IAEM CONFERENCE NEWS IAEM is hosting a special Poster Showcase session at the IAEM 2025 Annual Conference IAEM The IAEM Poster Showcase provides an opportunity to learn from peers as they showcase their research, best practices, and innovative projects. More than 60 participants have entered either the competitive or noncompetitive divisions. The lineup of participants is available on the conference website. In addition, several IAEM caucuses, committees, and councils have created posters to highlight their work this past year. View their posters and get involved to expand your career. All participants will be available for questions during a special presentation session on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, from 10:15 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Register today for the conference to view this spectacular event.
IAEM SCHOLARSHIP Register by 5:00 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17, to participate in IAEM’s fitness challenge IAEM Join the Gallop to Kentucky, IAEM’s annual step challenge to benefit the Scholarship Program, which begins on Oct. 20. Everyone is encouraged to participate and invite others (neighbors, family members, friends) to support the IAEM Scholarship Program. All participants will receive the race challenge coin, and the top three teams will win prizes. Learn about the event and register before 5:00 p.m. EDT on Oct. 17.
IAEM-USA COUNCIL NEWS Just don’t get flooded during a government shutdown The Invading Sea Media coverage of our massive king tides this month has been extensive and opened more eyes to worsening flood risk in Florida. But it’s mostly been overshadowed by even worse news. When two problems coincide, they can magnify both impacts. King tides during a government shutdown reveal to us how precarious our flood risk situation really is. Read More
Judge accuses Homeland Security of bullying states into accepting conditions to get FEMA money The Associated Press A federal judge in Rhode Island accused the Trump administration of trying to “bully” states into accepting conditions that require them to cooperate on immigration enforcement actions to get disaster funding after he ruled earlier that those actions were unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge William Smith, who was appointed by former Republican President George W. Bush, issued a summary judgment last month ruling that the Department of Homeland Security couldn’t impose the conditions. Read More
EM NEWS Refinery fires, other chemical disasters may no longer get safety investigations Homeland Security News Wire The typically thorough investigative process of chemical disasters, conducted by the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), will not happen in the case of the October 2025 disaster at a Chevron refinery in El Segundo, California, because of the federal government shutdown and lack of funding for the organization. Read More
EMAP commission chair honored with national distinguished service award IAEM EMAP Commission Chair Angee Morgan, deputy director of the Kansas Division of Emergency Management (KDEM), was recently named the 2025 recipient of the Lacy E. Suiter Distinguished Service Award by the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA). This award is given annually to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to emergency management and demonstrated exceptional leadership, innovation, and dedication to advancing the field. Morgan, a respected national leader with more than two decades of experience in emergency management, was recognized for her unwavering commitment to strengthening preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation efforts both in Kansas and nationwide. During her time with KDEM, she has played a key role in guiding the state through numerous disasters and emergencies, fostering collaboration among local, state, federal, and private-sector partners, and championing innovative programs that improve community resilience. Read More Ashland’s first wildfire drill gives residents a taste of how emergency evacuation could go* Ashland News Ashland’s first evacuation drill on a chilly Saturday morning went off without major hitches, offering residents a chance to try the emergency Interstate 5 on-ramp on North Mountain Avenue. More than two dozen emergency crews and international observers helped during the drill, including a professor from London. Read More Indirect disaster effects cost the world nearly $2 trillion per year, Guterres says on International Day* United Nations Most of the exorbitant costs of disaster are preventable with proper funding and planning “one of the main messages for this year’s International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, themed Fund Resilience, Not Disasters, observed on Monday. In 2024 alone, nearly 46 million people were displaced by disasters, the highest number ever recorded, but disaster risk reduction efforts remain severely underfunded, according to the IOM. Read More L.A. fire after-action report finds staff, resource shortages Government Technology The Los Angeles Fire Department’s extensive review of its Palisades fire response detailed challenges including staffing difficulties, resource shortages and constraints posed by the intense winds fanning the flames. Going forward, the department plans to have all personnel working during severe weather events like the one firefighters faced when the Palisades fire broke out. Read More California governor signs bills to aid Los Angeles wildfire recovery and reform disaster response The Associated Press via WHAS-TV California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a package of bills to help the ongoing recovery and rebuilding of the communities in the Los Angeles area impacted by two deadly wildfires earlier this year, his office announced. The bills, signed this week, streamline the process for rebuilding homes lost to wildfires, including an accelerated permitting process, and allow residents to live in temporary structures on their properties while they rebuild permanent homes. They also provide property tax relief for wildfire survivors. Read More
