I had mention this action briefly in recent days. The headline below says it all. Read the following story to find out where we are today (really last Friday).

Science does not have a “fixed” set of facts to work with. As the scientific process moves forward, new information continues to be discovered. I am not the first person to “take every announcement to the bank” for deposit. Call it caution from having lived through the era of “eggs being cholesterol bombs” and to be avoided

Remember the color-coded homeland security warning system? Formally titled National Terrorist Advisory System (NTAS) I was thinking just the other day, “How come there hasn’t been an form of alert/advisory put out following the attack on Iran.”

Kristi Noem was fired: “Mr. Trump announced the change on social media, along with a new, and previously nonexistent, role for Ms. Noem: special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, which he said would be a new security initiative for the Western Hemisphere.”

The recent avalanche tragedy that killed nine backcountry skiers on February 17^th is recounted in this NY Times article, ‘Avalanche!’: Survivors Recount the Tragedy at Perry’s Peak

The slowness of our political system and laws to respond to the rapidly increasing threat of a drone being used to create terror is a tragedy waiting to happen.

I always tell people that there are “other missions” that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has beyond natural disasters. One of the big ones is “Continuity of Government (COG)” and “Continuity of Operations (COOP). Both of which focus on continuing the functions of government in a crisis. Likely in the lead-up to the State of the Union address, there will be an announcement of the “Designated Survivor” who is a senior person who will not be present at that event to ensure that the COG portion of leadership continues should there be some form of attack that takes out the entire leadership of the government. The TV series Designated Survivor  was all about this hypothetical situation.

I grew up seeing television advertisements for Project Hope and the disaster relief that they provide around the world. In the coming weeks I’ll be doing a podcast with Arlan Fuller who is currently Project HOPE’s director of emergency preparedness and response. The goal will be to learn more about the organization and how they deliver disaster relief and also build local disaster resilience at places that they respond to.

There has been a tremendous amount of change initiated by the Trump Administration throughout the federal government. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is one small part of the changes that have been made and are still underway. The significant nature of the changes are hard to comprehend. This podcast will look at some of the changes that have been made so far and then a contemplation of the impacts of those changes to emergency management enterprise.

I noted that this appointment is only for the “acting role” of Emergency Management Commissioner. What struck me most though is the depth of her experience as an emergency manager. We could use someone at the federal level leading the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with these types of qualifications instead of the three acting administrators who have occupied the position so far, and do not have the experience to be in that role.

I’ve read a number of articles about how we can move forward with a “new and improved” Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This article is but on example, Disaster management after FEMA: A National Guard for natural disasters

I have written about the impacts of Coronal Mass Ejection (CEM) and Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP) events many times over the years in this blog and then had at least one guest on the Disaster Zone Podcast who discussed space weather and warning of CEM events. 

I have tried to follow the question posed below from the perspective of a lay person without the technical knowledge to discern which path is possible for Artificial Intelligence (AI). Unfortunately, there is more than one person, like the author below, sounding the alarm about AI. Some of these people are experts in the field with companies actively working on AI. There are plenty of industry people calling for regulation of the industry/technology.

The question that pops up in my mind is this, “Is the denial of a Presidential Declaration based on the fact that there is this shifting of disaster responsibilities to the states that Trump promised, or is this about politics?”

The National Guard can be found in every state. They play a unique role in being both a federal and state government asset. In this podcast you will learn about the role of the National Guard in our national defense and also when disasters strike. Our guest represents not only the Washington National Guard, but also emergency management for the State of Washington. Therefore, we’ll also examine the anticipated challenges moving forward as FEMA reduces their support of states and local governments before, during and after disasters.

I found this story of interest on several fronts. Check out, Meridian, Idaho, Launches AI-Powered Drones for 911 Response

I believe that most Americans look at tragic international disasters and think to themselves, “Those poor people, the damages and lives lost are due to their living in substandard housing, in countries not as sophisticated as the United States. Thankfully, we live here in the USA where we are better prepared than them.”

Everyone is trying to read the tea leaves for the future of emergency management here in the United States.

So far, we have the following indications…all subject to change at the whim of President Trump.