WDC sponsored Resilient Communities: Navigating the Emergency Preparedness Landscape, a community event held at Gaithersburg Public Library on September 11. The event was well attended, due in no small part to the impressive panel of speakers. 

Caitlin Durkovich, former Deputy Assistant to President Biden and Deputy Homeland Security Advisor for Resilience and Response, moderated. Ms. Durkovich was the guest speaker at our Happy Hour with a Purpose back in May. At that event, she outlined the role of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in supporting disaster response. She ended her talk by saying that the need for awareness of and support for state and local emergency preparedness is all the more necessary given recent policy shifts at the federal level. 

Taking Ms. Durkovich’s suggestion to heart, WDC invited three speakers who could best identify state and local resources: Travis Nelson, Governor Moore’s Director of Homeland Security, Nicole Markuski, Deputy Director of the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security Montgomery County, and Lauren Collins, Director of the Maryland National Capital Region Emergency Response System. 

Ms. Durkovich opened by noting the significance of the date we had chosen for the event, recalling the devastating impact of the 9/11 attacks and what it meant for our sense of security. Many steps have been taken to prevent such a breach again, and they have worked. She is less sure of what is currently in place given the upheaval we have seen in the short months of the Trump Administration.

Travis Nelson sees the role of his office as coordinating the state and local emergency preparedness efforts and making sure that resources are optimized. Post 9/11 there were a lot of resources available to the states and localities, but it was clear that this would not last, and indeed some adjustments had been made. Nothing, however, had prepared states for the precipitous drop in resources that have come in the wake of the current federal cuts. Mr. Nelson considers the emergency preparedness network in Maryland to be staying on top of security and preparedness in the state, working within the networks available. It was impressive that he provided such a thorough overview of state level preparedness management even as he was navigating real time the bomb threats to the homes of Maryland Senator Bill Ferguson and Adrienne Jones. 

Ms. Markuski picked up on the impact of federal cuts, saying that local emergency response is heavily funded by federal grants and many states, Maryland included, are not ready for the cuts. She is particularly worried about unconventional threats, like school shootings and the impact of disinformation in the course of an emergency. She emphasized that community members have a responsibility for their own safety and that of others, and part of that responsibility is to identify reliable information in the course of a crisis. For reliable information in Montgomery County, she urged participants to sign up for Alert Montgomery.

Lauren Collins’ organization’s focus is on terrorism-related activities. The Maryland National Capital Region Emergency Response System is grant-based, and they provide coordination, training and evaluative services across the many local emergency services, from police to medical to fire. Ms. Collins anticipates that their funding cut will be approximately 44%, making it virtually impossible to provide their previous level of support.

Ms. Markuski emphasized that personal responsibility is all the more necessary. In addition to Alert Montgomery, she said that community members should have their own plans for evacuation when needed, should identify family contacts, and include friends and neighbors in emergency planning. Ms. Markuski also suggested that people consider certification through Community Emergency Response Team, a free program that provides training in emergency preparedness. Her office also provides brochures on emergency preparedness planning. Thanks to Will Shepherd, Jr. and others on her staff that graciously assisted in delivering information to attendees.

Resilient Communities is a theme WDC plans to weave through its programming this year. As we brace for each attack on the structure and values that we had come to rely upon in our country, we need to identify how to adapt, be strong and resist. WDC invites your ideas and your support.