Articles in the September PM review the event that reshaped American history—the tragedies of September 11, 2001. In the first article, “9/11: First-Responder Commanders Reflect 10 Years Later,” author Ron Carlee interviews four operational leaders who oversaw the emergency response at the Pentagon. Carlee, ICMA’s chief operating officer, who was the county manager of Arlington County, Virginia, at that time, provides a dialogue on the Pentagon response and asks, among other questions, how the leaders worked together, what they would do differently, and if too much time and effort is being spent on terrorism.

Resilient communities is a prominent theme in two articles. “Partnerships and Resilience Strengthened After 9/11” is written by Elizabeth Kellar, president and chief executive officer of the Center for State and Local Government Excellence, Washington, D.C.  Included are her conversations with managers on what local governments have done to strengthen their community’s resiliency through stronger partnerships, training, greater public engagement, better communications systems, and collaboration. She writes: “Over the past 10 years, local government managers agree, they have improved collaboration with the state and federal governments, strengthened communication systems, and built more personal relationships with key individuals.”

Resilience and planning for the future are also foremost in “Building the Foundations of a Resilient America” by Warren Edwards, director of the Southeast Regional Research Initiative and the Community and Regional Resilience Institute (CARRI), Oak Park, Tennessee. Edwards points out that “The most effective response to disaster is local. Preparation for disruption is best done by local residents who will have to live and work through the disruption.”  To become more resilient to disasters,” he says, “communities need a system to help them organize the community and take action." The article outlines CARRI’s community resilience system that can provide resources and processes to assess, measure, and improve resilience.