By: Didi Culp
This time of year, it’s evident that humans aren’t the only ones employing emergency 
management practices. Migratory birds mitigate the impact of seasonal extremes by moving about the planet. On Sunday, this cardinal hen was startled by a murmuration of starlings and took a wrong turn into a window. A few minutes in a protected area, and she was on her way back to her flock. Monday morning, a young Robin had a similar accident here on the FCC campus. Luckily, students in environmental studies gave him a safe place to rest and expect him to make a full recovery.
Emergency managers use a familiar vocabulary to parse emergency management tasks into building blocks that reduce the consequences of disruption while increasing our capacity to handle crisis of all kinds. We prevent what we can. Protect what is valuable. Respond quickly and Recover by relying on our plan, systems and training. By identifying hazards, we can reduce risk whenever possible.
So in keeping with the phases of emergency management, follow the birds. Anticipate threats, move when you are able, have a plan to navigate the obstacles you know you will encounter, and get help form experts to plan for and handle the surprises.
