Dr. Samantha Montano
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samlmontano.bsky.social
Dr. Samantha Montano
@samlmontano.bsky.social
29K followers 1.9K following 2.7K posts
Working on disaster justice & the climate crisis. Emergency Management PhD. Author of 📚DISASTEROLOGY 📚 she/her
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"which isn't a lot, but its weird that it happened twice" meme
November 18, 2025 at 2:06 AM
samlmontano.bsky.social
I’m surprised the IAEM conference hasn’t broken out in cheers.

🎉🎉🎉🎉
Washington post: fema head resigns
November 17, 2025 at 6:03 PM
samlmontano.bsky.social
In an extremely on brand move… I’m driving down the road in LA and see there’s a Jaws exhibit so I immediately diverted from my afternoon plans. Now I’m repacking my bag to accommodate all my new Jaws merch. 🦈💁🏼‍♀️
Scared woman in front of a shark replica Framed drawing of a shark
November 14, 2025 at 11:18 PM
samlmontano.bsky.social
Governor Maura Healey is on stage right now saying “don’t cave” (obviously)
Maura Healey on stage
November 10, 2025 at 12:49 AM
samlmontano.bsky.social
Anyway, here's Samuel Prince in 1920 articulating why you very freaking obviously need the federal government to be involved in disaster recovery.
The only socially defensible way of doing is to spread the economic results of these disasters over the entire com- munity in some form of intra-city catastrophe insurance ad- ministered by the Federal government This alone will overcome the irrationality of 2^ inequitable levy upon the more sympathetic, and the fluctuations of disproportionate relief.
October 31, 2025 at 6:52 PM
samlmontano.bsky.social
October Disasterology Newsletter is up. Mostly a disaster news roundup from the past few months.

open.substack.com/pub/disaster...
Top reads: a week in the life of someone trying to remain informed about U..S. emergency management during the second Trump administration. Below there are seven pictures of women in various states of distress each labeled with a day of the week.
October 30, 2025 at 12:56 PM
samlmontano.bsky.social
Alaska finally got their presidential disaster declaration signed… an entire week after the request.
President Donald J. Trump Approves Major Disaster Declaration for Alaska Release Date: October 23, 2025 WASHINGTON – FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance is available to the state of Alaska to supplement recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms, flooding and remnants of Typhoon Halong during the period of Oct. 8-13, 2025. The President's action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in the Lower Kuskokwim Regional Educational Attendance Area, Lower Yukon Regional Educational Attendance Area and Northwest Arctic Borough. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and families recover from the effects of the disaster. Federal funding is also available to state, tribal and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms, flooding and remnants of Typhoon Halong in the Lower Kuskokwim Regional Educational Attendance Area, Lower Yukon Regional Educational Attendance Area and Northwest Arctic Borough. Willie G. Nunn has been named the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected areas. Additional designations may be made at a later date if warranted by the results of damage assessments. Individuals and families who sustained losses in the designated areas should first file claims with their insurance providers and then apply for assistance online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling 1-800-621-3362 or by using the FEMA App. If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned Declaration approval with map of Alaska
October 23, 2025 at 7:24 PM
samlmontano.bsky.social
Some ~news~: my students have won the IAEM Student Chapter of the Year Award!! Endlessly proud of them and lucky to have a front row seat to their work as their faculty advisor! See ya in Kentucky!
– The Awards & Recognition Committee of the U.S. Council of the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM-USA) has selected the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, IAEM Student Chapter, as the IAEM-USA 2025 Student Chapter Award recipient. The award will be presented at the 73rd IAEM Annual Conference & EMEX in Louisville, Kentucky. 2025 IAEM-USA Student Chapter Award Massachusetts Maritime Academy This year’s Student Chapter of the Year Award is proudly presented to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) IAEM Student Chapter—a fully student-led organization that has distinguished itself through outstanding leadership, advocacy, community engagement, and professional development. Among their most impressive accomplishments is participating in “Emergency Management Day on Beacon Hill,” where students were invited to the Massachusetts State House alongside professional emergency managers. There, they met directly with legislators to advocate for increased funding and support for emergency management at the state and local levels. Their thoughtful involvement and advocacy demonstrated a strong commitment not only to their academic program but also to the profession. The chapter has also achieved significant growth in membership, doubling its numbers over the past year by welcoming and engaging incoming freshmen. Through active programming—including guest speakers, LinkedIn workshops, chapter movie nights, and peer support—they have built a strong, inclusive community of future emergency managers. Their emphasis on mentoring newer students is laying the groundwork for continued involvement in IAEM for years to come. Besides campus activities, the MMA Student Chapter has developed strong relationships with various community partners. They have organized tours of key agencies such as the Providence Emergency Management Agency, the Hyannis Fire Department, and FEMA Region 1 offices. These experiences ha t Agency, the Hyannis Fire Department, and FEMA Region 1 offices. These experiences have Page 2 of 2 given students a better understanding of real-world emergency management while also allowing them to show experienced professionals the value of their education and enthusiasm. The chapter is also highly active in professional circles—maintaining social media platforms to highlight member achievements and chapter events, attending IAEM Region 1 meetings, and participating in national conferences. Last fall, they brought four students to the IAEM Annual Conference in Colorado and aim to double that number this year in Kentucky. The MMA IAEM Student Chapter exemplifies the best of student engagement in emergency management: growing their own knowledge, uplifting one another, and stepping up to tackle both state-level and national issues facing the field today. The IAEM-USA Student Chapter of the Year Award recognizes an IAEM-registered student chapter that has made significant contributions to promoting the IAEM and the field of emergency management through public awareness, increasing membership, showing leadership and initiative in education, and increasing the professionalism of emergency and disaster management. IAEM-USA, the nation’s largest emergency management professional association, is a non-profit organization representing more than 5,800 emergency management and homeland security professionals for local communities, state and federal disaster officials, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and others involved in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from all types of disasters, including acts of terrorism. IAEM provides access to the largest network of emergency
October 22, 2025 at 1:26 AM
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I briefly covered this in my newsletter in August 2023 but the role of TDEM in this -- which is far outside the scope of the mission of emergency management -- was largely ignored.

