mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 13/02/2026Some reflections from Japan on how #disaster preparedness is “managed with people, not for them”mtthwhgn.comResilience, Reconsidered in JapanIt’s a Wednesday in January and the Sendai 3.11 Memorial Community Centre is quiet. Not in the way that museums or doctors surgeries are, but in a way that feels intentional rather than awkwa… 011
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 02/08/2025BLOG: 20 years in #EmergencyManagement, looking backwards and to the future mtthwhgn.com/20-years-in-...mtthwhgn.com20 years in Emergency ManagementI started my career in emergency planning twenty years ago this week. I don’t keep a diary, but I remember the exact day because it coincided with what remains the costliest tornado in UK history. … 000
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 01/07/2025Now available to order… “𝗤𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀” featuring a chapter I was honoured (and a bit daunted) to contribute 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️link.springer.comQueering Disasters, Climate Change and Humanitarian CrisesThis edited book investigates how disaster-related experiences and needs of LGBTIQA+ people differ across national, cultural, and regional boundaries. 041
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 23/06/2025Finally, COBR is just the tip of the emergency management iceberg. Resilience work also happens before the crisis, outside the room, and often without headlines. END! 000
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 23/06/2025So next time you see that “COBRA has been convened,” just know it means: Things are serious. Some people are in a room. A stressed person is updating a PowerPoint titled “Latest CRIP – FINAL v27 REAL FINAL”. 100
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 23/06/2025COBR isn’t limited to domestic incidents either. It most recently met YESTERDAY to consider “fast moving” matters in Iran. 100
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 23/06/2025It’s not a ‘given’ that COBR will meet. I’m not aware of published triggers or thresholds, it’s essentially just…vibes. 100
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 23/06/2025Contrary to fictional portrayals, COBR doesn’t ‘run’ the emergency response. It provides strategic coordination and direction setting. Local responders do the doing (and slightly confusingly, also have their own strategic coordination arrangements) 100
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 23/06/2025COBR has featured in TV shows and films, notably in Sky’s show COBRA, which I blogged about here: mtthwhgn.com/cobra-a-mult...mtthwhgn.comCOBRA: a multi-part blog-alongMy career in emergency management started 15 years ago this year. The London bombings had happened the previous year and one of (many) themes in the profession at the time was about ‘citizen … 100
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 23/06/2025Drawing on info from the National Situation Centre (National SitCen) a Commonly Recognised Information Picture (CRIP) is produced. That’s a lot of jargon for essentially a document summarising known info about an incident. 100
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 23/06/2025Attendance at COBR meetings is situation dependant, but a mix of relevant government departments and agencies. The COBR Secretariat in the Cabinet Office provide meeting support. 100
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 23/06/2025In 2014, the Information Commissioner called it COBR(A), which is a whole new level of confusion!ico.org.uk 100
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 23/06/2025COBR(M) where the M stands for Ministerial. In this version, the chair would be a senior Minister, sometimes the Prime Minister if the crisis is really serious (and they’re not on holiday! 🫢). Sometimes the M is implied. 100
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 23/06/2025It is styled in a couple of varieties… COBR(O) where the O stands for Officials, and brings together senior civil servants from across government departments. 100
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 23/06/2025It also signals to emergency managers to get ready for some fast-paced information requests! 100
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 23/06/2025COBR is usually convened when a crisis is serious enough to need cross-government coordination. It’s best suited for early phases of an emergency and signals to media and wider public hear that things are escalating. 100
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 23/06/2025Some people might tell you the A in COBRA refers to Room A. This is disputed, and ‘Committee Room A’ is apparently in a different wing of the Cabinet Office complex ‘70 Whitehall’. 100
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 23/06/2025COBR is not NASA Mission Control. This image released in 2010 gives a flavour, but it has changed a bit since then. 100
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 23/06/2025It’s the top level of the Government’s crisis response structure, often described as ‘Whitehall in miniature’, originally developed following the 1972 dockers strike. 100
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 23/06/2025First up: pronounced the same but it’s officially COBR, not COBRA. Cabinet Office Briefing Room not 🐍 Does it matter? No. ❌ Does it make UK Emergency Managers twitch when the media spell it wrong? Absolutely! 💯 100
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 23/06/2025Feels like we’re gonna hear a lot about ‘COBRA’ again…so how about a little explainer 🧵 121
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 10/06/2025I’ve been waiting patiently for this!! I need to get listening/live posting! 020
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 10/06/2025Which links back to this blog post from Nov 2024, on how kintsugi might be a good way to think about disaster recovery mtthwhgn.com/applying-the...mtthwhgn.comApplying the art of kintsugi to disaster recoveryIn August, I posted on X (let’s leave that conversation for another time) a provocative comment, questioning whether recovery exists: — mtthwhgn (@mtthwhgn) August 21, 2024 My feelin… 000
