Show Notes
As a small holiday gift to our DisasterSmiths listeners, we are serving up a special episode that tackles the most important emergency management question of the season: who would run the Incident Command Structure (ICS) at the North Pole? With a festive spin on real emergency management concepts, we blend holiday chaos, questionable staffing choices, and plenty of seasonal cheer as we build Santa’s ICS using some of our most beloved — and notorious — holiday characters. From Mr. or Mrs. Clause 🤶 as Incident Commander, to The Grinch handling Logistics, Scrooge overseeing Finance, and maybe even Rudolph or Sam the Snowman ☃️ serving as PIO, we assemble the ultimate North Pole Incident Command Structure. Because when the weather turns icy, the toy supply chain is under pressure, and the sleigh must launch on time, someone has to keep Christmas operational. So consider this our holiday thank you! And a little end-of-year fun… who would you trust to keep Christmas on track within the ICS? 🎄
More from IEM Unscripted: DisasterSmiths™
What makes an Emergency Operations Center succeed when the pressure is highest? In this episode of DisasterSmiths®, hosts Chris Smith and Diana Rothe-Smith sit down with emergency management veterans Mel Bartis and Bruce Lockwood to pull back the curtain on EOC operations. They explore who needs aseat at the table, how leaders and elected officials should engage during an incident, how emergency managers build situational awareness amid uncertainty, and what separates high-performing EOCs from those that struggle.
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Silence is never neutral. When official information lags during an emergency, something rushes in to fill the void, and it is rarely anything an agency would have chosen. In this DisasterSmiths episode, our guests, Nancy Leuenhagen, Communications Director for Washoe County, Nevada, and Stephanie Tennyson, Chief Communications Director at IEM, make the case that the most consequential communications work happens on blue sky days. Blue sky time is construction time, when relationships get built, andagencies earn the right to be believed. Together with our hosts, they explore how agencies build credibility before an emergency ever occurs, why consistent communication matters when there is no immediate threat, and how to makepreparedness resonate with people who assume disaster will never reach them.They also examine common pitfalls in preparedness messaging, the challenge of competing voices, and practical ways to adapt when misinformation spreads faster than facts. Whether you lead a communications shop or wear every hat in a one-person office, you will come away with ideas for building credibility, countering misinformation, and reaching the people who need your message most.
In this episode of DisasterSmiths, we explore one of the most significant changes to disaster recovery policy in decades. The newly enacted 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act establishes a more predictable framework for Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding, with the goal of accelerating recovery, reducing administrative burdens, and helping communities rebuild faster after major disasters. Joining our hosts is Marion McFadden, IEM Vice President of Disaster Recovery and former HUD Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning andDevelopment, to discuss what this landmark legislation means for state, local, tribal, and territorial governments. Together, we unpack the authorization of CDBG-DR, new expectations for planning and accountability, and the steps communities can take today to be better prepared for tomorrow’s disasters. Whether you’re responsible for housing, recovery, resilience, or grants management, this conversation offers critical insights into how the new lawcould reshape long-term disaster recovery nationwide.
When disaster strikes, recovery is not just about roads, bridges, and programs. It is about people. In this episode of DisasterSmiths, Chris and Diana explore the evolving role of disaster case management and why local relationships, community-based organizations, social services, nonprofits,faith-based partners, and long-term recovery groups are essential to helping survivors move from crisis to stability. With humor, candor, and decades of recovery experience, they unpack how communities can prepare before the next disaster, build coalitions that are ready to act, and meet survivors where they are before unmet needs become long-term setbacks. From the power of local trust to the need for more recovery exercises, this conversation makes the case for disaster case management as one of recovery’s most human and impactful tools.