1. The political party in power often predicates the DHS Budget. For example, Republican administrations tend give greater weight to the prevention of terrorism and national security while Democratic administrations often believe natural disasters are more likely to occur and more expensive to plan, respond and recover.

Read the DHS Budget-in-Brief Fiscal Year 2015 and skim the remaining document along with Chapter 9 and 10 in your textbook and decide if you believe DHS money is being allocated correctly to enhance our nation’s resilience to the next natural and manmade. What changes would you institute?

2. It is often said that “all emergency response is local”, implying that emergency responders will often be overwhelmed at the onset of a major disaster. It is incumbent upon citizens and private sector to become better prepared to ensure their survival until first responder arrival. Compare and contrast a citizen and corporate protective initiative. Do you believe they are effective? Cite real-world examples of their success or failures.