NEW INSIGHTS Column: The shifting emergency management balance* Homeland Security Today Mahatma Gandhi advised us to “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” Nelson Mandela stressed that “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Emergency management is not only changing but also shifting the balance. Is this the change we want to see? Have we applied all of our lessons learned and education to ensure success? Read More
HEALTHCARE EM UPDATE More than 150 schoolchildren quarantined as U.S. measles cases hit 33-year high* BBC More than 150 unvaccinated schoolchildren are being quarantined for 21 days in South Carolina after being exposed to measles, state officials said. Because the students who were exposed did not have immunisations, they were forced to miss school during the period of potential disease transmission. Read More
CYBERSECURITY NEWS Multiple CISA divisions targeted in shutdown layoffs, people familiar say* Government Executive Several divisions in the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency were affected in termination orders issued to the federal workforce on Friday evening, multiple people familiar told Nextgov/FCW. Staff within the Stakeholder Engagement Division, as well as the cyber-defense agency’s Infrastructure Security Division, were targeted with reduction-in-force notices, or RIFs, said the people. Read More
Cyber response: From the server room to the situation room Domestic Preparedness Over the past few decades, there have been drastic technological improvements in almost every facet of public safety. Across preparedness, response, and recovery spaces, technology has become a necessity. Read More
EM RESOURCES Volcanoes | A study reveals how to improve eruption forecasting National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology Published in the magazine Science Advances, the research “Earthquake frequency-magnitude distribution at Mount Etna sheds light on magma ascent in the volcano’s plumbing system” highlights how volcanic eruption forecasts could be improved by analyzing the relationship between the number of low- and high-magnitude earthquakes. Read More
EM CALENDAR Prepare your program for accreditation with EMAP training in Louisville, Kentucky IAEM The Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) is hosting an in-person Emergency Management Standard Training Course, Nov. 21-22, 2025, at the Louisville Metro Emergency Management Agency, in Louisville, Kentucky. This two-day course provides participants with an in-depth understanding of EMAP and its standards, equipping programs with the tools and knowledge to prepare for assessment and accreditation. This course is ideal for emergency management professionals seeking to strengthen their programs through compliance, continuous improvement, and alignment with recognized standards of excellence. Register for the course here. To learn more about EMAP, visit our website. If you have any questions about this course or other training opportunities, please email todd@emap.org.
IAEM-ASIA NEWS PM Hun Manet urges all ministries to prioritize disaster management as a core national task Khmer Times Hun Manet, Prime Minister of Cambodia, has urged all ministries and institutions to prioritize disaster management. He emphasized the need to enhance human and material resources for effective disaster response. He called for active engagement in implementing the National Action Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction 2024-2028 and the National Early Warning Roadmap for sustainable outcomes. Read More
Afghan earthquake triggers contradictory Taliban tactics on rescuing women* NPR As earthquakes devastated parts of Afghanistan in late August, Taliban officials asked aid agencies to send more female health workers to assist female survivors. They also briefly barred female U.N. staffers from reaching earthquake-devastated areas. The flurry of contradictions in the wake of the earthquake did not end there. Read More
IAEM-EUROPA NEWS Flood victims need single national line to expert help, MPs say Eastern Daily Press Flood victims need a single national line to expert help, MPs said after a report warned many communities do not know who is responsible for managing flood risk in their area. Public awareness of flood risk is “dangerously low,” the cross-party Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) said, with “lives and livelihoods” further endangered by people not understanding how to respond to warnings or protect their homes. Read More
IAEM-MIDDLE EAST NEWS Schools across Türkiye hold evacuation drills for disaster safety Daily Sabah As part of the “Disasters and Resilience Month” activities organized by the Ministry of National Education (MEB), simultaneous evacuation drills were to be held in all schools on Monday, Oct. 13. According to a statement from the Ministry, within the framework of the “Green Homeland — My School Is the Cure for the Future” initiative, the MEB designated October as “Disasters and Resilience Month” in the thematic calendar for the 2025-2026 academic year. Read More
AROUND THE WORLD Officials say storm ‘completely devastated’ Western Alaska communities* Alaska Public Radio The U.S. Coast Guard commander for Western Alaska compared the devastation in local villages over the weekend to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The remnants of Typhoon Halong barreled into remote, coastal communities in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta on Sunday, bringing hurricane-force winds and record flood waters. Coast Guard and National Guard crews have rescued at least 51 people so far from two of the hardest-hit communities: Kipnuk and Kwigillingok. Read More
