

In Honor of National Preparedness Month
Domestic Preparedness
September 30, 2015
As National Preparedness Month comes to a close, DomPrep would like to remind its readers that
preparedness is a year-round process that involves practitioners at all levels. One good example of this
type of outreach comes from Baltimore City’s Health Commissioner, Dr. Leana Wen, who hosts a live weekly
call-in podcast to share information and to address the city’s health concerns.

Congress to Decide Funding for Public Health Emergencies
LaMar Hasbrouck
September 28, 2015
Federal spending on public health emergency preparedness, response, and recovery has been falling since 2005, and Congress is now considering how much to spend in the 2016 fiscal year. The final spending figure will play a key role in determining how well the American people are protected from disease, injury, and death in times of emergency.

A Federal Agency’s Journey to Protect Its Workforce From Infectious Diseases
Robert J. (Bob) Roller
September 23, 2015
From a presidential executive order to comprehensive workforce protection, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s infectious disease protection process is constantly evolving. The department’s centralized guidance/decentralized execution planning paradigm with reliance on a robust lessons learned process ensures an increasingly resilient workforce against biological threats and hazards.

The Politics of School Safety & Security
Wayne Bergeron
September 23, 2015
Sir Earnest Benn, political publisher and British baronet (1875-1954) once said that, “Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedy.” For school safety and security, the stakes of getting it wrong are too high to simply let the normal political process play out.

Political Realities of Legislation for Extreme Events
Andrea Boland
September 16, 2015
The single extreme solar storm (GMD/geomagnetic disturbance) or electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack (manmade weapon) – together often known as natural and manmade EMP, or simply EMP – could cause a

Public Health & Political Knowledge
Audrey Mazurek and Raphael M. Barishansky
September 16, 2015
Public health professionals fill vital roles in homeland security preparedness. One of these roles is to ensure that government decision makers are well informed on issues that may affect the life and health of – perhaps not all, but at least most of – their community members.

The Politics of Presidential Disaster Declarations
Kay C. Goss
September 9, 2015
Following a disaster, communities, tribes, and states typically experience years of rebuilding and recovery work. Understanding the presidential disaster declaration process and how to access supplemental disaster relief funds helps

Role of Local Government in Counter-Radicalization
Romeo Lavarias
September 9, 2015
The war against terror cannot be won solely on the battlefield, but instead must be fought with a counter-radicalization strategy. Implemented at the local level (i.e., mayor’s, sheriff’s, and/or governor’s offices), with the coordinated effort of federal, state, and local organizations, this strategy could address and counter the critical factors that make people susceptible to the terrorist message.

A Case for Political Leadership in Disaster Response & Recovery
Jason McNamara
September 2, 2015
Among some professional emergency managers and media outlets, the role of senior elected officials
in incident response and recovery efforts is, at best, perceived as unhelpful. However, political
engagement is necessary for effective disaster response and recovery, and continuous, meaningful
involvement of elected officials is an essential element of the National Preparedness System.