Check out this story from USA TODAY: States concerned Trump will dismantle FEMA As Trump administration considers closing FEMA, states prepare for future www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...

For those who were wondering, "radio silence" shouldn't be a viable leadership tactic.

Took a stroll on the beach this evening, and this little fella paused his scurrying to say, "Hello."

Color me intrigued. I think of the need for transparency and outreach to accompany this. www.route-fifty.com/public-safet...

The small college in my hometown opens its planetarium to the public for a show the first Saturday of each month. My wife & I took my 7yo daughter once this summer, and they handed out a sky map. That one map spurred a month's worth of wonder and family time.

The CAA in my hometown is *everywhere*, doing lots of necessary things, helping people that need it, supporting other agencies that are helping even more people that need it. The plight of the rural in the U.S. is disheartening. dailyyonder.com/trump-wants-...

Two beautiful goals to open the scoring for Eintracht vs. Bremen! Let this be a sign of things to come. #SGE | Eintracht Frankfurt | Bundesliga | #SGESVW

"What makes a disaster a tragedy?" Watching various shows surrounding the 20th anniversary of Katrina's landfall in Louisiana and Mississippi & talking with my daughter (8yo) about it. What a pointed question. In hindsight, for Katrina, Dandy, Maria, or Harvey. Or, for any impending situation.

Years ago, I had the opportunity to serve as the technical writer on a project about #HazardMitigation and #LowImpactDevelopment. I was fascinated by the little things people can do. Is it THE solution? Of course not. But I still like pushing ideas for things like this. #Heat | #Heatwave

I've used various climate data sources in risk reduction and #HazardMitigation plans for years now. When this data disappears from the obvious sites, it puts the responsibility on us to find it via the lengthier means and accurately cite the path that remains available.

#EduSky #teachers

It's alarming to me how quickly the "aren't supposed to want to go to college" is becoming an identity. I see it in the "make more $ sooner in the trades rather than waste it on college" messaging. In WV, I see it in the resistance to any development that isn't at least obliquely related to coal.

There's a line in the article that speaks to not doing something new, but rather to ramping up what the org. already does. 1/1 #EmergencyManagement | #CommunityResilience | #Community | #CrisisManagement | #Disasters | #GreySky dailyyonder.com/come-hell-or...

Happy West Virginia Day! I know what you've heard about it. But, there are good people here, doing good things, and fighting for good things. One of these days, you'll hear about them, too. No matter where in the country I am, I am always a West Virginian.

President Donald Trump released his proposed fiscal year 2026 government funding budget, which includes steep cuts that would have serious consequences for Appalachians and people in coal communities across the country if enacted. https://appvoices.org/2025/06/17/trump-budget-hurts-appalachia/

Cool...cool...cool...it's okay universe. I'm not going to think anything negative by starting the day spilling coffee down the front of my shirt.

In an era when people are consumed by "cost savings," #HazardMitigation is the only real option with a chance of reliably reducing long-term #disaster -related costs. Another in a long list of articles revealing just how mind-numbing the decision to cancel BRIC was. www.cbsnews.com/femagrantcuts/

A little light reading...over your morning coffee, of course. www.nytimes.com/2020/02/13/s...

Wordplay tidbits and potential trivia notes...can't resist 'em.

An interesting story, but please (please, please) read it as a #HazardMitigation strategy for extreme heat (rather than an *overall* climate change solution). I continue to contend (like many others) that extreme #heat is far too-rarely considered as a serious #risk. www.npr.org/2025/06/09/n...

On this day in 1986, the Rogers Commission released its report on the Challenger Disaster. A trivia tidbit for us disaster nerds. I was too young to follow all of the hearings afterward, but the Challenger was the first (non-flooding) crisis I remember. The report: www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/...

I found myself digging this thread a little too much. Stats disguised as music trivia.

I would go so far as to say, "Trust is the currency" for any community-building (or sustaining) effort. www.route-fifty.com/digital-gove...

Collaboration is nothing new for rural communities. Who is there to lean on? They lean on one another. The word "community" is what makes the whole community concept work - not just all agencies on the invitation roster. #Rural | #EmergencyManagement | #Leadership wvpublic.org/williamson-s...

