I previously recorded a Disaster Zone Podcast: Forecasting the Weather as a Business that had Jonathan Porter, quoted below, as my guest. A great listen to learn more about that company and their operations.

AccuWeather has been the source of damage estimates for the ongoing California fires impacting the greater Los Angeles area. Their most recent damage estimate is below, along with excellent commentary on what we can expect for impacts to the insurance industry.

We all have a story for how our journey into emergency management began. Most of the time it starts tangentially with no direct line from fourth grade until we enter the profession and beyond.

I’ve highlighted this publication in the past. It is a terrific tool for anyone who has experienced a disaster of any type, but especially a fire.

There are plenty of fingers being pointed at who or what is to be blamed for the Los Angeles fires. I think we have run out of digits on our hands to do so.

Once again, a very predictable disaster is ongoing in California. Wildfires in an urban area fed by very dry fuels and high winds.

When opinions trump facts, where does that put us? To start with, the physical world. If I say it is safe to live right on the ocean, who has the right to deny me my right to do so? When green becomes red and red, green, how do we know how to behave or what to believe.

I’m not doing much hiring these days, but I did in the past. We tried to be careful about what questions we asked in a job interview. It is not just the individual questions you ask in an interview, but also how the interview is structured and if there is a panel assisting you, then what is the process for scoring each candidate.

While I write this the Eastern Seaboard is getting snow which is to be followed with cold temperatures. And, there is another storm brewing—this one on the West Coast and it will be hitting Southern California.

I’m always learning new things about organizations involved with our emergency management functions. I stumbled across this organization, United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC)

In a single word my predictions for 2025 can be summed up in one word—“Unpredictable.”   In December I wrote this blog post, An Interesting Time in History

Usually, we read about studies that either identify an increase in hazards around a particular type of disaster or a new unknown, until now, hazard. More tornadoes, more destructive hurricanes, etc. We are starting out 2025 with one “good news” hazard story.

Why is it that Puerto Rico continues to have major issues with the generation and transmission of electrical power?

It is not often that I get the chance to write about another nation’s approach to disaster readiness. See this Guardian article, In Sweden, we’ve been told to prepare for war. But will 21st-century citizens still rally for the common good?

Disaster help can never come too soon. It doesn’t make a difference on the type of disaster that happens, the damages are there, and people need and want help right away. In most cases they would prefer it to be instantly.  Unfortunately, government is not a shake and bake organization.

This topic is definitely on the lighter side. However, I found the segment on Prime Video’s series on Mega Manufacturing to be very interesting.

With the passing of President Jimmy Carter there are many reflections being written on his legacy. For me, the thing that stands out is that he will be remembered most for how he used his prominence after he left the White House. No one has been as selfless as he in being a servant to many.

Hard to believe that it has been 20 years since the tragedy caused by the Indian Ocean Tsunami. Around 250,000 people died in 2004, many were vacationers on holiday.

Watching the “drone news” over the past few months has convinced me that collectively, we are in deep do-do when it comes to “officials” and their messaging to an ever-increasing nonbelieving population. The bottom line is that we’ve lost the trust of many average people.