The Training and Service of Stephen Johns and his Colleagues
Like thousands of commuters, I pass the Holocaust Museum twice a day coming into and out of DC. At any hour of the day it is not unusual to see a number of security guards outside, as well...
DetailsLessons Learned from H1N1 – Dr. Tara O’Toole Connection
While the American public’s attention has moved on to focus on the opening days of summer and vacation planning, researchers have begun to assess the lessons learned from the recent H1N1 Flu outbreak. Last week “the Robert Wood...
DetailsO’Toole’s Commentary to Murphy’s Law
Sitting through Dr. Tara O’Toole’s confirmation hearing this morning, I was struck by the first time I heard of “O’Toole’s Commentary” to the infamous Murphy’s Law (“Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”) which says that “Murphy was...
DetailsAn Easy-Lift FEMA Hearing; Tough Questions Remain
Craig Fugate made one of his first journeys to Capitol Hill today as FEMA Administrator to present and defend his Agency’s FY10 budget request. The 80 or so minutes of the hearing were free of fireworks and some...
Details“Call Me Craig”
Notes and Observations from the Bloggers Roundtable with FEMA Administrator, Craig FugateAfter rushing back from meetings at the Emergency Management Institute in Emmitsburg, MD, this morning, FEMA Administrator W. Craig Fugate held a Bloggers Roundtable in which I was...
DetailsRight Words, Missing Ingredient
Last Friday, the President confirmed what has been an open secret for months. America is getting a Cyber Czar to look after the country’s most complex, interdependent and increasingly vulnerable infrastructures.All the right words were spoken. All...
DetailsAn Unacceptable Reality to Address
Last week the American National Standards Institute’s Homeland Security Standards Panel (ANSI-HSSP) released a sobering, frustrating and frankly embarrassing report that should give pause to emergency managers, public safety personnel and for that matter all Americans. The report,...
DetailsThe Principles and Perils of Plans
By a vote of 90-6, the US Senate overwhelmingly blocked President Obama’s efforts to close Guantanamo Prison by preventing the Administration access to funds to fulfill one of its first Executive Orders. The reason? There’s no plan.While...
DetailsA Worthy Nominee but…
This morning the White House is slated to announce that Dr. Thomas Frieden will be the new Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Frieden is currently the City of New York’s top health...
DetailsAbout Time & Waste of Time
About Time & Waste of TimeIt’s over. Janet has spoken. We now have the answer that we’ve been waiting for since January 15, 2009, the date of her Senate confirmation. FEMA stays put. At her...
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