#Leaders of all ilk, another instance to resist looking for the all-tech solution. At some point, you'll need a plan to maximize the tech & educate your front line, and the wherewithal to stick with it & make it all happen. #CrisisManagement | #Cybersecurity www.route-fifty.com/cybersecurit...

This article both speaks to and hints at the richness of the rural population. How might local entities lead when balancing the depth of their own cultures with an infusion of the cultures of others? #Rural | #Leadership dailyyonder.com/internationa...

My review of "The Parable of the Sower," by Octavia E. Butler. hardcover.app/books/parabl...

The Kentucky tornadoes spur mounting anxiety over weather service warning systems. Trump weakened understaffed National Weather Service offices. Some people in the storms' path wonder if budget cuts contributed to the death and destruction. grist.org/extreme-weat... #Weather #Climate #Kentucky

Where Have All My Deep Male Friendships Gone? You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/25/m...

Watching my CLB Crew in Charlotte this evening. And I will say it until I'm blue in the face. No matter how much the quality of play in MLS improves - and it is improving - the vibe from a two-thirds empty NFL stadium will always make the league seem amateurish. 1/2

Younger me kept books in pristine condition. I still have them (& the separate pages of notes I took). Older me loves to mark up books. I annotate PDF articles & digital books. I love the framing of "conversation w/ author." Marginalia - long may it live. www.chronicle.com/newsletter/t...

Having stepped into the role of FT faculty and program director for a doctoral program, I find myself providing feedback as more than "just" a committee SME for the first time. This article seems like a good check on something worth keeping in mind. Posting for easy future access.

When living in an information-rich world with multiple (read: too many) ways of sharing said info, it is infuriating when someone withholds it for no apparent reason. Accidents and oversights happen, but when a pattern appears to emerge...😒 Sharing information is the secret to sharing #leadership.

I'm over a month behind in sharing this article, but it's always worth boosting good work. #EmergencyManagement | #Disasters | #DisasterRecovery appvoices.org/2025/04/09/a...

As many have said, it's important to keep an eye on where we find replacements for this service. Of course, I gravitated toward the story per my emergency management background. As I read it, I think of all of the AmeriCorps projects that I know have unfolded in my home community.

On May 18, 1980, Richard Lasher got up early to get some photos at Spirit Lake. Instead, he was forced to stop because of the massive, explosive Mount St. Helens eruption and captured this iconic photo with his own red Ford Pinto on the road. 🧪⚒️ #OTD www.hemmings.com/stories/mt-s...

Finishing strong. H signed up not knowing what to expect, & she might tell you she bit off more than should chew. Don't believe it. She did AWESOME in her first race. I don't know if she'll ever run another race with me, but we did this one & it was great. #Running | #girldad

I have long advocated a toolbox approach to emergency public information during disasters. Face-to-face messaging needs to be in the toolbox. Again, today, I'm in an exercise where there is a tendency to lean too heavily on our many toys supporting messaging.

My review of "On Language" by Noam Chomsky. hardcover.app/books/on-lan...

To run the risk of wading into an argument I've no interest in having...it often strikes me that electoral college reform (which may or may not be necessary) is an easy way out as compared to simply trying to reconnect with rural communities. 1/2

Cutting pre disaster programming will make disasters worse. Just a reminder that there are no "natural" disasters. The real disaster is caused by human actions or lack of action, even policy.

I had an '87 model LeBaron...it was a bit sportier of a body style and had a four banger with a turbo in it. To this day, it remains my favorite of the vehicles I've owned.

Some of my favorite planning/prep/mgmt lessons learned stories come from my colleagues who have worked the lead-up to large planned events. www.route-fifty.com/people/2025/...

As a Pens fan, I've always been in the camp that Sid (Crosby) has been the best all-around hockey player of this generation. But I always felt that Ovi is a better pure-scorer. I've enjoyed the rivalry between Sid-Ovi, PIT-WAS. Happy for Ovi to get this record. www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/...

My review of Heifetz's "Leadership Without Easy Answers." hardcover.app/books/leader...

From Heifetz, Leadership Without Easy Answers (1994), p. 205.