Link to the article in the screenshot: apnews.com/article/texa...
As is the case in Florida, Texas Emergency Management is the agency in charge of coordinating the barbaric “migrant relocation program”. This month a 3 year old child died while being shipped off to Chicago by the Texas Division of Emergency Management.
October 20, 2025 at 2:13 PM
samlmontano.bsky.social
Still no declaration for Alaska. Absolutely insane.
Screenshot of a table title "declaration requests in process" which shows a list of states waiting on requests.
October 20, 2025 at 1:34 PM
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The director of Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency Dawn Brantley came to speak to our students today. Really helpful student about how to navigate the current uncertainty as new people entering the field. Grateful for leaders like her especially now.
October 16, 2025 at 5:05 PM
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Sorry but I cannot stop thinking about what Fugate said here... okay, and????????

I'm reminded of a point in my newsletter I made last month: "Just because you can build a concentration camp doesn’t mean you should."

I cannot believe I have to keep saying this. Wth.
Screenshot of the article with "Fugate said he believes DeSantis ordered Florida DEM to build Alligator Alcatraz “because they had the capacity to do it.” highlighted
October 15, 2025 at 6:01 PM
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Reader, she did not figure it out but the train came in clutch at the last minute.
Empty Train seats
October 14, 2025 at 9:19 AM
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Both the federal and state government have been less than forthcoming about this funding at various points for some pretty obvious legal reasons which I noted over a month ago.
Entwined with the political is the financial. As one democratic lawmaker said, this is “Gator Grift”. I assume you already understand this part because you have had almost 20 years to read “The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism” but let’s take a moment to follow the money. It turns out building a concentration camp in the middle of the wetlands is expensive -- even with the money you save on security. DHS estimates one year of camp operation will cost $450 million. That’s more than the entire country’s EMPG funding. At last count, $245 million has been spent. There seems to be a question of eligibility over whether the camp is temporary or permanent. There are also differing legal implications if this is a federally funded camp vs. a state funded camp. So which is it? There have been conflicting reports about who is funding -- and who will ultimately fund -- the camp. Some reporting has said FDEM is funding the camp. In documents reviewed by TPM, FDEM was listed as the purchaser on all camp contracts so they certainly are the ones spending the money. The money itself (as best as I can tell) though, does not come from FDEM’s budget but rather from a $500 million a year emergency fund (with very little oversight) that the state legislature gave to DeSantis to fund his immigration stunts, etc. (Florida also has a $15 billion rainy day fund to keep an eye on.) At various points, both federal and state officials have said that FEMA will reimburse Florida for at least some of the expenses related to the camp. At times, it has been reported that this will be done through a Shelter and Services Grant. (You’ll remember this program from Helene last year and NYC this year. You know, the immigration funding that Republicans found to be an affront to the American taxpayer? Uh-huh. This damn program has become the bane of my existence.) Specifically, Noem told reporters in June that the Shelter and Services Grant program would largely fund the camp. In early July, the Miami Herald reported that Florida could apply for a grant from FEMA’s “Detention Support Grant Program,” which had $600 million available. I cannot figure out what this grant program is or even if it really exists. It seems to have been publicly announced on sam.gov this summer, but it is no longer posted. FEMA has not said anything publicly about it as far as I can see. I did check with the remarkably few people I know who still work at DHS/FEMA for the sake of due diligence, and none of them had any information. There might also be some bad reporting going on here, too, in terms of mixing up grant programs, etc? I simply do not have enough hours in the day to try and figure this out, but my guess is that if this program exists, the funding comes from CBP, and DHS has tasked FEMA with administering it. While we might not fully understand