Disaster zone blog

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Heat Waves
Eric Holdeman Eric Holdeman

Heat Waves

Summer is here and heat waves are sure to come.

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New 2024 Disaster Movie
Eric Holdeman Eric Holdeman

New 2024 Disaster Movie

There is a timely movie release coming to theaters this summer. Given all the tornado activity we have had in 2024, there will likely be significant interest in Twisters.

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Texas Power Outages
Eric Holdeman Eric Holdeman

Texas Power Outages

There is something wrong with the Texas electrical grid. The system there is either very unlucky or very fragile when disasters strike that state.

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More Leadership Training Please!
Eric Holdeman Eric Holdeman

More Leadership Training Please!

One of the topics they delved into more deeply is the need for more, what I will call, pure leadership training for emergency managers.

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Are Emergency Militias Needed?
Eric Holdeman Eric Holdeman

Are Emergency Militias Needed?

We are coming off of a horrific weekend with the attempted assassination of former President Trump, along with the death and serious shooting injuries to two other rally attendees.

With the above in mind, do we really need more guns?

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New Science on Cascadia Subduction Fault
Eric Holdeman Eric Holdeman

New Science on Cascadia Subduction Fault

Via new research, it appears that the section of the Cascadia Subduction Fault just off the Washington State Coast may be more dangerous than other areas of the fault.

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Helicopters and Heat
Eric Holdeman Eric Holdeman

Helicopters and Heat

As we continue to see summer temperatures soaring over 100 degrees, understand that those temperatures will impact the ability of helicopters to lift what would be normal loads, or not fly at all.

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Homeowners Going Without Insurance
Eric Holdeman Eric Holdeman

Homeowners Going Without Insurance

I’ve been writing about the home insurance crisis that has been brewing for years. Well, the first wave of inability to acquire affordable house insurance is here!

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FEMA Proposes New Flood Rule
Eric Holdeman Eric Holdeman

FEMA Proposes New Flood Rule

In large organizations like the Federal Government, the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing, and standards and rules are not mutually supporting. This is coming to an end with one particular flood related aspect of disasters.

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Evacuating People with Disabilities
Eric Holdeman Eric Holdeman

Evacuating People with Disabilities

One of the more common functions we as emergency managers perform is issuing warnings and ordering evacuations of people who are in dangers way. With that function being common, one particular area that I suggest almost everyone has a challenge with is assisting with the evacuation of people with disabilities.

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When Ideology and Science Conflict
Eric Holdeman Eric Holdeman

When Ideology and Science Conflict

The recent rain and flooding event from a series of “typical” rainstorms has brought to the forefront the challenges that come when ideology and science conflict.

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The Heat and Disasters are On!
Eric Holdeman Eric Holdeman

The Heat and Disasters are On!

“Summer’s here and the time is right for…” The rest of the verse is “dancing in the streets” but then with the heat and other hazard issues, the song could be rewritten to say, Summer’s here and the time is right for flooded streets!”

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The Dam Store Story
Eric Holdeman Eric Holdeman

The Dam Store Story

It is an unfortunate loss of local history and likely many family traditions of going down to the Dam Store to pick up some groceries or grab something to eat. A destination for parents riding along with their children on bicycles.

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Hurricane Beryl Making Landfall
Eric Holdeman Eric Holdeman

Hurricane Beryl Making Landfall

I’d highlight a couple of things. First, windspeeds are not everything with a hurricane. The storm surge can be deadly as can intense rainfall and flooding, both in rivers and streams, but also surface water flooding. And, as noted, hurricanes can spawn tornadoes, which were very destructive in Hurricane Andrew, 1992 when it made landfall in Florida.

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Compound Flooding
Eric Holdeman Eric Holdeman

Compound Flooding

Compound flooding might not be a new term, but it is fairly new to me. It is only in the last couple of months that I have seen it referred to in professional writings and just the other night on national television news.

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Prior to writing for The Readiness Lab, Eric Holdeman wrote Disaster Zone blog posts for Emergency Management Magazine. He was a prolific writer and all articles are still available on their website, which is linked below.