Preparedness is not sexy, and when the planning and stockpiling work, the public doesn’t see it. When preparedness is lacking, as now, the failure is glaring. If we truly believed in preparedness, we wouldn’t have trillions of dollars worth of deferred maintenance on our decaying infrastructure and systems — but we do. read more >
David Maxwell, former director of the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, warns that a crippling cyberattack on power could bring a cascade of system failures across society — from communications to water systems to food and fuel distribution. read more >
The causes that would trigger a black sky event take the response and restoration to a new level. In a longer electrical outage, the cascading effects magnify. read more >
Arkansas politicians must not allow the politicization of the issue to prevent the state from confronting a changing climate. read more >
Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday named A.J. Gary, the former chief of police for the Conway Police Department, as the new director of the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management. read more >
Call it what you will, the chief of the Arkansas Department of Emergency Services says that the state is facing a new normal, one in which extreme weather events are occurring more often and with greater intensity. read more >
Climate change and its results are hardly the only challenge facing David Maxwell, chief of the state Department of Emergency Management, which has 90 employees and a budget of $148.4 million. read more >
After eight years with a Democrat at the helm of the executive branch, Republican Asa Hutchinson’s agency director appointments are also an opportunity to shape the next four years of business in the state. read more >
