County governments play an instrumental role in protecting communities before, during and after disasters. NACo is pleased to announce our partnership with the Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS) on a new member benefit that will support disaster services for NACo member counties. Our nation has seen an increasing number of disasters in the… Read more
INTRODUCTION Disasters – whether naturally occurring or man-made, foreseeable and unforeseeable – can have a profound impact on counties across the United States. In order to remain healthy, vibrant, safe and economically competitive, America’s counties must be able to anticipate and adapt to a myriad of changing physical, environmental, social and economic conditions. The National… Read more
Nearly every region in the U.S. faces an increased risk of seasonal drought. By the middle of the century, an estimated one-third of all counties in the lower-48 states will face higher risks of drought-related water shortages. As seasonal droughts become more frequent and severe, counties need to be prepared to address vulnerabilities including food… Read more
The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) was established by the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 and is charged with the deployment of a nationwide public safety broadband network (NPSBN) that is dedicated to first responder/public safety communications. Counties may also be able to leverage the network during times of non-disaster to… Read more
The response phase of a disaster lends itself to the most media attention, while the long-term recovery operations can extend for years. Elected officials can assist with publicity management and set the stage for an efficient recovery. Knowing how to handle difficult decisions when a disaster strikes can aid in effective implementation of the emergency… Read more
The world is increasingly complex. An incident in one county can rapidly become an national crisis, fueled by 24 hour news media coverage, and the proliferation of mass media. Governments are faced with an unrelenting expansion of communications media. Planning ahead and protecting citizens from risk is becoming ever more demanding. Pandemics, popular uprisings, and… Read more
As part of the Resilient Counties Initiative’s effort to create a disaster toolkit for counties, NACo hosted a social media day on December 13, 2018 to showcase how counties have responded to and recovered from disasters and have strengthened resilience within their communities. Throughout the day, counties shared examples of county accomplishments, disaster resilience tools and… Read more
Not every natural disaster comes with a two-month notice, so Yakima County, Washington, is counting its blessings. For several months, roughly 20 acres of a hillside — Rattlesnake Ridge — has been sliding away, threatening homes, highways and the Yakima River. In recent weeks, the slide’s acceleration has slowed, muddying predictions as to when it… Read more
Hurricanes, wildfires, economic collapse, and other disasters can be natural or man-made, acute or long-term, foreseeable or unpredictable. Preparation for and recovery from such events requires both long-term planning and immediate action. NACo works to strengthen county resiliency by building leadership capacity to identify and manage risk, and allow counties to become more flexible and… Read more
FEMA administrator Brock Long explains the role of FEMA in disaster recovery and stresses the importance of disaster preparedness at the National Association of Counties (NACo) 2018 Legislative Conference. In his talk, Long notes that in his 17 years in emergency management, there are three things he’s learned: “First, all disasters begin and end at… Read more
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