Annc: Murphy Austin, Adam Schoenfeld, LLP, focusing on business law and commercial litigation is proud to support Rob on the Road Region Rising.

More information available at MurphyAustin.com Rob: Coming up on Rob at Home Region Rising, Justin Knighten joins us.

We'll hear the journey of his emergency preparedness career in California, and how he's now taking it to the national stage at FEMA in Washington, D.C.. Plus, the wise words shared from his grandmother that changed his life.

Justin Knighten next on Rob at Home.

Narr: And now Rob on the Road exploring Northern California.

Rob: I'm thrilled to have Justin Knighten join us on Rob at home here, Region Rising.

And Justin Knighten is with FEMA.

He is associate administrator and we are thrilled to have you here.

Hey, Justin.

Justin: So good to see you, Rob.

Thanks for having me.

Rob: Great to see you too.

And I'm thrilled to have you on the program.

You have had quite a career in California as well now nationally.

And crisis management really is at the core of what you do.

You... you elevate the nation as you did California with emergency preparedness.

Um, talk to me about, first of all, how important it is to be prepared.

We see so many things facing the country today.

Justin: Yeah, well, thank you for having me on.

Really honored to be here and really honored to serve in this role at FEMA.

Really honored to serve in the role that I served in California and be part of uh, a national and international network of emergency managers who are all working hard to keep people safe before, during, and after disaster.

It is urgently important for both communities and individuals to be prepared, um, for all the hazards that they face.

We like to say it's not a matter of if, but a matter of when, when that next hazard will hit, whether it's, climate fueled weather event, whether it's a, cyber attack, a impact on critical infrastructure, um, another public health emergency.

These are all things that can take us from 0 to 60 rather quickly and, we need to make sure that we're thinking about and taking the steps to ready ourselves, the people that we love, our communities and keeping that, urgent act of getting prepared top of mind.

Rob: Yeah, it is critically important.

And, you know, I do have to ask you from coming from California, I cannot think of of a better place to come from to take emergency preparedness to the national stage, because we see every thing in California.

And as you said, it's a matter of when, not if.

And I do want to ask you, what are some steps people can take to get ready and to be ready that you've learned in California and taken nationwide?

Justin: Absolutely.

I mean, California is, a beautiful state California is in my head, in my heart every day.

Um, and the reality of California is that it's... it's no stranger to hazard, unfortunately.

And there's a lot of steps that people can take, to really, begin their journey or continue their journey of being prepared.

Look, I also work with people and understand the reality of people and communities that are and maybe historically underserved, Right?

The shut out, left out or forgotten, communities among us.

And just getting through today can feel overwhelming.

Just getting through the end of the week can feel like, a task of overwhelming epic proportion.

And there's a lot of misconceptions that getting prepared requires a lot of time and money, um, and can be overwhelming.

Absolutely.

But I'm here to say that... that there are things you can do to just start the process that will be infinitely better for you when the hazard does hit, than if you did nothing.

The first thing, as we like to say at FEMA, you just know your risk, understand where you live and what hazards you could be impacted by, whether that's a flooding event, whether that is an earthquake or a wildfire.

regardless of what that hazard is, just understanding where you live, how you live and with the community that you're in and how that will be significantly disrupted if a hazard hits, is just this first step to just get your mind oriented around how will your behaviors have to change, what will you - Rob: Risk assessment?

Justin: It's the assessment.

It's the assessment and understanding what that means for... for your people.

That's really the first step.

There's a lot of other steps that you can find on resources like Ready.gov or Listo.gov or California's very own listoscalifornia.org.

with more information for people.

But... but just changing your mind is the first step.

Rob: I have to tell you, when I spoke with you during your you mentioned Listos California, and which means “ready” and such a wonderful tool for... for going through that risk assessment.

I did it myself because I was not, ready.

I had not assessed my risk.

Right?

You run through life, you just keep going.

And I have to tell you, it was so much easier than I thought.

And it felt like a mountain to... to tackle.

And really, it's not.

So I highly recommend doing this.

There's so many simple things you can do from getting phone numbers written down, because we don't memorize them anymore.

having meeting places, have a go bag for if you need to go somewhere quickly in an emergency.

Um, and in a day and age when many people are polarized, when we're not thinking people first.

And so many people are thinking party first, that when you lift people first, you will have a better communication system in your own network.

So you talk a lot about people first language.

Talk to me about that.

Yeah.

Justin: Yeah, you know, when I came into FEMA, the nation's emergency management agency, working for the... the first woman to run the agency.

Deanne Criswell, FEMA administrator.

she came in on the very first day.

She said, we have to be people first.

We have to design from the lens of people being at the center of our work.

And it's a mantra that I've embraced fully.

that the whole agency really has embraced and that you're starting to see the full emergency management network, nationally, embrace this idea that there's a lot of systems and infrastructure that we have to be thinking about in emergency management as we're readying our communities for these hazards.

