Emergency Management Solutions Newsletter

Volume 16 No. 9

September 2024

Hello Lucien,


Welcome to the September edition of Emergency Management Solutions.


I'm sorry to have to report that my good friend and colleague, George Whitney, passed away on September 19. If you would like to make a contribution to assist his family in this difficult time, they have set up a GoFundMe campaign at https://gofund.me/e418a7ac.


As I write this, Hurricane Helene is ravaging the Gulf states of the United States of America, a reminder that this hurricane season is going to be a bad one. Whether you believe in climate change or not, it's no question that winter storms are becoming more frequent and violent.


In this month's featured articles, Tim Riecker offers some thoughts on how we can make "culture of preparedness" more than just buzzwords. Erik Bernstein's father, Johnathan Bernstein, discusses how crises have become increasingly prone to rapid escalation and offers some ideas on how we can prepare. Life having intruded on my plans this month, I'm sharing an article I first offered in 2010, with some minor edits. It's one of my favorites and describes some of the techniques I've learned from experts to help improve my presentations.


Be well!

Lucien Canton
Featured Articles
L. Canton Photo 2013



Canton on Emergency Management


By Lucien G. Canton, CEM

Effective Presentations: Insider Tips for Improving Your Skills


We’ve all been there. You spend money to attend a conference, select a session from a long list of competing topics, and walk into the room only to walk out several minutes later because the speaker is so boring that even she is falling asleep. Sound familiar?


As both an attendee and a frequent speaker at conferences, I’m amazed at how universally bad some presentations can be. It doesn’t have to be that way. Preparing a good presentation can be easier than developing a bad one.


What’s Your Story?


A presentation is essentially a story. To make sense, it must have a beginning, middle and an end and the flow through these parts must be logical and smooth. You begin developing your story by identifying what you expect to accomplish with your presentation. To be effective, your presentation must do more than just provide an information dump – it must demonstrate the value of that information and challenge the listener to do something with it.

Click here to read the rest of this article

© 2024 - Lucien G. Canton



Lucien Canton is a management consultant specializing in helping managers lead better in a crisis. He is the former Director of Emergency Services for San Francisco and the author of the best-selling Emergency Management: Concepts and Strategies for Effective Programs used as a textbook in many higher education courses.


The Contrarian Emergency Manager


By Timothy "Tim" Riecker

Culture of Preparedness – a Lofty Goal



September is National Preparedness Month here in the US. As we soon head into October, it’s a good opportunity to reflect on what we’ve accomplished during the month, or even elsewhere in the year. While National Preparedness Month is an important thing to mark and to remind us of how important it is to be prepared, over the past several years I’ve come to question our approaches to community preparedness. What are we doing that’s actually moving the needle of community preparedness in a positive direction? Flyers and presentations and preparedness kits aren’t doing it. While I can’t throw any particular numbers into the mix, I think most will agree that our return on investment is extremely low. Am I ready to throw all our efforts away and say it’s not making any difference at all? Of course not. Even one person walking away from a presentation who makes changes within their household to become better prepared is important. But what impact are we having overall?


Culture of preparedness is a buzz phrase used quite a bit over the last number of years. What is a culture of preparedness? An AI assisted Google search tells me that a culture of preparedness is ‘a system that emphasizes the importance of preparing for and responding to disasters, and that everyone has a role to play in doing so.’ Most agree that we don’t have a great culture of preparedness across much of the US (and many other nations) and that we need to improve our culture of preparedness. But how?

Click here to read the rest of this article

© 2024 - Timothy Riecker, CEDP

Used with Permission


Tim Riecker is a founding member, partner and principal consultant with Emergency Preparedness Solutions, LLC, a private consulting firm serving government, businesses, and not for profit organizations in various aspects of emergency and disaster preparedness.




Bernstein Crisis Management

by Erik Bernstein

From WTF to WTAF: Navigating the New Normal

by Johnathan Bernstein, Chairman and Founder


In the past year, it seems our entire nation has crossed the line from WTF to WTAF.

