Nonmedical concerns such as security and safety, unaccompanied minors, and governmental relations can adversely impact a hospital when responding to a mass-casualty incident. Failure to plan for these issues, including consequence management, could risk life and safety.
Opioid deaths have surged dramatically since the pandemic. Manufacturers exploit legal loopholes and use precursor chemicals that often evade detection and regulation. These new and growing threats present challenges to public safety that demand innovative solutions and a proactive approach.
Rhonda Lawson is a major in the chief’s office of the Texas Highway Patrol (THP) Division. She began her 27-year career with the Texas Department of Public Safety in 1997 as a trooper. In 2012, Lawson transferred to the Texas Division of Emergency Management as captain and deputy Operations Section coordinator, serving as the division’s THP liaison. In 2016, Lawson was promoted to major and Operations Section coordinator for the Emergency Management Council in the Texas State Operations Center during state-level activations. In 2019, when TDEM became an independent agency under the Texas A&M University System, she transferred to the THP Division, where she is the THP-TDEM liaison and oversees the Highway Safety Operations Center. In this interview, we learn about her journey into emergency management.
Nonmedical concerns such as security and safety, unaccompanied minors, and governmental relations can adversely impact a hospital when responding to a mass-casualty incident. Failure to plan for these issues, including consequence management, could risk life and safety. Learn how mass-casualty incidents should be managed as complex incidents.
Major Rhonda Lawson of the Texas Department of Public Safety discussed her journey into domestic preparedness with Domestic Preparedness Marketing Coordinator Nicolette Casey. Learn how Major Lawson incorporates preparedness principles into her law enforcement role as an operations liaison.
This is an article by John Johnson, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, January 21, 2025.
Opioid deaths have surged dramatically since the pandemic. Manufacturers exploit legal loopholes and use precursor chemicals that often evade detection and regulation.
Learn about new and growing threats that present challenges to public safety and demand innovative solutions and a proactive approach.
In 2024, senior officials from hospitals, healthcare organizations, public health, emergency management, and other responder communities convened at two workshops to share the lessons they learned as leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their lessons learned can help communities better prepare for the next biothreat.
In 2005, the Superdome in New Orleans served as a mass shelter and accommodated over 25,000 people during Hurricane Katrina. Those accommodations, though, were inadequate, with limited power, plumbing, and other resources. To avoid a similar scenario, the Mission Ready Venue Initiative enables stadiums to be a resource for immediate assistance following a disaster and to be fully prepared in advance.
In 2024, senior officials from hospitals, healthcare organizations, public health, emergency management, and other responder communities convened at two workshops to share the lessons they learned as leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more about how communities can better prepare for the next biothreat.
In 2005, the Superdome in New Orleans served as a mass shelter and accommodated over 25,000 people during Hurricane Katrina. Those accommodations, though, were inadequate, with limited power, plumbing, and other resources. To avoid a similar scenario, the Mission Ready Venue Initiative enables stadiums to be a resource for immediate assistance following a disaster and to be fully prepared in advance.
Nonmedical concerns such as security and safety, unaccompanied minors, and governmental relations can adversely impact a hospital when responding to a mass-casualty incident. Failure to plan for these issues, including consequence management, could risk life and safety. 
Opioid deaths have surged dramatically since the pandemic. Manufacturers exploit legal loopholes and use precursor chemicals that often evade detection and regulation. These new and growing threats present challenges to public safety that demand innovative solutions and a proactive approach. 
Rhonda Lawson is a major in the chief’s office of the Texas Highway Patrol (THP) Division. She began her 27-year career with the Texas Department of Public Safety in 1997 as a trooper. In 2012, Lawson transferred to the Texas Division of Emergency Management as captain and deputy Operations Section coordinator, serving as the division’s THP liaison. In 2016, Lawson was promoted to major and Operations Section coordinator for the Emergency Management Council in the Texas State Operations Center during state-level activations. In 2019, when TDEM became an independent agency under the Texas A&M University System, she transferred to the THP Division, where she is the THP-TDEM liaison and oversees the Highway Safety Operations Center. In this interview, we learn about her journey into emergency management. 
Nonmedical concerns such as security and safety, unaccompanied minors, and governmental relations can adversely impact a hospital when responding to a mass-casualty incident. Failure to plan for these issues, including consequence management, could risk life and safety. Learn how mass-casualty incidents should be managed as complex incidents. 
In 2024, senior officials from hospitals, healthcare organizations, public health, emergency management, and other responder communities convened at two workshops to share the lessons they learned as leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their lessons learned can help communities better prepare for the next biothreat. 
In 2005, the Superdome in New Orleans served as a mass shelter and accommodated over 25,000 people during Hurricane Katrina. Those accommodations, though, were inadequate, with limited power, plumbing, and other resources. To avoid a similar scenario, the Mission Ready Venue Initiative enables stadiums to be a resource for immediate assistance following a disaster and to be fully prepared in advance. 