Welcome back to Disaster Discourse Monthly, and happy anniversary! We’re celebrating two years of sharing insights and going-ons in the emergency management field, and we’d love your thoughts on the news we shared this past year. Now, sit back and enjoy this November issue, where we share lessons learned at the 2019 ICMA Conference, a look at the “Fire Age,” and how the disability community can prepare for a disaster.

2019 ICMA Conference

At this year’s International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Annual Conference, Hagerty Executive Chairman Brock Long and Vice President Matt Hochstein, spoke with City Managers Mark McQueen and Sean McGlynn about the importance of local involvement in disaster recovery and how to maximize disaster funding.

The “Fire Age?”

Fire historian Steve Pyne believes we’re in an epoch of devastation by fire, akin to the Ice Age. If this is true, communities in California have certainly felt its toil, especially with the Kincade fire this year and the Paradise fire last year.

Lessons in Cybersecurity…

Last spring, the City of Atlanta was effectually shut down by a cyberattack. Now, the City is sharing lessons learned to protect other communities from going through the same hardship.

Our Warming Planet…

Climate change is drastically changing our world and, in turn, the field of emergency management. While new research postulates that disasters may cost more but harm fewer people, other studies show that in the next 30 years, the homes of 150 million people could be underwater.

Navigating a disaster with disabilities…

Linda Mastandrea, the director of FEMA’s Office of Disability Integration and Coordination, took to The Hill to write an OpEd about the importance of individual preparedness for individuals with access and functional needs (AFN).

Thanks for reading. We’ll see you in December!