PHOENIX--“We (academics and policy makers) do not do a good enough job communicating the importance of mitigation planning” Dr. Nalini Chhetri explained, holding up a picture of two deadpan faces drawn in blue marker.

PHOENIX—The Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs (DEMA) hosted a tabletop exercise in mid-June to identify, disentangle and discuss the hardships a community impacted by an earthquake might face during a long and complicated recovery.

In April, the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA) named three recipients of the 2016 Congressional Awards. The award is given to lawmakers who “advance the priorities of emergency management and homeland security.”