El Paso, like many border jurisdictions, works to maintain good working relationships with their cross-border international neighbors. What makes it much more challenging is the mass migration of immigrants that has occurred in recent years, beginning in 2019. Jorge Rodriguez, the podcast guest is the Emergency Management Director for the El Paso City-County Office of Emergency Management. He has held that position for over seven years. He leads the Office of Emergency Management’s mission to cultivate a resilient community through collaborative partnerships to prevent, prepare, mitigate, respond and recover from large-scale emergencies and disasters. The podcast discusses their challenge of emergency management’s role in dealing with the influx of migrants. Jorge also highlights his belief that emergency management is moving to a stage of our profession where we need to be transitioning from an “all-hazards” approach to one that is “all-crisis.” This is because we are being called upon to provide leadership in areas that have not been emergency management’s domain. This episode is sponsored by Bent Ear Solutions which offers comprehensive capabilities and deep industry knowledge necessary to help you solve the most complex issues of your organization. We advise public and private organizations on an all-inclusive approach to disaster preparedness that addresses governance, planning, operational procedures, technology implementation, training, and exercises in order to achieve a successful and sustainable program.

Eric Holdeman is a professional emergency manager who is passionate about providing information that can help families, businesses & governments become better prepared for disasters of all types. Hear first hand expert insights from Eric on his Podcast, Blog & EricHoldeman.com.

Emergency Management on the Southwest Border