Episodes
Tuesday Dec 13, 2016
Keeping the Deck "STAC-ed" Against Threats in California
Tuesday Dec 13, 2016
Tuesday Dec 13, 2016
This episode brings us to the topic of homeland security in California. The State Threat Assessment System (STAS) describes its mission as Protecting society through shared information and communication. It fosters a collaborative effort to enhance the reporting, tracking, analysis, and assessment of criminal threat information and suspicious activity, produces and shares timely and actionable homeland security information, and enhances the safety of the citizens of California, while rigorously protecting their privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties.
We sit down with Maria Gomez, who is a strategic analyst team manager with the STAC, the State Threat Assessment Center, which is part of the STAS.
STAC
http://www.caloes.ca.gov/cal-oes-divisions/state-threat-assessment-center
STAS
https://calstas.org/default.aspx/MenuItemID/168/MenuGroup/CALSTAS+Home.htm
Fusion Centers
https://www.dhs.gov/fusion-center-success-stories
Tuesday Dec 06, 2016
FEMA's Kelly Hudson: Facilitating Unity Between the States and the Feds
Tuesday Dec 06, 2016
Tuesday Dec 06, 2016
Kelly Hudson is an external affairs officers with FEMA, and is based in Region IX, Oakland, California. She’s worked for FEMA for 12 years, with ten of those in Region IX.
In this episode (#21) she reflects on the many major disasters she’s worked and talks about the challenges of each and lessons learned. She was still a newbie when Hurricane Katrina hit and was dispatched to help with communications as on-scene public information officer. She and her team were escorted by armed guards due to the dangerous nature of angry and desperate locals. She also candidly discusses how, in her eagerness, she got ahead of the messaging curve and told the media too much too soon; that’s a lesson she urges anyone who deals with the media to remember. Kelly also shares her own ways of surviving the chaos of hectic disaster responses, and how it’s important to take care of “Number-1.”
Kelly’s list of major disaster responses are impressive:
External Affairs Officer, Wildfires, Northern California (2015)
External Affairs Officer, Pu'u 'O'O Lava Flow, Hawaii (2014)
External Affairs Officer, Tropical Storm Iselle, Hawaii (2014)
External Affairs Officer, Tropical Storm Halong, Guam (2014)
External Affairs Officer, Severe Storms, American Samoa (2014)
External Affairs Officer, Hurricane Irene (2011)
Deputy External Affairs Officer, Joplin, Mo. tornado (2011)
External Affairs Liaison, Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (2010)
External Affairs Lead, Tsunami and flooding, American Samoa (2009)
Assistant External Affairs Officer, North Dakota floods (2009)
Deputy External Affairs Officer, Hurricane Ike (2008)
External Affairs Officer, Southern California wildfires (2008)
Executive Officer, Southern California wildfires (2007)
News Desk Lead/Public Information Officer, Hurricane Katrina (2005)
Researcher and Writer/Public Information Officer, New Jersey floods (2005)
Researcher and Writer, Hurricane Ivan (2004)