Sastrugi blog

The Sastrugi blog has a headline description of ‘random, irregular thoughts about emergency management’ by author John Richardson. The posts might be irregular, but they’re not so random. They’re thoughtful reflections about the more complex, gritty parts of disasters and emergency management.

John doesn’t write about the lights and sirens part of emergency management – he’s focused on the deeper bits of what disasters mean for all of us. Why does what we do matter? What is the guts of what we’re trying to do as emergency managers and community workers? How do all the parts link together? What are the fundamental shifts that disasters bring about?

This blog is an important resource for anyone who works in emergency management and related sectors and is struggling to get their heads beyond the stuff that’s in the SOPs and guidelines. Unconstrained on this platform by any official organisation’s website or rules, the posts are his own thoughts (and those of his guest writers), and they’re a way to make you feel less alone if you’re trying to figure out why this work all feels so tricky so often.

I’ve worked with John for more than a decade and reading the blog is a bit like sitting down and having a cup of coffee with him when he’s telling you something he’s been mulling over for a long time. The posts only take a few minutes to read, and they might offer you a new thing to think about in your work. Bonus, there’s always a link to a song that captures the mood of the post at the end.

You can find the Sastrugi blog here and you can e-stalk John Richardson on Linked In here.