But at the epicenter of that needs to be people and really understanding where people are coming from, whether they are Rural, older adults, people with disabilities, language barriers, people who are immigrants, people that are, uh, communities of color, people that are living in urban areas.

Right?

All the different lenses in which we're thinking about the human experience.

We have to be so intimately connected and understand those experiences, if we want any chance at designing our programs, resources, messages, and infrastructure in the work that we're trying to do to actually respond accordingly.

Rob: You know, that that's a big deal.

Relationship building and, uh, you really learn this in a time of crisis because all crisis boils down to local, local, local.

Yeah.

And so the more you're connected with your, local emergency management, knowing who the players are, then you are more -- you're more ready in your community.

And then FEMA comes in and there's a, “we can... we can get through this.” It's a time of... of many times disaster.

But when you, from your perspective come in, I can only imagine what you see.

Can you talk to me about that experience?

Justin: Yeah.

You know, I think what you mentioned first about the local piece and being connected to the ground game, as I call it, what's true about any hazard is that it starts and ends at the local level.

And I think people think FEMA in a disaster because of the name idea, FEMA and unfortunately, the catastrophic events over the decades that have led that to, the psyche and people's awareness of the agency.

But the reality is, is that there are emergency managers today in your community today, who are the collaborators, the, problem solvers, the, fixers, the unifiers.

Who are really working to make sure that communities and people are safe before, during, and after disaster.

These are the people at the local level, at the state level, the territorial level within tribal nations that are actually every single day working, designing efforts, working and being prepared to respond if they have to.

And then the recovery after an event to... to make sure that those communities are getting what they need.

FEMA comes and at the request of a governor, when there is, an event that unfortunately has expanded beyond the capacity of the state and that governor, that state, needs that federal support system to come in and help.

those are not the days that we look forward to.

although we stand ready and are proud to serve, our partners, throughout levels of government.

But when we do have to come in, it means that there is a catastrophic event.

There is an overwhelming impact on the community, and our resources are needed.

Look my whole worldview changed on every issue under the sun.

I think about all the issues that are important today, all the priorities that people think about today and that are actively working on today, well beyond disasters.

My world view changed looking Rob: Right.

Justin: into the eyes of a survivor after a catastrophic tornado, hurricane.

You name the incident.

My whole world view changed.

Looking into their eyes, understanding that pain, that hurt and that feeling of chaos and... and realizing that all the... uh the... the priorities that we in government have to show up for and think about and respond to need to meet people where they are in that moment of crisis and well before.

Right?

And someone is living their life going about their day and they experience their worst day, a proportion that requires FEMA to come in.

That's difficult.

That is challenging and overwhelming for everyone, but especially those that have been, underserved, for so long.

And so we need to make sure that we're thinking about these communities, ahead of time that were, thinking about the feeling we have, the feeling I have when you're staring into someone's eyes and feeling that... that hurt, that pain, that sense of chaos to reflect and then make decisions on how to help make the system stronger and more flexible and more relatable.

before that next event, Rob: Justin, what was or is there a crisis, in your life that you experienced growing up that was overwhelming and dramatic and impacted everybody around you that... that helped prepare you for the national stage today on dealing with this?

Justin: Yeah, that's a great question and one that you and I have talked about, that I didn't really fully appreciate until I really took this job, which is, growing up just north of, uh, Sacramento, town called Rio Linda.

Uh, we grew up in a floodplain, and we always knew and we were very aware every day of the risk of flooding where we... where we lived.

And, in 95 and then again in 97, there were catastrophic flooding events that almost took us out.

They definitely took our neighbors out.

And members of our community out completely, washed away.

we got lucky, but we were on the verge of catastrophe.

And I just remember seeing my front street and yard being covered in water look... look, uh -- looked like a lake and saw fishes jumping and thinking about, oh, my gosh, we have to evacuate this situation.

we have to go to, um, you know, our grandparents who lived on higher ground and, we were displaced for a while until, when again, the water receded, but seeing the devastation in the community, seeing the impact of these flooding waters and, um, not realizing, uh, the infrastructure around that was supporting the community through that response, didn't really appreciate that, a block away from where I lived, President Clinton was, on a walking tour through the community with the then FEMA administrator and other federal partners and the state and locals, checking in and surveying the damages.

Didn't really appreciate or see myself in that and didn't really understand that until, I got to this agency and have become part of that work and realizing that, you know, this narrative has always been a story that has been important to me and my family and such a worldview that we've had growing up, that these catastrophic events are just part of your existence, that you have to be ready for and always be watching.

Rob: Wow, that that's very powerful.

Very powerful.

You mentioned, your grandparents, where you went during this time of crisis and something that your grandmother said to you, uh, when you were way incredibly young, and you still are, by the way, but when you were a child, mid teens, your grandmother said something to you that still carries you to this day and far beyond.

