Today's Top Picks
Preparedness Promoters – Assessing Marginalized Populations
Certain populations are more vulnerable when faced with disasters. By adapting a public health model, community leaders can identify common vulnerability indicators and close the gaps between emergency management plans and target population vulnerabilities. Learn how.
Covenant School – Reviewing Another Tragic Shooting
The Covenant School shooting is another reminder of active shooter trends. This article reviews the chain of events from that tragic event, post-incident reviews, and what communities are and should be doing to prepare for and prevent future active shooter incidents.
Labor Trafficking – An Underreported Escalating Crisis
Labor trafficking affects many more people in the U.S. than sex trafficking, but it gets much less attention. Learn what the government is doing and what else community stakeholders can do now to better protect people from this growing threat.
The DoD Defense Coordinating Element and How It Is Certified
Besides the main mission of defending the homeland, Department of Defense capabilities also provide critical support to local, state, and federal civilian partners during major disasters. Learn how Army North’s defense coordinating element’s mission and composition ready their units to perform this additional mission when needed.
Biosafety Laboratory Issues and Failures
Concerns regarding unexpected biological incidents and their public health implications were discussed in a 2014 Domestic Preparedness biosecurity and bioterrorism article. From the improper possession and storage of decades-old live smallpox virus in a former Food and Drug Administration laboratory (lab) on the National Institute of Health (NIH) campus to the possible exposure to live Bacillus anthracis (anthrax) by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, agencies experienced lab accidents and made serious human errors. The biosafety lab concerns were not limited to these two serious incidents.
Hazmat on the Rail
Since February 3, 2023, following the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, the public has closely followed reports and commentary by media outlets and elected officials. This incident has become more controversial and publicized than others in recent years and has caused a public outcry for change.
Trending
Bridging Communication Gaps: Lessons from Hurricane Helene Hurricanes in 2024 caused widespread damage to infrastructure, leading to a critical but often overlooked issue: isolation. Physical and technological…
Cost Analysis: Protecting the Grid and Electronics… Because modern societies are increasingly reliant on electronics, they are more vulnerable to the effects of an electromagnetic pulse event.…
A Systems Thinking Approach to Improving Emergency… “PACE” planning helps organizations fail gracefully, but systems thinking reduces the likelihood of failure altogether. Combining both approaches helps organizations…
Agroterrorism: A Persistent but Overlooked Threat Agroterrorism is not new. Considered a subset of bioterrorism, it has become an increasing concern to the U.S. With so…Trending
A Systems Thinking Approach to Improving Emergency… “PACE” planning helps organizations fail gracefully, but systems thinking reduces the likelihood of failure altogether. Combining both approaches helps organizations…Agroterrorism: A Persistent but Overlooked Threat Agroterrorism is not new. Considered a subset of bioterrorism, it has become an increasing concern to the U.S. With so…Bridging Communication Gaps: Lessons from Hurricane Helene Hurricanes in 2024 caused widespread damage to infrastructure, leading to a critical but often overlooked issue: isolation. Physical and technological…Cost Analysis: Protecting the Grid and Electronics… Because modern societies are increasingly reliant on electronics, they are more vulnerable to the effects of an electromagnetic pulse event.…Domestic Preparedness Journal
Featured in this issue: Editor’s Note: Hazards That Can Affect the Mind, Body, and Outcome, by Catherine L. Feinman; A Holistic Strategy for Responders’ Well-Being, by Camilo Olivieri; Disaster Stress Management in an Emergency Operations Center, by Mary Schoenfeldt; Physical and Mental Injuries in First Responders: Why Wait?, by Pascal Rodier; Not Lost in Translation: A Multilingual Corps Approach, by Diana Sanchez-Vega; Meeting the Psychosocial Needs of Child Survivors, by Emily Heard; Psychosocial Hazards: Preventing Human-Caused Disasters, by I. David Daniels; Caring for the Affected at Family Assistance Centers, by Jennifer Stansberry Miller; How I Became an Accidental Disaster Mental Health Specialist, by Adrienne J. Heinz; Podcast – Seasonal Forecasts & Their Limitations With Dr. Philip Klotzbach
Articles Out Loud
Article Out Loud – A Proven Path: Scouts and the Operational Value of Prepared Youth
June 4, 2025
This is an article by Ethan Beaty, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, June 4, 2025. Scouts have been
Article Out Loud – Understanding Service Dogs: What First Responders Need to Know
June 4, 2025
This is an article by Susan Cohen, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, June 4, 2025. Service dogs do
Editor’s Note – Hazards That Can Affect the Mind, Body, and Outcome