Community-Based Preparedness

At least 94 people have died and 150 have been hospitalized after consuming tainted moonshine alcohol in India. In recent years, the country has been facing an alcohol regulation crisis as cheap, illegal alcohol is made easily accessible to local village populations. Country-made liquor can be…

Industry Week: Just having insurance isn’t enough to cover losses after a disaster. This article recommends seven key actions manufacturers should take to minimize destruction during a disaster event. The list includes transparency with one’s insurer, understanding business risk, planning in…

With the prevalence of active shooters in the workplace growing, it is essential to consider some of the contributory factors to such an incident as well as prepare for them. Early recognition of the incident is critical. Many recommend establishing an alert system when such…

17 people have died following a fire at the Arpit Palace Hotel in New Delhi this Tuesday morning. Many guests leaned out of the windows to breathe while others climbed out of their windows and jumped, sustaining severe injuries. Guests were unable to escape through the emergency exits, which were…

An 8 story apartment building has collapsed in Turkey leaving three dead and 13 rescued. The apartment complex houses 43 residents leaving 30 residents unaccounted for. Some were rescued after 18 hours of continuous searching through the debris left by the collapsed structure. Although the cause of…

-- NBC LA Typhus, also known as typhus fever, continues to spread in Los Angeles primarily among the city’s homeless population. Mayor Garcetti has allocated money to clean up Skid Row, known for being a “typhus zone” filled with trash and waste. This past year, a record 124 cases of typhus…

The United States opioid crisis is leading to a more diverse group of emergency medical responders. In some areas in the Midwest, opioid overdoses have become so common that community members including children, pastors, and librarians have began supplying themselves with naloxone, ready to…

Eduardo Contreras—San Diego Union Tribune/AP

January 30, 2019 5:00 PM PST CNN: A Merciless Cold Lingers in the Midwest As the polar vortex sweeps across the Midwest bringing in subzero temperatures, officials have declared states of emergency in various regions, urging people to stay inside. Hospitals are receiving an influx of…

Insurance Journal: Last year there were 394 natural disasters, totaling around $225 billion in damages. About $90 billion of that was covered by insurance. The insurance protection gap can be defined as the proportion of damages not covered by insurances, private or governmental programs. Read more…

A dam belonging to Vale, the largest mining company in Brazil, collapsed, causing a river of muddy sludge to ravage the town of Brumadinho. The state fire department says that 366 people have been rescued, while at least 252 people have gone missing. The death toll at this time is eight. For the…

A dam owned by the Brazilian mining company Vale holding back mining waste in Brumadinho, Brazil collapsed resulting in the burial of the nearby community in waste, the death of at least 40 people, and almost 300 still missing. Most of those affected by the collapse were workers of the company.…

A mass drug overdose was reported inside of a Chico home that left one dead and sent more than a dozen to the hospital for evaluation and treatment. Fire Chief Jesse Alexander described the incident as the largest MCI (multiple causality indent) he has seen. Over 6 individuals were undergoing CPR…

In many catastrophic events, the death toll had no reason to be that high. Author Michael Bond asserts that people usually have the physical ability to escape, but are impaired in the moment of disaster. Minimizing the death toll in a disaster requires great cooperation and a conscious effort by the…