In the News: In Conversation with LA Times on The future of Emergency Alerts
Is alert and warning technology keeping pace with more frequent and severe disasters?
Our CEO Mark S. Ghilarducci spoke with the Los Angeles Times about the challenges and opportunities of leveraging communication to the public during mega disasters like the Southern California wildfires:
“The amount of investment in hazard mitigation over the last 10 years has been a game-changer for the state of California,” said Mark Ghilarducci, former California Office of Emergency Services Director and chief executive of Emergent Global Solutions, a crisis management consultancy.
“No state in the country has done the level of advancement in a lot of the technology that we see,” he added, noting the state’s recent implementation of earthquake early warning systems. “We are pushing out information more than we have before.”
But Ghilarducci said the Los Angeles fires showed there is constant need for improved coordination and training.
“What I learned most from this event is that Mother Nature continues to outpace us,” Ghilarducci said. “Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, Mother Nature kicks you in the face and says ‘No, you don’t.’”