A weekly round-up of news, articles and surveys to make your next emergency better. Have a suggestion for the round-up? Contact me at abetteremergency@gmail.com.

I am not the king of apps; however apps for disaster planning and flu forecasting did catch my attention. Maybe you’ll find the list valuable.  I don’t think people would argue of the need for more global collaboration on planning and response for major events.  Achieving cooperation and organizational structure is not as easy. However, it was good to see the discussion happen.

FEMA, created in 1979, is well accepted as the “expert” source of disaster preparedness, response, and recovery information.  However, I think this study which highlights indigenous response to natural disasters should stimulate much more research. After all, indigenous people have more experience than FEMA in dealing with the disasters that directly impact their populations.

They say you can’t please all the people all the time. Reading about the public hearings in New Jersey on the new plan to spend federal disaster aid post-Hurricane Sandy, it’s obvious not everyone in pleased.

I expect as more buildings are identified to require retrofits, there will be unhappy building owners. Unless, of course, these owners are successful in passing on the costs to the occupants.  Do you think occupants have any right to expect the building to not to kill them in event of an earthquake?

Disaster drills are often couched in terms like “in case the unthinkable happens.”  Why not just call it what it is? The Israelis do this when conducting a disaster drill.

For future patients’ sake, I hope hospitals, fire, and EMS agencies get their act together.

[GARD]