‘In an instant, they were gone’: Small town mourns after Tennessee explosives factory blast* BBC In Bucksnort, Tennessee, residents have spent a chilly autumn night heeding a simple message spraypainted on a concrete barrier by the side of the road: “Pray for the AES families.” Community members gathered on Saturday for a candlelit vigil outside the Maple Valley Baptist Church after a blast at local explosives factory Accurate Energetic Systems (AES) left 16 people dead. Read More
42 killed as bus crashes on South Africa mountain pass* BBC Forty-two Zimbabwean and Malawian nationals have died after a bus taking them home overturned on a South African road, authorities have said. The crash happened on Sunday night as the bus was moving through “a mountainous section” of the N1 highway in South Africa’s Limpopo province, local transport officials said. Read More
Death toll from torrential rains in Mexico rises to 64 as search expands* NPR Fifteen minutes before water from a flooded stream swept into her home, Lilia Ramírez took off running with what little she could carry. When she returned she found not only damage from the water that had flooded her first floor to the ceiling, but the oil it had carried now streaking her walls. Poza Rica is an oil town, and among the challenges confronting some residents who fled flooding that has killed 64 people across five states and left 65 missing, is residue from the oil that built this city not far from the Gulf of Mexico. Read More
Bangladesh garment factory fire kills at least 16* BBC At least 16 people have died after a huge fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the toll could rise. Sixteen bodies have been recovered and would be handed to families after DNA testing, as they have been burnt beyond recognition, the fire service said. Read More
Another quake rocks Philippines day after twin temblors killed 8 Hindustan Times A day after two massive earthquakes killed at least eight persons in southern Philippines, another quake of 6.0 magnitude struck off the southern coast of the country late on Saturday, the United States Geological Survey said. According to the USGS, the tremor occurred at a depth of 59 kilometers (37 miles), about 10 kilometers from the Cagwait town in the province of Surigao del Sur, news agency AFP reported. Read More
IAEM Dispatch International Association of Emergency Managers 201 Park Washington Court | Falls Church, VA 22046-4527 Elizabeth B. Armstrong, MAM, CAE, IAEM CEO, IAEM Executive Director Dawn M. Shiley, CAE, IAEM Dispatch POC, IAEM Communications and Marketing Director
💬Contact for More Info: Amy Kitchener – amyk44@hawaii.edu
🧑💻About the Webinar: The MIT Urban Risk Lab works globally to increase community resilience and collective capacity to adapt to climate shocks by embedding techniques and strategies of risk reduction through collaborative design. Their presentation, “Community Toolkits: Platforms for Preparedness, Response & Recovery,” focuses on a set of three tools designed to improve municipal response, resilience, and recovery during and after extreme weather events. Their approach is informed by downscaled climate scenarios and collaboration with emergency management departments in cities around the US. The first tool aids rapid situational awareness and hazard-impact mapping for CERT and trained Hazard Impact Teams. The second tool visualizes future climate extremes and vulnerability projections to inform mitigation and adaptation strategies. The third tool focuses on recovery planning through “ADAPT,” a collaborative planning tool for housing recovery and resilience. ADAPT seeks to streamline, standardize, and operationalize local planning processes by proactively developing post-disaster housing plans and resources before extreme events occur. This framework helps local governments develop a complete Housing Recovery and Resilience Plan through structured modules and uses scenario planning exercises to test assumptions and build preparedness.
📱 For more details, check out the attached flyer – and please SHARE this event within your networks!
🛰️ EMP-HI General Meeting – Featuring NASA’s Disaster Response Coordination System
📅 Tuesday, October 14, 2025 🕓 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM (HST) 📍 Aina Haina Public Library – Community Meeting Room 💻 Zoom option available – https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87030281606
Meeting ID: 870 3028 1606
We’re excited to announce our upcoming EMP-HI General Meeting, featuring a virtual presentation from NASA’s Dr. Julie Rolla on the Disaster Response Coordination System (DRCS).
🔭 Featured Speaker: Dr. Julie Rolla, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Dr. Rolla is the Lead Disaster Coordinator for NASA JPL and a key partner in the Disaster Response Coordination System, which connects satellite Earth observation data with emergency response needs across Hawai‘i and the Pacific. Her work helps emergency managers assess power outages, flooding, vegetation loss, and more — using real-time NASA data and public mapping tools.
🌐 What You’ll Learn:
✅ How NASA’s DRCS supports emergency managers in Hawai‘i ✅ Accessing free satellite imagery and hazard maps ✅ Real-world use cases: floods, wildfires, landslides ✅ How to request DRCS activation during a disaster
This session is open to all EMP-HI members and partners. Whether you’re joining us in person or online, this is a valuable opportunity to learn how space-based tools are supporting ground-level disaster response in our region.
There is only one week left to save on your registration for the 73rd IAEM Annual Conference & EMEX. After next Friday, costs will increase, so don’t wait until then to lock in your savings.
Even if you cannot pay right now, select the “pay by check” option so you can take advantage of these registration deals.
