Disaster zone blog

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what happened in north carolina? is fema to blame?
Eric Holdeman Eric Holdeman

what happened in north carolina? is fema to blame?

Read it and weep is my summary of this looong article on how disaster events in North Carolina played out last fall, immediately after the storm that ravaged the mountain areas of the state. Pay particular attention to the misinformation that spread about what FEMA would cover in disaster relief, how President Biden “pushed a button” to have the storm hit the state, and on and on

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abandoning work to address equity issues in disasters
Zack Borst Zack Borst

abandoning work to address equity issues in disasters

Elections have outcomes and therefore we are in a new era of ignoring social science and any past practice that recognized that minority and disadvantaged communities suffer more from disasters than their more affluent and white neighbors. It is just a fact that has been thoroughly researched time and again. The “equity” that is being sought now is to be sure that whites, especially white men, are not being discriminated against by rewarding resources to others who might be more in need. It is a sad place to be…but, here we are.

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is cross border disaster cooperation possible today?
Eric Holdeman Eric Holdeman

is cross border disaster cooperation possible today?

One of my big fears is how the current federal administration is changing the relationship between the United States and Canada. In treating Canada as the enemy or at least something to be desired as the 51st state has alienated much of the population of Canada. Previous work that has been done to provide for cross border cooperation during a disaster is likely in jeopardy going forward. People are people and not immune to hard feelings when they are treated less than equals or what they thought to be friends.

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Another Indicator of the Future with FEMA
Eric Holdeman Eric Holdeman

Another Indicator of the Future with FEMA

I just did a blog post on the value of “in-person” training and after shooting it off to be posted to the Disaster Zone Blog, I read the following on LinkedIn from someone attending the Florida Hurricane Conference.  Note that the link calls it the Governor’s Hurricane Conference, but the state is not there!

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republican governors want fema
Eric Holdeman Eric Holdeman

republican governors want fema

Disasters can make for strange bedfellows, or not. With the future of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) still in question, disasters continue to pile up—especially in the South with many Republican states getting hit hard by spring storms

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fraud, waste and abuse
Eric Holdeman Eric Holdeman

fraud, waste and abuse

We have heard a great deal about fraud, waste and abuse in 2025. As those who seek fraud in the federal government have found, it does not exist in any great quantity. Some of the numbers tallied as “fraud” are for programs that were funded by congress that the current administration finds objectionable.

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space weather warning seminar
Eric Holdeman Eric Holdeman

space weather warning seminar

I don’t think most people understand the totality of the threat we face from space weather. A “direct hit” on North America would take us back to the stone age—technologically. There are two opportunities to learn more about this threat. 

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Prior to writing for The Readiness Lab, Eric Holdeman wrote Disaster Zone blog posts for Emergency Management Magazine. He was a prolific writer and all articles are still available on their website, which is linked below.