Disaster Minded

A black and white image of a man with his back to the camera, holding prison bars, head bowed while a white dove flies out of reach in front of him

community

Wrongful Convictions Still Matter in a World on Fire

The physical, mental, and economic traumas at the core of my investigation can make us all vulnerable

The lines of one skyscraper are distorted in the glass reflection from another.

community

How Trauma Warps Our Capacity for Resilience

And how even communities meant to bring us together can tear us apart

An old tree's root system stretches across a cave opening, appearing to anchor coastal soil on either side from erosion

community

We Hear a Lot About Resilience. But How Does It Work in Practice?

"Resilience" might be a buzzword, but helping individuals build its skills requires group commitment and effort

A circular sticker with the word "RESET" is stuck to a weathered concrete wall painted red, black, and white.

Forging Something That Works From What Hasn't Been Working

Well worn writing advice is to write what you know. What I know is, of course, feeling awkward and weird -- feelings I'm told a lot of people are familiar with, even if most of us hide them well.

Miami Beach, Florida, aerial view, Indian Creek La Gorce Island Country Club, waterfront mansions estates homes and city skyline.

disaster-recovery

A(nother) Reblog from The Conversation: Federal flood insurance's 2 moral hazards

The problem with federal disaster insurance today isn’t just about subsidizing wealthier coastal homeowners – it’s equally about leaving low-income households systematically underinsured without resources to either protect themselves or leave.

A bald Black man wearing a checked shirt and a headset looks at dashboards across three computer monitors in an emergency operations center.

community

Venezuela's Cautionary Tale for US FEMA Reform

How years of political instability accelerated a humanitarian crisis into a catastrophe, and how it informs our current moment

Five people carrying bags walk ahead of the camera on a paved city street; two are crouching to get underneath a fallen telephone pole following a disaster of unknown origin

disaster-recovery

Triple Threats, Compounding Disasters

How the earthquakes and typhoons of September-November 2025 in the Philippines show the knock-on effects of climate change — and political tides

Disaster Minded

Learning emergency management after personal trauma

Latest

Brown eggs with cartoon faces drawn on them in black marker sit in a clear plastic egg carton on a kitchen counter

Go Ahead and Overshare. It Might Give You the Answers You're Looking For

Why locking ourselves behind "social acceptability" might be undermining our resilience after disasters

A blonde white woman wearing a tan hat, green / blue / white plaid long-sleeve shirt, and black pants sits on top of a boulder in a foggy field, journaling.

Answering Love Rebels' Questions

Thinking more deeply about activism and myself as an activist in emergency management

A car sits upside down amid other vehicles, flattened structures and trees in the aftermath of a flood or other disaster. The sky is still cloudy.

Could Social Outcasts Hold a Key to Disaster Response?

People worry about "crime" immediately after disaster. Directing people's energy to response could be a solution

A lone person wearing a red top stands at the beginning of a stone labyrinth path laid into the grass along a rocky coastline, perhaps in Ireland.

My First Graduate Class Was a Success. I Still Don't Have a Clear Path

My career has been an endless series of pivots made in survival mode. Emergency management may be no different

A black and white image of flooding on the streets of a small city in Luxembourg, EU

A Reblog From The Conversation: Why Disasters Still Happen

I don't always overestimate my ability to juggle multiple projects, but when I do, I go big

Hundreds of people holding signs gather beneath an urban overpass, where police officers stand overseeing the crowds

The Groups We Trust, the Crowds We Don't

How we define a "mob" has everything to do with response to regional and national emergencies

A book cover image of "Love Rebels" with red and black lettering on a light yellow background, side by side with a reviewer quote

How to Organize When You're Not Good at It

A review of Love Rebels: How I Learned to Burn Things Down Without Burning Out

A wooden signpost with three wooden arrows all marked "TRAIL" and all pointing in different directions, against a backdrop of bright green forest foliage.

Another Unconventional Step in an Unconventional Career Path

How 2025 encouraged me to loosen my grip and embrace a softer, better rounded version of myself

Have Our Online Lives Eroded Our Communities?

Have Our Online Lives Eroded Our Communities?

And can we bring ourselves back from collapse?

If FEMA Goes Away, Could Communities Step Up?

If FEMA Goes Away, Could Communities Step Up?

Three books offer a vision of future disaster recovery – if we can come together in mutuality

Men in red lifejackets and helmets paddle a rubber boat full of rescued people through brown floodwaters

If Disaster Response Shifts to States, How Can Communities Respond?

Waiting for rescue probably isn't sustainable for any of us

Volunteers organizing food distribution at a long table filled with canned and fresh foods. Their faces are not in frame, only their arms and gloved hands.

Organizing in Community, Also When You Have No Experience

Stepping up isn't just about collecting training or experience. It's also about healing past trauma.

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