For the uninitiated, the “A” in WTAF stands for “Actual.” It’s a term that conveys a level of disbelief and astonishment beyond what you’d expect from just a plain old WTF. The emphasis on “actual” signals a seismic shift—from surprise to shock, from confusion to a full-blown sense of incredulity.


So, what does this escalation mean for crisis management in public relations?


It means that clients must brace themselves for stakeholders who will skip straight to WTAF-mode when confronted with perceived injustices or alleged wrongdoings that, in calmer times, might have merely raised an eyebrow. People’s thresholds for outrage have plummeted, and what once might have sparked a debate can now incite a brawl.

Click here to read the rest of this article

© 2024 - Johnathan Bernstein

Used with permission


Erik Bernstein is President of Bernstein Crisis Management, a specialized firm dedicated to providing holistic strategies for managing crisis situations.

Featured Video

The "Hard Shock:" The New Madrid Earthquakes


US: "Unsurvivable" Hurricane Helene Slams Florida, At Least 1 Dead



Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend area as a Category 4 storm, packing winds of 225 km/h and triggering flash floods along the coast. Ahead of the landfall, officials warned of a "catastrophic" storm surge capable of swamping two-story houses, calling it an "unsurvivable scenario." Evacuation orders are in place for low-lying areas, and over one million homes and businesses have lost power. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis reported one fatality. Tampa and Tallahassee airports closed ahead of the storm. US President Joe Biden has directed more federal resources to the affected states and urged people to follow official orders for their safety

Professional Development

The Future of Public Alerts and Warnings: Dennis Mileti Honored in Special Collection

A special volume of the Natural Hazards Review honoring the legacy of former Natural Hazards Director Dennis Mileti is now available online.


The collection, The Legacy of Dennis S. Mileti and the Future of Public Alert and Warning Research, includes reviews and assessments of Mileti’s work, as well as forward-looking examinations of technologies, practices, and policies that can improve the access and efficiency of hazards warnings and alerts.


Mileti, who passed away in 2021, was well-recognized as an innovator in communicating hazards and disasters information in a clear, accessible way to achieve maximum impact.


The 10-article collection was curated to honor Mileti’s legacy and build on his pioneering work. It was guest edited by his former students and collaborators: Jeannette Sutton, Hamilton Bean, Lori Peek, Erica Kuligowski, and Michele Wood.

School Natural Hazard Safety Trainings Now Available

The Natural Hazards Center is pleased to announce the release of a set of trainings based on the Federal Emergency Management Agency P-1000 guide, Safer, Stronger, Smarter: A Guide to Improving School Natural Hazard Safety. The recorded trainings are available online.

The trainings, which augment the written guidance in FEMA P-1000, encompass six modules that span a variety of topics. They offer vivid real-world examples of why school safety matters and how school leaders and other community members can implement best practices to plan for emergency response and recovery.

The free online modules include:


Module 1: Introduction

Module 2: Identifying Relevant Natural Hazards and Making School Buildings Safer

Module 3: Planning School Emergency Response and Disaster Recovery

Module 4: Engaging the Whole Community and Moving Forward

Module 5: Supplemental Technical Guidance

Module 6: Funding Support and Other Resources


The complete guidebook is available for download and the videos are accessible on the Natural Hazards website.


FEMA Releases National Resilience Guidance

FEMA is proud to announce the release of the National Resilience Guidance (NRG). The NRG offers a unifying vision of resilience and the principles and steps all communities and organizations can take to increase their resilience in every sector and discipline.

National resilience is a complex topic and building it requires whole community effort. This Guidance will help everyone understand and fulfil their critical roles related to increasing national resilience. With the goal of increasing community and national resilience, the Guidance:

  • Promotes a common understanding of resilience.
  • Emphasizes the critical relationship between chronic community stressors and acute shocks.
  • Addresses the roles of individuals, organizations, and all levels of government.
  • Provides an actionable approach to resilience planning and implementation.
  • Incorporates a community resilience maturity model that walks through concrete steps to build resilience.

