Publications

Charismatic leadership has long been attributed to a select few individuals with exceptional personal qualities, often described as possessing a mysterious and extraordinary capability. The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge presents a case study of leadership during an emergency. Crises such as this not only affect organizational effectiveness but also shape leaders' behavior and influence the outcomes of their actions. The increasing frequency of natural disasters in the United States, with an average of 18-billion-dollar climate-related events annually in recent years, provides growing opportunities for leadership emergence. In the case of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, Maryland Governor Wes Moore demonstrated charismatic leadership, earning public recognition for his response efforts. According to Judge, self-confidence is one of the few traits consistently associated with leadership emergence, closely linking it to charisma and the ability to attract and inspire others. Applying Judge's theory and those of others, this study argues that charisma plays a critical role in shaping how leaders are portrayed and remembered by both the public and the media. Through a qualitative analysis of Governor Wes Moore's communications, this study explores the lasting impact of charismatic leadership during emergency management situations.

The main goal of emergency preparedness is the creation of processes and procedures focused on the preservation of human life. One of the leading contributors to loss of life during multi-casualty incidents (MCIs) is the lack of adequate planning, preparation, and simulation. According to a 2017 study, approximately 15 percent of human-caused mass casualty events, with over 10 fatalities, are mass shootings. These events can occur under various circumstances and take place in a wide range of venues, such as schools, offices, and outdoor events, presenting a wide range of unique challenges. To address these more effectively through procedures and policies, more research is need, including simulation and creation of digital twins, all of which have proven beneficial in gathering insights. This is especially true when conducting drills that are not practical or possible, as they do not allow for the multitude of responses to active shooter events. Current research models in use today treat the victims of these simulations either as "killed" or "unaffected." This binary approach is suitable for many simulations when the timeliness of interventions is of no concern, but it does not allow for higher-fidelity simulation, which may be beneficial when developing response and safety protocols for a specific event or specific facility. Simulating physiological decline is beneficial to improving realism and will lead to response protocol improvement. Increased fidelity can help assess the effects of active bystanders voluntarily and opportunistically providing medical first response. Furthermore, this allows us to assess the response of others who have different primary functions during those events, such as the School Resource Officer, or a tactical medic attached to Special Weapons And Tactics during the process of building clearing. Last but not least, this type of simulation can inform and improve how a lockdown is conducted. In mass shooting events, uncontrolled bleeding is often the proximate cause of death for victims. Several data sources were consulted to simulate exsanguination, which helped quantify and describe blood loss based on different types of injuries. This work summarizes our findings and provides a practical guide for the implementation of these findings. In additional papers, the authors cover the process of blood loss mitigation and provide a reference library for implementation in AnyLogic. This research focuses on the simulation of the initial injury and bleeding control mitigation, efforts which by historical context are limited to the first hour of treatment, the so-called golden hour of trauma management. The circulatory system is complex and has several compensatory mechanisms. The efficiency and timing of each are predictable but have some variability to every individual. This work mainly focuses on the primary effectors and simulates the overall process defined by statistical data from peer-reviewed studies. Ultimately, this work presents a quantitative model of blood loss as a function of time, injury placement, and individual victim variability such as age, weight, and gender, which are suitable for computer simulation. Data were validated using empirical datasets. While no model is perfect, the authors propose a common framework for future simulation work that different researchers can use on a known standard deterministic model. This allows for better control for the blood loss process variables while testing other hypotheses related to emergency response for similar events.

This study investigates the dual role of citizen interpreters in addressing emergency language gaps during crises, combining social capital theory and crisis ethics. Through comparative case studies of coronavirus disease 2019 responses in Montreal's multilingual communities and Hurricane Ida relief efforts within Louisiana's Haitian-Cajun networks, this research identifies three core tensions: the paradox of relational proximity, trade-offs between immediacy and accuracy in terminology translation, and challenges in scaling informal volunteer networks. The study introduces a hybrid quality control model integrating three components: (1) rapid crisis terminology training to bridge institutional-lay knowledge gaps, (2) peer review circles for contextual meaning-making, eg, negotiating "heat exhaustion" in Punjabi dialects, and (3) institutional mentorship to resolve ethical dilemmas, eg, disclosing shelter capacities without triggering trauma. By operationalizing Putnam's bridging/bonding capital and Bourdieu's cultural capital, the model reconciles grassroots agility with professional accountability, demonstrating that citizen interpreters' cultural embeddedness-when systematically supported-can transform emergency language services into participatory practices of language justice. Findings highlight the need for crisis communication frameworks that prioritize both interpretive accuracy and community trust, offering theoretical insights into the sociology of translation and practical guidelines for disaster preparedness.

In recent years, Texas has experienced intensified damage and increasing costs from natural disasters due to climate change. This highlights the need to evaluate ongoing information technology (IT) initiatives that can guide better preparedness and mitigation strategies. In this paper, we establish a baseline by showcasing the benefits of humanitarian free and open-source software in addressing critical challenges faced by IT-driven relief efforts during Hurricane Harvey. Additionally, flooding has emerged as Texas' most pressing disaster, prompting a complete examination of existing IT, data, and free and open-source software initiatives focused on both inland and coastal flooding. Finally, we will analyze the most promising current initiative and offer insights into future developments.