where the money is coming from, we do have a pretty good sense of where it is going. This camp has been brought to you by a range of disaster contractors who are subjected to shockingly little oversight. I’ve long called these contractors our “Shadow Emergency Management System”. They are so intertwined with public emergency management that it can be hard, if not impossible, to tell where government emergency management agencies begin and the disaster contractors end. Very little investigation -- reporting, criminal, research, or otherwise -- has been done on these contractors as compared to the extent that they are responsible for emergency management in Florida and beyond. I recommend reading this Orlando Sentinel article, which shows how Florida Republicans funnel disaster funds to politically connected contractors. TLDR: private contracts are being given to businesses owned by Republican donors. This is an issue much bigger than the Florida Everglades Concentration Camp, but it’s very much present here too.
October 6, 2025 at 5:15 PM
samlmontano.bsky.social
As always shutting down any part of FEMA is bad but in these situations the most pressing issue is getting the DRF refilled as that is where the money for life saving activities comes from.
FEMA will keep working, but funding is running low Most employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are considered exempt and will be available for any emergency or disasters. But the main funding source for FEMA, the Disaster Relief Fund, is running dangerously low and needs congressional approval for additional funds. During the shutdown, FEMA would implement immediate needs funding, and this could mean delays in reimbursements to states and local governments. Additionally, FEMA administers the National Flood Insurance Program. With Congress unable to pass a spending bill, that's expected to lapse.
October 1, 2025 at 11:52 AM
samlmontano.bsky.social
Woman with makeup running down her face and a bottle of pills
September 29, 2025 at 1:43 AM
samlmontano.bsky.social
I have attempted a rescue mission. It’s not too hard to fix unset jelly unless you don’t know why it didn’t set. So, I did a little bit of everything and now we wait until tomorrow.
Row of jam in Mason jars on a wooden shelf
September 28, 2025 at 5:36 PM
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Photo of Angela Lansbury sipping tea with white lettering that reads “me, sipping tea, pretending not to notice the chaos I absolutely started”
September 13, 2025 at 7:38 AM
samlmontano.bsky.social
I’ve been working from the park this week and it’s been just the most perfect weather.
Laptop computer with the city of Boston in the background
September 10, 2025 at 7:21 PM
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luv 2 update my Intro to Emergency Management lectures
Screenshot of a powerpoint slide that explains FEMA's role in climate change with an added note that the trump adminsitration has eliminated this part of the agency's mission
September 7, 2025 at 11:14 PM
samlmontano.bsky.social
Me watching the RFK hearing while sitting at this CVS in Massachusetts waiting for my vaccine appointment.
A cat sitting in a beach chair with asteroids falling behind them.
September 4, 2025 at 9:10 PM
samlmontano.bsky.social
An early review from my dad of my newsletter this month which is about how Florida Emergency Management is being used by DeSantis to implement a white nationalist agenda in Florida and beyond. I argue the rest of our field must hold them accountable.

disasterology.substack.com/p/disasterol...
Screenshot of a text exchange that reads: Well, you’ve put them through a food processor. Nice job.
September 1, 2025 at 7:05 PM
samlmontano.bsky.social
LMAO. This is such a great example of why it is very easy to identify when my students have used AI to do their work. It gets the emergency management stuff wrong all the time.
A screenshot of google AI overview misidentifying the principles of emergency management.
August 31, 2025 at 12:24 PM
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Okay, I’ll bite.
New York Times alert that reads: are you prepared? Take our climate disaster quiz to see if you’re ready to handle hurricanes, wildfires, and more.
August 30, 2025 at 6:03 PM
samlmontano.bsky.social
I’m uninformed about turkey family structures but it looked like four adults and a dozen+ children. They may look beautiful but they are a menace!! I’m very sure they’re the ones who have been eating all my spoon tomatoes 😒😒
Two turkeys in a garden Many turkeys in a backyard under a tree More turkeys in a backyard under garden Turkeys seeing themselves out of a garden
August 28, 2025 at 7:10 PM