Before, During & After

Gamification is essentially the process of adding games or game-like elements to something such as a task or a process so as to encourage or enhance participation. In recent years, gamification has gained popularity in emergency management, specifically in planning and exercises, and for good reason. One step into simple gaming techniques immediately elicits a sense of realism, collaboration, and innovation that sometimes has a hard time coming through in traditional tabletop exercises. So, on today's episode, we talk through how FEMA is exploring gameplay to strengthen critical and strategic thinking skills to enable emergency managers or, in this case, players to more adequately adjudicate scarce resources in response to various complex scenarios.

On this episode, we're veering a little bit away from the traditional emergency management topics to highlight and integrate a new approach to some potentially very difficult response situations. Today, we're diving into the One Health approach, a holistic strategy that aims to sustainably balance human, animal, and environmental health. One Health recognizes that the wellbeing of humans, animals, plants, and ecosystems are interconnected and interdependent. Historically, public health emergencies like disease outbreaks have focused on human medical responses. However, integrating human, animal, and environmental health considerations can lead to a more effective solution. So today, we'll explore examples of how One Health principles have been applied to increase resilience and reduce disease threats. And also provide a new perspective on the intersection of public health and emergency management.

FEMA's Environmental and Historic Preservation Program, EHP, is crucial to ensuring that our recovery and grant efforts respect and also protect environmental and historic sites, even in the wake of disasters. So, in this episode, we get down to the basics and explore the responsibilities of the EHP program - how it operates during and after disasters and why preserving our natural and cultural heritage is essential for resilient recovery. Whether you're a history buff or an environmental enthusiast, or simply curious about FEMA's multifaceted role, this episode is for you.

On today's episode, we have a really exciting conversation that we'd like to highlight for you. FEMA was thrilled to recently host a joint FEMA virtual town Hall with our colleagues at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency - CISA. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell joined CISA director Jen Easterly for a special fireside chat where they discuss the crossover in our two mission spaces and our shared commitment to resilience and unity. FEMA and CISA often work hand-in-hand to keep communities across our nation safe. An issue surrounding cybersecurity and infrastructure security continue to be increasingly important areas of focus for all emergency managers. So, to that end, we wanted to represent their conversation for you here on today's episode. I hope you enjoy this fantastic conversation.

In the aftermath of disasters, when FEMA's assistance begins to phase out, the critical role of philanthropic organizations becomes increasingly apparent. In this episode, we explore how disaster philanthropy functions from the initial response phase to long-term recovery and resilience building. We'll delve into real examples of how philanthropic support has made a difference in communities across the country—from providing immediate aid to vulnerable populations to investing in long-term recovery initiatives. We'll discover how these organizations work hand in hand with local stakeholders to build resilience and create sustainable solutions and uplift communities on their journey towards recovery and resilience.

We're diving into a monumental topic for August, which is National Resilience Month, and it is all things Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant programs, or HMA grants. These programs play a critical role in helping communities across the nation reduce the impacts of disaster. So, we're gonna be exploring how the grants work, the types of assistance available, the benefits they bring to the communities, and understand the application process to highlight successful projects. We'll cover everything you need to know about leveraging these grants for disaster mitigation and resilience. So, whether you're a community leader, emergency management professional, or simply interested in the disaster resilience project and what FEMA and the federal government have to offer, you're gonna have an opportunity to be informed and engaged throughout this episode.

If financial resiliency is an individual or family's ability to handle financial shocks and adjust to financial changes, there is no greater shock than a disaster. They cause both short and long-term financial challenges for survivors. While at times complex, financial resiliency is also full of opportunity to improve our ability to adjust and overcome those challenges that directly impact our ability to recover from emergencies. So, on today's episode, we focus on building financial resiliency before, during, and after disasters, and how financial resilience is far beyond building a savings account.

When a crisis occurs, communities need actionable messaging, reflective of their unique circumstance in order to respond. Creating effective communications begins before a crisis by engaging communities to understand their needs and appropriately communicating their risks. Risks across the communications field, increasingly complex challenges are emerging. In emergency management, overcoming these challenges is necessary to sustain and save lives. To meet these needs, FEMA is leading efforts to strengthen organizations and agencies' commitment and ability to create and deliver tailored messaging. A few weeks ago on June 10th, FEMA's Office of External Affairs, in collaboration with some esteemed roster of co-sponsors hosted the first ever Risk Communications, Crisis Communications and Community Engagement Summit. On this episode, we'll take you back to a packed house at the prestigious auditorium at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington DC. While we can't air the entirety of the nine-hour summit, we wish we could. We are happy to share a couple of key panels and highlights from some of the dynamic conversations that took place throughout the day. First up, Associate Administrator of External Affairs, Justin Ángel Knighten, and then he'll follow up with our FEMA Administrator, Deanne Criswell, who is well known for her hands-on operational expertise. She is a commanding and empathetic spokesperson, so we hear her kicking off the day.

Millions of Americans are being impacted by extreme heat waves, which are growing in intensity, frequency, and duration due to climate change. And so, in response to the calendar year 2023 annual planning guidance, where FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell directed a review of all current FEMA authorities, capabilities and gaps to develop a unified agency approach to build resilience to threats driven by climate change such as extreme heat. FEMA Region 5 partnered with the National Exercise Division to host the first Extreme Heat Summit last year in 2023, which we've highlighted here on this podcast. But recently, in May of 2024, we hosted FEMA's second Extreme Heat Summit here in Chicago. Building on the lessons from the 2023 summit, our focus was expanded to include actions that state, local, tribal, and territorial governments can take to prepare for, mitigate and respond to extreme heat events. The summit featured a wider variety of presenters, including state and local leaders and representatives from academic and nonprofit organizations. So, we wanted to bring you back to Chicago for a full replay of the expert panel discussions. We're representing for you the conversations around extreme heat impacts planning and data analysis, communications and messaging, and nature-based solutions.

April is Emergency Communications Month, and our friends at CISA are honoring the nation's emergency responders and communicators, emphasizing the importance of emergency communications and the need to work together in building resilient, critical infrastructure. In keeping with the month's theme of resilient together, on today's episode, we are talking about the CISA and FEMA partnership, and the steps partners can take towards resilience through highlighting key resources like GETS and WPS and other tools to help prepare for and respond to emergencies.