Lessons in Disasters: A Look Inside the Rising Resilience Podcast Episode Featuring Former FEMA Administrator, Craig Fugate

Following the inaugural Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Summit: Rising Resilience, Ready Together, I had the pleasure of sitting down with our Keynote Speaker, Craig Fugate, for an in-depth discussion about the disaster ecosystem. Craig, former FEMA Administrator, has served roles in just about every level of the ecosystem, providing him a unique perspective on the orchestration required to make it all work effectively. 

Craig shares that often there’s much emphasis on his larger positions at the state level and with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), but so much of what he learned was really at the county level while working with so many different organizations. He also states that disaster response is largely reliant on the local level and on engaging with all sectors, from government to private and non-profit organizations, volunteers, and beyond. 

In each disaster experience, the system gets strengthened as those working in disasters at the local level learn and develop better strategies. During Hurricane Andrew, he was faced with questions like, “Is it important that we get supplies to the area or that we get free supplies to the area?” This simple acknowledgment invited them to consider that they really needed to get the private sector involved. If they could help the private sector get their grocery stores opened and running right away, then their concern for ensuring people had access to necessities would be lessened. 

Each storm experience offers its own lesson, but all of them demonstrate the importance of strong connective tissue between each sector. Knowing this, we turned the discussion toward volunteerism regarding Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT), an idea that came out of California when, during a fire, the community required a lot more hands on deck. CERT was developed to train neighbors helping neighbors to respond safely and effectively to people and areas in need while waiting for emergency responders to arrive, or by providing important information to emergency responders so no time is wasted. Craig elaborates on the importance of CERTs and encourages listeners to consider doing the training. 

There is a lot of robust information about the disaster ecosystem in this podcast. Be sure to stay tuned until the end to hear all about how the Waffle House has become a gauge for measuring the post-disaster status of an area.