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 10/06/2025Spent the afternoon with my team creating kintsugi masterpieces, and talking about resilience, patience and perfection 130
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 29/05/2025Talking about crisis response assumptions (I.e. dispelling the panic myth), @profbrookerogers.bsky.social says “Hollywood has a lot to answer for!” 110
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 02/03/2025Pigeons, acronyms and ‘what is an emergency planner anyway’ @lucygobag.bsky.social with Michael Rosen. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...bbc.co.ukBBC Radio 4 - Word of Mouth, Disaster DialogueProfessor Lucy Easthope explains why language is important in the aftermath of a disaster. 084
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 24/02/2025Finale post: phenomenal! What a triumph of storytelling! 010
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 24/02/2025Interval post: I’ve been transported to 1997 for #KyotoPlay. This show is sensational - if you’re in London, don’t miss it! 130
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 24/02/2025An upbeat Monday morning listen: Graves & Memorial Benches on BBC Sounds. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...bbc.co.ukThinking Allowed - The Grave - Memorial Benches - BBC SoundsLaurie Taylor explores the origins of the grave and the meaning of memorial benches. 000
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 20/02/2025It can feel like lessons aren’t learned, but perhaps learning occurs outside of the emergency management domain? This article about The Station fire, 22 years ago today, talks to that. www.firerescue1.com/firefighting...firerescue1.comStation Nightclub fire: Lessons, code changes follow tragedyThe 2003 nightclub fire in Rhode Island was the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history 010
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 18/02/2025“There’s something about soup that makes it good for emergencies…” An interesting episode! www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...bbc.co.ukThe Essay - New Generation Thinkers - A Social History of Soup - BBC SoundsTom Scott-Smith uses four recipes to track social reforms and changes in what we value. 010
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 16/02/2025What comes after disaster? Memories by Paul Goldberger explores some of the aspects. www.newyorker.com/magazine/200...newyorker.comMemories 010
Reposted by mtthwhgndadman03.bsky.social @dadman03.bsky.social · 15/02/2025Are we sure we’re not trapped in a disaster movie where no one listens to the scientists until it’s too late? 051
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 14/02/2025Back from #September5movie - so relevant in an age of 24/7 news to explore journalistic ethics and the line between public interest/exploitation 021
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 08/02/2025Why does it seem so difficult to learn lessons after a disaster? Join this webinar on 13 Feb to hear my thoughts. emergencyservicestimes.com/events/how-t...emergencyservicestimes.com 011
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 08/02/2025"If you put it over Paris or London or New York, you basically wipe out the whole city and some of the environs," www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/ast...cbsnews.comA "city-killer" asteroid has a slim chance to crash into Earth. Here's what to know."An asteroid this size impacts Earth on average every few thousand years and could cause severe damage to a local region," the European Space Agency said. 000
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 02/02/2025“There’s often a desire to move on, if government…decides it wants to turn its face away, it’s difficult to maintain an interest” Tim Newburn PODCAST: What is the legacy of the 2011 riots? Imran Perretta for Somerset House channel.somersethouse.org.uk/podcasts/pro...channel.somersethouse.org.ukWhat is the legacy of the 2011 riots?Imran Perretta explores what one site in Croydon tells us about the biggest moment of civil unrest in Britain in a generation. 000
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 30/01/2025What role does leadership have in crisis? Fascinating thoughts on the Emergency Services Times podcast: open.spotify.com/episode/6gbK...open.spotify.com4. Rethinking emergency teamsFor Every Response · Episode 010
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 29/01/2025I bet that generates such rich conversations, what a great idea 110
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 29/01/2025Inviting people to consider ‘risk’ was a great jumping off point for conversations about career options and the skills employers look for in #EmergencyManagement @uclrdr.bsky.social 120
Reposted by mtthwhgnMike Rothschild @rothschildmd.bsky.social · 23/01/2025"We’re all stronger when our community thrives, and more people who weren’t burned out means fewer people who have to start over. Their wins are our wins. Life isn’t The Apprentice." themikerothschild.com/2025/01/22/e...themikerothschild.comEaton Fire #5: Hard LessonsI’m an independent journalist and author with an uncertain road ahead. To support my writing, please subscribe to my Patreon page for as little as $5 per month, or Venmo me directly, @rothschildmd.… 27912
Reposted by mtthwhgnNiall Pemberton @hailthewhale.bsky.social · 28/01/2025www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025... Always donate #cashnotstufftheguardian.com‘Overwhelming’: what happens to 50,000lbs of extra LA wildfire clothing donations?Businesses like Suay Sew Shop are trying to salvage piles of damaged textiles – and warn of the dangers of climate impact and overconsumption 001
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 28/01/2025This is powerful and painful. #EmergencyManagement is magnificent and needed, but little understood, sometimes even from the inside. 030
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 28/01/2025It’s a great starting point in a series of trying to unpick and explain the messiness! 000
mtthwhgn @mtthwhgn.bsky.social · 28/01/2025Making the complicated simple is never easy, so hats off to the team who have been developing this explainer. 100
