awareness. At the 2025 National Homeland Security Conference, the Washington, D.C., Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency deployed multiple mobile command buses for a “Comma...

This is an article by Seth Jordan and Tasnim Isaba, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, November 26, 2025.  Young people play active roles in local response and recovery, and the growing demand for skilled professionals in emergency management creates strong career opportunities for them. By engaging youth early, communities build resilience today and cultivate a new generation of lead...

This is an article by Charles (Chuck) L. Manto, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, November 19, 2025. The United States power grid, including its planned growth of transmission capabilities, was not built for the new demands of data centers such as those used for artificial intelligence or cascading high-impact disasters. Yet, the interdependency that creates modern risk could also bu...