Don’t gatekeep these tips

Don’t gatekeep our best safety tips – share them with your whole family! All month long, we hope you share these preparedness tips with everyone! #NatlPrep #Ready Americans Stand Ready!

We hope you are widely sharing all these preparedness/safety tips. In fact, not only sharing, but also ASKING your communities to share within their communities too.

Our collective information is bee-hiving it a collaborating with way that is beneficial for all. Abd sharing information is good for any audience that we regularly engage with and perhaps reach a few that we don’t engage regularly with.

Additionally, weird that people think that a big city will thwart a tornado.

Truth be told, Mother Nature doesn’t care about size as she will send a tornado anywhere.

So keep this in mind as you educate others on the possible hazards.

Although they hear it from me all the time, my family gets regular weather updates from me all the time that I share from the NWS-Chicago and NWS-Honolulu teams. This way, they know they are getting the info from the foremost authority, not some self-proclaimed “expert/guru”.

So be consistent in sharing sourced information and regularly address concerns when there is severe weather inbound to your area.

Keep them informed and be one of the trusted sources of information for your family and friends.

@rusnivek

Being informed on the sich #NatlPrep

Day-2 of National preparedness month!

Being informed of the dangers and knowing what to do in an emergency is critical to the safety for you and your family. #NatlPrep #Ready Americans Stand Ready!

The hardest part of any emergency or disaster…is actually knowing what to do.

The theme of knowing the dangers and being informed is always an easy sell because the nature of our business is always changing. Compounding the problem even more is that every disaster/emergency is NOT the same.

One more time for the people in the back – no two disasters are alike.

This makes it challenging for Emergency Managers to urgently inform and educate their communities because the variability of preparedness will always be changing.

So take a few minutes more to appropriately educate your audiences on how to find the right info. I would suggest you start with severe weather in your locality…this way, you have a wide dearth of topics to cover.

Then, as they get more comfortable with the weather preparedness, then move them on to bigger sandwiches (like cyber threats, HAZMAT, or even active shooters etc…)

I see bright things for your preparedness efforts this year.

Go forth and do good stuff.

@rusnivek

Welcome to 2026 National Preparedness Month!

Kicking off an entire month of preparedness as we join partners from across the U.S. as we enhance your preparedness level for any emergency or disaster. #NatlPrep #Ready

September is always National Preparedness Month and it’s a great time to better your preparedness efforts.

This year’s theme is Americans Stand Ready so follow along all month long on social media.

BTW-Did you know that September is also:

  • National Recovery Month
  • Hispanic Heritage Month
  • Suicide Prevention Month
  • National Coupon Month
  • National Library Card Sign-up Month
  • National Potato Month
  • National Classical Music Month
  • National Chicken Month
  • National Service Dog Month
  • National Honey Month
  • National Rice Month
  • National Pain Awareness Month
  • National Mushroom Month
  • National Americana Month
  • National Sewing Month
  • National Mortgage Professional Month
  • National Piano Month

The more you know, the better you’ll be prepared right?!?

Esp in case of a hot potato or real chicken emergency. Boom!

And thank goodness it’s not Monday #NPM

IYKYK

Glad you are along for the ride. Let’s goooooooooooooooooooooo!

@rusnivek

A few colleagues from my Executive Academy cohort

Just thinking about a few colleagues from my FEMA Executive Emergency Management Academy cohort.

There’s so much more behind this picture than what you see.

Fun fact: 50% of the individuals in this picture have advanced in position and moved up in their respective organizations/fields.

Each of these pros pictured are hard charging Type-A personalities. Relentless in their efforts to do good stuff AND move mountains for good people.

We all need to continue to do more and reach out more frequently to our colleagues.

In service to others.

Taking my own advice, I’m going to call a few buddies now.

@rusnivek

24 years later, September 11th

A lot has changed in 24 years…
That morning, I remember being notified early on that ZOB reported UA Flight 93 with garbled radio traffic in distress.

Take the time to reflect and talk to the younger generations on the importance of dedication, service, sacrifice, and safety for all.

Be an advocate for change and an inspiration for generations to come.

Reporting live from my office…

@rusnivek

Burning the midnight oil..

Some days, you just gotta burn the midnight oil at the office.

I’m not saying you work your fingers to the bone or sacrifice your health/well-being. But sometimes you gotta put a little more effort than other leaders.

If people think leadership is easy, then you are doing it right.

So as I sit in the office blaring Metallica, I also reflect for a bit as I had to advocate hard for my team this week. Seems like something so trivial, but standing firm for the team goes a long way.

What. A. Day.

Reporting live from the greenest office on campus…

@rusnivek

Sat phone partay!

Our 4th satellite phone came in today. Like gremlins, they are multiplying!

This Continuity of OPerations (COOP) effort is a phased plan that is imperative to everyone here.

It’s just another part of our COOP plan as Emergency Management leads the way for planning and coordination.

Think of it this way, it’s part of business continuity.

At any time, we have staff/SMEs around the world doing critical work. And we need instant communications with them and our global Exfil team that can deploy out immediately in an emergency.

In the near future, look to Argonne EM to lead the COOP effort for the area by providing high level training with our partners at FEMA.

Funny part, we are calling that part “Operation Kevins”

Reporting live from Sat phone stable…

@rusnivek

Hanging with the aF1 today

2025 Big City Emergency Managers in Chicago this week!

Along with all these pros from all over, I got a chance to meet the FEMA acting Administrator Tony Robinson

Nice guy!

Tony normally plays the role of the FEMA Region 6 Regional Administrator that covers Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and 68 federally recognized tribal nations.

Welcome to Chicago!

Reporting live from the Chicago OEMC’s EOC….

@rusnivek

Brock in the house! #BCEM #Chicago

Ahhhh yeah! Hanging with Brock!

Big City Emergency Managers in Chicago this week. Happy to see former FEMA Administrator Brock Long here to talk about the future of Emergency Management esp focusing in on the aftermath of disasters.

Brock served as the FEMA Administrator from June 2017-March 2019.

Sounds about right as it aligns with Hagerty.

Lots of convos on Stafford Act and how effective is recovery esp in this new world of disasters.

Outstanding day with Brock as with all

@rusnivek

2025 Big City Emergency Manager program with our IEMA-OHS Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau

Starting out the morning with all the Big City Emergency Managers at Chicago OEMC’s Emergency Operations Center.

First up, IEMA-OHS Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau.

Sharing the challenges of Emergency Management and focusing in on statewide issues. Overcoming challenges and strengthening Federal relationships is key especially in the first few hours of a disaster.

Initial response will dictate the disaster tempo. If your tempo is off and your battle rhythm is askew, you will likely become another disaster. So please make sure your efforts are coordinated.

Diving deep into overcoming resources challenges early on so that we can serve our diverse communities.

Special thanks to all the rising stars in the 2025 Big City Emergency Managers Program.

@rusnivek