"Before, During & After" is a podcast for emergency managers. Join us for insights into where emergency management is headed, conversation about preparing for the threats of tomorrow and how everyone has a role in keeping communities safe from disaster.
Join podcast host Mark Peterson as we cover FEMA’s work in implementing its strategic plan, as well as recent disaster recovery efforts and resources available to better prepare for future risks.
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Episode 136: Experts Discuss Crisis & Risk Communications to Meet the Needs of Communities
FEMA is leading efforts to strengthen organizations and agencies' commitment and ability to create and deliver tailored messaging. On this episode, we take you back to the first ever Risk Communications, Crisis Communications and Community Engagement Summit for a couple of key panels and highlights from conversations that took place throughout the day.
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When a crisis occurs, communities need actionable messaging, reflective of their unique circumstance in order to respond. Creating effective communications begins before a crisis by engaging communities to understand their needs and appropriately communicating their risks. Risks across the communications field, increasingly complex challenges are emerging. In emergency management, overcoming these challenges is necessary to sustain and save lives. To meet these needs, FEMA is leading efforts to strengthen organizations and agencies' commitment and ability to create and deliver tailored messaging. A few weeks ago on June 10th, FEMA's Office of External Affairs, in collaboration with some esteemed roster of co-sponsors hosted the first ever Risk Communications, Crisis Communications and Community Engagement Summit. On this episode, we'll take you back to a packed house at the prestigious auditorium at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington DC. While we can't air the entirety of the nine-hour summit, we wish we could. We are happy to share a couple of key panels and highlights from some of the dynamic conversations that took place throughout the day. First up, Director of External Affairs, Justin Knighten, and then he'll follow up with our FEMA Administrator, Deanne Criswell, who is well known for her hands-on operational expertise. She is a commanding and empathetic spokesperson, so we hear her kicking off the day.
Millions of Americans are being impacted by extreme heat waves, which are growing in intensity, frequency, and duration due to climate change. And so, in response to the calendar year 2023 annual planning guidance, where FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell directed a review of all current FEMA authorities, capabilities and gaps to develop a unified agency approach to build resilience to threats driven by climate change such as extreme heat. FEMA Region 5 partnered with the National Exercise Division to host the first Extreme Heat Summit last year in 2023, which we've highlighted here on this podcast. But recently, in May of 2024, we hosted FEMA's second Extreme Heat Summit here in Chicago. Building on the lessons from the 2023 summit, our focus was expanded to include actions that state, local, tribal, and territorial governments can take to prepare for, mitigate and respond to extreme heat events. The summit featured a wider variety of presenters, including state and local leaders and representatives from academic and nonprofit organizations. So, we wanted to bring you back to Chicago for a full replay of the expert panel discussions. We're representing for you the conversations around extreme heat impacts planning and data analysis, communications and messaging, and nature-based solutions.
April is Emergency Communications Month, and our friends at CISA are honoring the nation's emergency responders and communicators, emphasizing the importance of emergency communications and the need to work together in building resilient, critical infrastructure. In keeping with the month's theme of resilient together, on today's episode, we are talking about the CISA and FEMA partnership, and the steps partners can take towards resilience through highlighting key resources like GETS and WPS and other tools to help prepare for and respond to emergencies.
Voluntary agencies are typically some of the first organizations to respond and are often the last to leave a community, sometimes years after a disaster. The work of federal, state, and local governments is only part of the response and recovery puzzle. In fact, people showing up in times of need as volunteers are a critical piece to serving the needs of disaster survivors. In celebration of April being National Volunteer Month, this episode will focus on the transformative effect volunteers have on disaster response and recovery. The difference that they make in the lives of disaster survivors and the role they play in supporting FEMA's new individual assistance program reforms.
On April 8th, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North America passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. This is no doubt one of nature's most awe inspiring events. The moon passes between the sun and the earth completely blocking the face of the sun. The sky will darken as if it were dawn or dusk. And while the skies will be graced with this celestial spectacle, at the same time, millions will be captivated across the United States. The day will be filled with festivals and revelers who traveled from far and wide to view the total eclipse in the path of totality. So, on today's episode, we're diving deep into the science behind the phenomenon and general safety precautions with experts from NASA. But then we'll take it back to earth and explore the meticulous planning efforts undertaken by Ohio and Indiana Emergency Management, just two of the states - from Texas to Maine, that are getting ready for April 8th.
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FEMA's "Before, During, After" podcast is available on Apple iTunes and Spotify to stream or download. Approximately 20 to 30 minutes in length, new episodes are posted bi-weekly and include transcripts.
Questions or comments? Send an email to FEMA-podcast@fema.dhs.gov.
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