This paper addresses the pathways for future training and education for emergency managers in the United States (US) to engage with climate literacy, drawing from the study Enhancing Capacity in Adult Climate Literacy: Investigating Sustainability Mindsets in the US Emergency Management Profession. Findings will be presented based on a collective case study that was conducted to understand how climate change education can meet the learning needs of emergency management professionals who must prepare for, and adapt to, the impacts of climate change on communities throughout the US. In this paper, the definition of "climate change" centers on anthropogenic climate change and, more specifically, the impact of human activities on the atmosphere's chemical composition. The exploratory collective case study involved six (N = 6) certified emergency management professionals currently practicing in the US as the study's key informants (KIs). In addition to the information collected from the six KIs, a survey was distributed to a larger sample (N = 56) to collect broader information from additional emergency managers to amplify and contrast the data collected from the KI interviews.

Access to timely, reliable, and motivating information during crises and natural disasters is of utmost importance for those at risk. Yet, little is known about specific channel preferences in the times leading up to natural disasters. Building upon past research investigating news source reliability, the current study examined information preferences and their subsequent impact on risk perception and trust in public health agencies among 1,030 Florida residents who were directly impacted by 2022's Hurricane Ian. The results suggest that historically marginalized communities may have very specific informational needs, and that traditional media brands are strongly relied upon across almost all demographic strata. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for emergency managers and future research into building resilience for at-risk communities.

Masks occupy a unique and dual role in society, functioning as both critical tools for public health protection and enablers of anonymity, which can be exploited for deviant or criminal purposes. Historically, masks have evolved from their origins in plague prevention to modern applications in medical, public health, and societal contexts. While essential during health crises such as the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, their use also reveals unintended consequences, including fostering riskier behavior through the Peltzman Effect and enabling anonymity-driven disassociation described by Deindividuation Theory. This article explores the complexities of mask usage at the intersection of public health and safety. It examines how masks, while mitigating disease transmission, can embolden individuals to take greater risks or evade accountability in public disturbances and criminal activities. Through historical and contemporary case studies-including the 1918 influenza pandemic, the Ku Klux Klan's use of masks, and modern legislation like New York's 2024 Mask Transparency Act-the article underscores the need for nuanced policies that balance public health objectives with security concerns. Integrating behavioral theories with legal and emergency management strategies, it advocates for a multifaceted approach to mask policy that addresses both their protective role and potential for misuse, ultimately fostering a safer and more resilient society.

With an increase and intensification of tropical storm events in the future, it becomes paramount for individual communities and homeowners to understand their potential risks of impacts from these events. This study describes an empirical modeling methodology using the City of Norfolk in southeastern Virginia to indicate areas of higher risk based on built infrastructure, property exposure, and temporal records of previous losses. Under this new empirical modeling methodology, a risk score is defined as the properties that may be at higher risk from future flooding events based on elevation differences, the number of flood insurance payouts a property has received, and whether a property has an active flood insurance policy. Results make evident how the methodology can be used to characterize a community's risk and highlight higher-risk hot spots that can in turn be used for future resilience planning and hazard mitigation. Future work to further refine the model can reduce the overall uncertainty levels as data become more publicly accessible.

OBJECTIVE: To describe patients and visits with identified, probable opioid use disorder (OUD) in Los Angeles County's (LAC) safety-net system and examine rates of naloxone and buprenorphine prescribing across healthcare settings.

DESIGN: A descriptive analysis of electronic health record data.

SETTING: LAC's largest safety-net provider, the LAC Department of Health Services.

PATIENTS: This study included 3,881 patients with 5,580 visits involving probable OUD from July 2022 to June 2023.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Visit-level analysis was performed to identify treatment settings where patients accessed care. We compared rates of buprenorphine and naloxone prescription across treatment settings using Chi-square tests and 95 percent confidence intervals.

RESULTS: Visits with identified OUD most often occurred in outpatient settings (36 percent) compared to inpatient (31 percent), emergency (24 percent), or urgent care (8 percent) settings. Overall, 35.8 percent of visits included a naloxone prescription, and 30.4 percent included a buprenorphine prescription. Prescription rates varied significantly by treatment setting.

CONCLUSIONS: Most visits with probable OUD did not include naloxone or buprenorphine prescriptions, and prescription receipt varied by setting.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to analyze clinical features and factors related to lifetime suicidal behaviors (SBs) among outpatients with opioid use disorder (OUD).

DESIGN: A descriptive cross-sectional study.

SETTING: Outpatient center for addiction treatment.

PARTICIPANTS: Patients with OUD (n = 329) who were seeking a new treatment process between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2021.

INTERVENTIONS: Patients were evaluated with an ad hoc questionnaire and the European Addiction Severity Index.

RESULTS: Lifetime suicidal ideation (SI) and suicide attempt (SA) were reported by 54.4 and 35.0 percent of participants, respectively. Lifetime SI and SA were associated with several clinical factors including any type of lifetime abuse, the number of lifetime substance use disorders, alcohol use disorder, and the number of psychiatric comorbidities.

CONCLUSIONS: The findings underscore the importance of systematic evaluation and intervention for SB among OUD patients, warranting attention in suicide prevention strategies. Further specific longitudinal studies with larger sample sizes are needed to enhance understanding of this issue.