About this episode

This episode features a discussion with Kevin Guthrie about emergency management in Florida, focusing on preparedness, response, and recovery efforts.

🎙️ Chambers, Changes & Conversations – A Statewide Look at Emergency Management When it comes to hurricanes and disasters, preparedness isn’t just local — it’s a coordinated effort across the entire state. In this episode of Chambers, Changes & Conversations , we sit down with the Florida Division of Emergency Management Director, Kevin Guthrie, to talk about what it really takes to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies in Florida. We start with a high-level look at how emergency management has evolved in recent years — from advances in technology and data-driven decision-making to the growing challenge of balancing large-scale disasters with more frequent, everyday events. From there, we take you behind the scenes of how the state works hand-in-hand with counties before, during, and after a storm. From coordinated messaging and resource allocation to mutual aid between communities, this episode breaks down how a system of this scale stays aligned when it matters most. We also bring the conversation home to Manatee County — exploring how local preparedness efforts fit into the broader statewide strategy, what stands out about the County’s response…

People in this episode

Host: Jodie Fiske

Guest: Kevin Guthrie

Topics covered

• emergency management
• hurricane preparedness
• statewide coordination
• local response
• disaster recovery

Keywords

• emergency management
• hurricanes
• preparedness
• Florida
• disasters
• response capabilities
• evacuation planning

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Florida Division of Emergency Management

Places: Manatee County

More episodes of Chambers, Changes & Conversations - the official podcast of Manatee County Government

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• Ep. 38: CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams) & Com. Mike Rahn & Jodie Fiske · June 2, 2026 · 34 min
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• Ep. 36: CDBG-DR Grant Applications with Odugo Ohizu · May 20, 2026 · 34 min
• Ep 33: Deputy County Administrator Courtney De Pol · March 23, 2026 · 53 min
• Ep. 32 Board Chair Tal Siddique · March 18, 2026 · 43 min

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