Most cities in the North America consist of buildings and infrastructure that retain and add to the heat, creating Urban Heat Islands (UHIs). UHIs tend to have more pavement, fewer trees, and higher building densities, all of which absorb and retain heat more than natural surfaces. There are a number of strategies that can be used to mitigate the effects of UHIs. The benefits of mitigating UHIs are clear, and we need to take action now. By implementing these strategies, we can make our cities cooler, healthier, and more sustainable in the long term.

A comprehensive approach blending reactive disaster relief, proactive investments of the FEMA BRIC Program, and state-led initiatives is essential. Our collective action must aim towards a society that's resilient, adaptive, and prepared for this new climate reality. Confronting the challenges posed by extreme heat offers an opportunity to reshape our future, guiding us towards a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable world.

To navigate this crisis, we must bolster our resilience at all societal levels. As the US Marines say, we need to improvise, adapt, and overcome.

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, established by the UN General Assembly at the 2015 World Conference in Japan, seeks to significantly mitigate disaster risk and losses in various societal sectors. As we proceed down the road of an uncertain climate future, the importance of understanding and managing disaster risks has become increasingly apparent.

Leadership in emergency management is about making critical decisions under pressure, communicating effectively, collaborating with others, and being adaptable in the face of uncertainty. As the nature and frequency of emergencies continue to evolve, so too will the demands placed on our leaders.

There is a major risk that many companies, non-profits, and educational institutions may not have considered: loss of key leadership and staff absences in key operational positions. Adequately addressing prolonged and wide-spread absenteeism requires practical planning for succession in key leadership positions and for staff redundancies in critical operational positions.

Let's acknowledge that this is a scary and dark time, and we all need to support this giant effort to defeat COVID-19. We all need to lend a hand. 

We are at war with an invisible enemy called COVID-19, commonly referred to as the Coronavirus. This is not an enemy that marshals their forces and meets its opponents on a battlefield, eye to eye, with artillery and guns lined up with clear front lines. COVID -19 operates more like a combination of the blitzkrieg of World War II, crossing the borders with lightning speed, breaking through front lines, with a phalanx of armies, including tanks and airplane bombers, and encircling its targets; it also uses tactics of a guerilla army, opportunistically picking its targets, spreading fear and frustrating efforts to target it. It is savage and merciless.