FEMA will host a series of 60-minute webinar sessions in September and October to discuss the NRG and additional resources available to help new and experienced resilience practitioners improve their communities’ resilience.

To view the document and learn more about the webinar sessions, please visit the FEMA website at National Resilience Guidance | FEMA.gov.


FEMA releases “20 Years of NIMS” report

Earlier this week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced the release of a report, 20 Years of the National Incident Management System.


The National Incident Management System (NIMS) was established in 2004 to provide stakeholders across the whole community with the shared vocabulary, systems and processes to successfully deliver the capabilities described in the National Preparedness System.

The NIMS community includes emergency responders and other emergency management personnel, federal partners, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and elected and appointed officials responsible for making decisions about incidents.


Before NIMS, the emergency response community had long recognized the need for standardized incident management guidance, particularly when responding to major incidents that required collaboration among multiple organizations and jurisdictions. Key incidents such as Southern California’s 1970 wildfire season, the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 (9/11), and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, served as pivotal points for the nation to both recognize and reaffirm the need for a shared multijurisdictional, multiagency incident management system.


Since 2004, NIMS evolved through numerous iterations of guidance, resources, and tools. Now, more than 20 years after the tragic terrorist attacks on September 11th that drove the creation of NIMS, the threat of human-induced disasters also has only become more complex. As these hazards and threats evolve, the NIMS model continues to offer communities a flexible system for unified response to incidents of any type, level, or scope.


The 35-page report highlights the evolution of NIMS and showcases success stories from across the nation. The report can be accessed at: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/nims


Emergency Management Organizational Structures, Staffing, and Capacity Study


FEMA is partnering with Argonne National Laboratory, the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA), and Big City Emergency Managers (BCEM) to gain a greater understanding of current state, local, tribal, and territorial emergency management organizational structures, staffing, and capacity. This study will provide important insights on how agencies and organizations are structured and staffed, where they get their funding, and how staff time is focused across the spectrum of emergency management activities.


To accomplish this study, IAEM will be launching four surveys—state, local, tribal, and territorial. Argonne National Laboratory will be conducting the analysis. The state, local, and territorial surveys are now available. A tribal-specific survey will be available in the coming weeks. Key insights about the capacity and challenges facing emergency management agencies across the nation will help FEMA, IAEM, NEMA, BCEM, and others identify strategies to better support emergency management efforts and increase community resilience.


To learn more about the Emergency Management Organizational Structures, Staffing, and Capacity Study and the supporting surveys please visit: https://www.anl.gov/dis/npac/EMStudy.


CALL FOR PAPERS


Call for Quick Response Research – SUBMIT NOW

With the support of the National Science Foundation, the Natural Hazards Center Quick Response Research Award Program provides funds and training for eligible researchers to collect data in the aftermath of extreme events to document disaster before memories fade and physical evidence is erased. The Natural Hazards Center is currently accepting proposals for a Special Call for Health Outcomes and Climate-Related Disaster Research. Funds will support awards in the amount of $10,000 to $50,00 each. Proposals for this special call will be accepted on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted. Apply now! More information can be found at https://hazards.colorado.edu/research/quick-response

Professional Development Opportunities


IAEM Annual Conference and EMEX

November 15-21, 2024

Colorado Springs, CO


The goal of the IAEM Annual Conference is to improve your knowledge, competency level and collaborative skills. IAEM accomplishes this by attracting relevant high-profile speakers to address current topics and practical solutions. Convening in tandem to this annual event, EMEX, IAEM’s Emergency Management & Homeland Security Expo, draws a myriad of exhibitors who are the top suppliers to the fields of disaster preparedness and homeland security.


National Hurricane Conference

April 14-17, 2025

New Orleans, Louisiana


The primary goal of the National Hurricane Conference is to improve hurricane preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation in order to save lives and property in the United States and the tropical islands of the Caribbean and Pacific.


