Patrick Sheehan, Director of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, is one of the people most Tennesseans never see but rely on constantly. Drawing on decades of experience responding to disasters ranging from floods and tornadoes to pandemics and infrastructure failures, Patrick explains what emergency management actually looks like day to day, why preparation is mostly unglamorous and relational long before anything goes wrong, and how leadership, trust, and calm matter more than perfect plans. This conversation explores what government can and cannot do in a crisis, why community readiness and personal responsibility still matter, and what Tennesseans should understand about preparedness in a world where disasters are more frequent, more complex, and rarely look the way we expect.

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