Key Insights

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  The 1935 US Forest Service 10 am policy aimed to extinguish fires by 10 am the next day but unintentionally caused greater wildfire severity by preventing natural burns.

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  Long-term policies can have profound, cascading environmental and social impacts decades later, underscoring the need for forward-thinking decision making.

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  Disasters are exacerbated not just by natural forces but by human decisions around urban design, resource allocation, and infrastructure investment.

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  Marginalized and lower-resource communities are disproportionately affected by disasters due to historical redlining and lack of mitigation funding.

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  Mitigation investments save money and lives but are often underfunded because their benefits are invisible until disaster strikes.

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  Emergency management has become inherently political, no longer a neutral field, requiring active engagement with social justice and equity issues.

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  Designers have an emerging and critical role in emergency management, helping shape resilient infrastructure and policies with long-term social and ecological perspectives.

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  Current policies like the Stafford Act limit disaster recovery by mandating infrastructure repair only to previous states, discouraging needed systemic improvements.

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  Inclusive decision-making tables that represent diverse stakeholders improve disaster preparedness and response effectiveness.

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  The 21st century demands a shift towards humanitarian, equity-centered approaches in emergency management that address social divides and build resilient communities.

Notable Quotes