27th Annual FEMA Emergency Management Higher Education Symposium

June 2-4, 2025

Emmitsburg, MD


The mission of the FEMA Higher Education Program’s Symposium is to cultivate a collaborative space for Emergency Management academia, professional organizations, and practitioners that promotes a culture of continuous learning and innovation. There is no registration fee, and lodging is free. Details will be posted online no later than November 2024.

From The Bookshelf

America’s Deadliest Hurricanes: The History of the Three Worst Hurricanes in American History



by Charles River Editors


Hurricanes have been devastating communities for thousands of years, bringing about various combinations of rain and wind that can do everything from taking down some dead limbs to wiping out houses. They are also common enough that people who live for any length of time in a region prone to having hurricanes are inclined to accept them as something of a periodic nuisance rather than a serious danger. Modern construction styles allow houses to withstand winds in excess of 100 miles an hour, and early warning systems allow people to evacuate. Thus, most hurricanes of the 21st century take fewer lives than a serious highway accident.


As a result, the world watched in horror as Hurricane Katrina decimated New Orleans in August 2005, and the calamity seemed all the worse because many felt that technology had advanced far enough to prevent such tragedies, whether through advanced warning or engineering. Spawning off the Bahamian coast that month, Katrina quickly grew to be one of the deadliest natural disasters in American history, killing more than 1,800 people and flooding a heavy majority of one of America’s most famous cities. At first, the storm seemed to be harmless, scooting across the Floridian coast as a barely noticeable Category 1 storm, but when Katrina reached the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, its winds grew exponentially before slamming into the southern Louisiana coast as a massive Category 5 hurricane. In addition to the deadly nature of the hurricane, it was also incredibly destructive as a result of failed levees around the New Orleans area. By the time the storm had passed, it had wreaked an estimated $108 billion of damage across the region, and the human suffering, with nearly 2,000 deaths and a million people displaced, was available for viewing across the world. Naturally, the reactions of political leaders would be heavily scrutinized in the aftermath, and people studied the lessons to be learned from the disaster to prevent a similar occurrence in the future.


It was only well into the 20th century that meteorologists began to name storms as a way of distinguishing which storm out of several they were referencing, and it seems somewhat fitting that the hurricane that traumatized Galveston was nameless. Due to the lack of technology and warning, many of the people it killed were never identified, and the nameless corpses were eventually burned in piles of bodies that could not be interred due to the soggy soil. Others were simply buried at sea. The second deadliest hurricane in American history claimed 2,500 lives, so it’s altogether possible that the Galveston hurricane killed over 4 times more than the next deadliest in the U.S. To this day, it remains the country’s deadliest natural disaster.


Similarly, the hurricane that struck southern Florida in September 1928 killed hundreds more, with an estimated death toll of over 2,500 people. Without the warnings available today, it was inevitable that the Category 5 hurricane wrought almost inconceivable destruction as it made landfall in Florida with winds at nearly 150 miles per hour. In addition to the powerful storm itself, the flooding of Lake Okeechobee, the 7th largest freshwater lake in the country, exacerbated the damage by spilling across several hundred square miles, which were covered in up to 20 feet of water in some places.


America’s Deadliest Hurricanes: The History of the Three Worst Hurricanes in American History examines each of the deadly storms, from their meteorological origins to the tolls and aftermath of each one. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the hurricanes like never before.


About the Author


Charles River Editors is a digital publishing company that creates compelling, educational content. In addition to publishing original titles, they help clients create traditional and media-enhanced books.

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Emergency Management: Concepts and Strategies for Effective Programs

Second Edition


by Lucien G. Canton


This book looks at the larger context within which emergency management response occurs, and stresses the development of a program to address a wide range of issues. Not limited to traditional emergency response to natural disasters, it addresses a conceptual model capable of integrating multiple disciplines and dealing with unexpected emergencies.

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Speaker's Corner

Looking for a speaker for your conference? I offer keynotes, seminars, workshops, and webinars, either in person or virtually. You can find more details and sample videos on my website.

Visit my speaker's page

©Lucien G. Canton 2024. All rights reserved.

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