EARLY BIRD EXCLUSIVE: To sweeten the early bird deals, register before next week to get access to our Early Edition Speaker Series.
These sessions are only available to those who register before October 10. Sessions begin on Oct. 14.
Hear From Your PeersYour peers and colleagues shared with us why they attend the conference year after year. Hear directly from them about the benefits they receive from the Annual Conference.
The September edition of the IAEM Bulletin is now online. The September issue is a special focus edition on international emergency management. It highlights the IAEM-USA Region 10 president, showcases recent IAEM involvement, provides details on the first National Emergency Management Awareness Month, offers information on upcoming and ongoing IAEM programs, and more.
The September issue is a special focus edition on international emergency management. It highlights the IAEM-USA Region 10 president, showcases recent IAEM involvement, provides details on the first National Emergency Management Awareness Month, offers information on upcoming and ongoing IAEM programs, and more.
The September issue contains five special focus articles:
Community Voices in Crisis Preparedness: Co-Developing Resilience Aspirations.
Come for the Puffins, Stay for the History.
Local Capacity is a National Security Issue: Funding Readiness Over Response.
Challenges from a World Event.
A Regional Response Mechanism Designed for the Caribbean Context.
Visit the IAEM website and get your copy of the September IAEM Bulletin now. As a reminder, the 2025 Bulletin editions are now available publicly to support those in emergency management who are undergoing career transitions. Please share this information with the community, especially those who have been affected
Passing this along through the coconut wireless — two Emergency Management Staff Officer positions are currently open with the City & County of Honolulu Department of Emergency Management.
These roles are essential to our shared mission of preparedness and resilience, and both offer competitive salaries and meaningful impact. If you or someone you know is interested, please apply soon — one closes in just a few weeks!
🎟️ Win a Free Registration to the IAEM Annual Conference & EMEX
Courtesy of Women in the Field of Emergency Management (WTFem), two free registrations to this year’s IAEM Annual Conference & EMEX in Louisville, Kentucky are available for eligible women in the profession.
🌟 About WTFem:
WTFem is a professional community dedicated to supporting and connecting women in emergency management and disaster response. Their mission is to open doors, elevate leadership, and champion career development. This sponsorship includes two full conference registrations to help IAEM women members engage with peers, grow professionally, and strengthen their voice in the field.
📝 Please Note:
This opportunity covers the cost of registration only. Travel, lodging, and meals are not included.
📅 Deadline to Apply:
Submit this form by Tuesday, September 16 at 5:00 p.m. EDT Winners will be notified by email.
🎉 Congratulations to Jon Shear, CEM – Re-elected IAEM Region 9 President
Voting in the IAEM-USA Region 9 election for President ended on Tuesday, September 2, 2025. The balloting was double-counted and verified.
Election Report:
A total of 90 IAEM-USA Region 9 Individual, Affiliate, Emerging Professionals, and Lifetime members voted in the IAEM-USA Region 9 Officers Election. The voting period ended on September 2, 2025.
The Emergency Management Professionals of Hawai‘i (EMP-HI) extends our warmest congratulations to Jon Shear on his re-election as IAEM-USA Region 9 President.
We are proud to see continued representation from Hawai‘i and EMP-HI at the national level. Jon’s leadership and dedication to the emergency management profession have been invaluable, and we look forward to another year of collaboration and progress under his guidance.
Mahalo to all who participated in the voting process and supported strong regional leadership within IAEM.
As we conclude the first-ever National Emergency Management Awareness Month (NEMAM), we want to take a moment to reflect on what we’ve accomplished together. August was all about elevating the voices of emergency managers, showcasing the vital work being done in every community, and building new connections that strengthen our profession.
To all who participated – whether by hosting events, sharing stories, engaging with leaders, or amplifying our collective message – we thank you! Your dedication has not only made this inaugural effort a success, but it has also laid the foundation for what we expect will grow into an even stronger tradition.
View the activity of NEMAM:
Explore our StoryMap and this dashboard that showcases the participation that was captured.
This data includes all registered events, as well as those found through open-source searches (Google Alerts for “National Emergency Management Awareness Month”).
Note: Non-registered events were added in a good-faith effort, but may not be comprehensive. Let us know if we missed you!
The challenges we face as emergency managers are complex, but so is our capacity for innovation, collaboration, and resilience. NEMAM has shown what is possible when we come together with one purpose: to ensure our communities are ready, safe, and strong.
Your insights will guide us in shaping future National Emergency Management Awareness Months and help us amplify the story of our profession.
Thank you again for your energy, creativity, and commitment to this incredible profession. Together, we are building not just stronger communities, but a stronger sense of community.
Bob Kowalski
Missed our last webinar? 
Emergency Management Professionals of Hawaii 