My mission as Emergency Preparedness Coordinator at Wisconsin Emergency Management is simple: to educate and empower people to prepare for and respond to emergencies and disasters.

WHITEHOUSE: Using Media Strategies to Boost Public Preparedness

We need to build our communities' capacities to predict and respond to weather emergencies and to rebuild after they are over.

CNN: Why we should expect more weather disasters

It will also provide additional training for teachers, school nurses and counselors to help identify mental illness in students and respond to psychiatric emergencies.

WSJ: Connecticut Lawmakers Pass Wide-Ranging Gun-Control Bill

Tech-savvy travelers are also taking matters into their own hands and using social media tools such as blogs, location-based technologies, and instant messaging services to respond to emergencies.

CNN: In an emergency, who do you call?

And we've been coordinating with the United Nations, which now has a number of personnel on the ground as well, to make sure that people are getting the help they need and we are in a position to respond to any additional emergencies that may arise out of the situation there.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama and Prime Minister Gillard of Australia

Under my bill, certain rules would be exempt from the moratorium: those that are needed in emergencies, such as to respond to imminent threats to public health or safety, and those affecting crime, the military and foreign affairs.

WSJ: Susan Collins: The Economy Needs a Regulation Time-Out