Talk to me about the experience you had with your grandmother and the wise words that changed your life.

Justin: Yeah.

thank you for the question.

You know, both of my grandparents are the strongest people that I will ever know in my life.

both immigrants from Mexico both started a life and a family, in California, as immigrants and later citizens.

Uh, you know, my... my Abuelito Rodolfo, my... my... my, Abuelita Amparo we're both very important to me, Rudy and Mary, as we as we refer to them.

and, my grandmother, when I was seven, was having breakfast with her one morning over the summer, and she said to me, she said, “you know, Mijo, you, present as white and you're a man.

And so because of those two things, you're going to enter spaces and places that our people can never have ever imagined.

And when that happens to you and you reach that level of access, you have to fight for us.

You have to fight for la gente.

You have to fight for la familia.

you need to make sure that you're representing and fighting for the Latino community that you're a part of.

because we may not be able to answer those spaces depending on how we look and, and the experiences that we have looking very different.” And I didn't fully understand that.

I didn't fully appreciate it until I got a little older and noticed how presenting as white and, being a man, I'd be treated very differently than other members of my family and and community and, you know, the first time in my early 20s when, I had the opportunity to say something and to represent my community, because no one in the room knew one, that I was Latino or that I come from a very immigrant, dominant family experience.

I had to say something, and I was I was scared, I was, a little unsure of myself.

I had not done that before, and I had to go deep.

I had to go internal, really quick.

and remember the words of my grandmother that came to me so quickly, in that moment and, and speak my truth and represent my people and, and fight for them and... and from there and that day on and every day the rest of my life, it's been a mantra, for the work that I do and not only for the Latino community that I'm a part of, but commu- other communities I'm a part of or not.

And just being that advocate, being that voice, being, the person who is speaking up when those aren't in the room, and then more importantly, remembering that we have to actually create the spaces where I and others don't have to do that because that representation is in the room.

They're at the table, they're making the decisions for themselves.

Rob: Was your grandmother right?

Justin: She was, uh, she was right.

She was, a phenomenal human.

She loved Mexico.

She loves California.

She, uh, loved being an American.

She loved being Catholic.

She loved service.

She loved being of others and giving, she had very little.

Both my grandparents had very little.

But they gave everything, because for them, giving was the ultimate gift, um, back.

And that was a... a... a way of life.

A way of living that, was has been true for my mother and her brothers, for the grandkids and everyone that... that those two phenomenal people have touched.

So what my grandmother said to me, that breakfast, uh summer breakfast, uh has rung true.

But their way of of living, that being of service to others, is a gift that I will always be, forever grateful for.

Rob: It sounds like it... She gave you a through line, a truly a through line for your journey in life, a foundation that that you can carry with you of strength.

Justin: Yeah, yeah.

Rob: I love that.

Justin: It's my North Star, for sure.

Rob: That is beautifully said.

Your North Star.

What has crisis taught you?

Justin: That's such a good question.

you know, I think in crisis and we all experience crisis differently, right.

And... And depending on where you are, the background, you have, the choices that you've had the benefit of making or the options that you didn't have the luxury of having, crisis is very different for, for different people and experiencing crisis is a very different experience for different people.

it's hard across the board.

It's not easy across the board, but it looks different.

And it... and it has a different scale, depending on circumstance.

And so what I know and what I've learned about crisis is that thinking about all those different layers of possibilities of how people are experiencing crisis, thinking about the role of government to respond accordingly across the board in a way that is getting everyone what they need effectively in that crisis.

and that we're all working towards being more resilient in government and being more adaptable in government so that we can help communities be empowered and... and stronger and become more resilient or further the resilience that they already have before that moment of crisis is, uh, is the goal.

It's the goal.

It's the goal.

It's... it's the... the urgent call to action that our administrator has, brought to us.

You know, this year we're at FEMA leading, a year of resilience, across the agency, to bring more awareness and, encourage more game changing actions in the before disaster, thinking again with the lens of people experiencing crisis differently.

so that we are more, effective in that response and that we're, um, investing in, supporting and lifting up those solutions, of what's working, before we're have to... before we have to respond.

Rob: Proactive instead of reactive.

Justin: That's right.

Yeah.

That always helps in every area of life.

Thus going back to the risk assessment and being prepared.

I do want to ask you a question that I love to ask people because I love digging into someone's personal inner intestinal fortitude, if you will, digging into someone's heart.

What matters most to you and what must be shared from Justin Knighten.

Justin: Wow, that's such a question, Rob.

Rob: On any... On any area.

Justin: Yeah.

You know.

I think for me, the most important thing is, is... is people, and... and service, and serving others, you know, so many people find different opportunities to serve in different ways.

And all of it's great.

All of it's good.

And not everyone has the ability to, uh, serve every day of their life as a career path.

Um, but serving others can come in different forms.

And when I think about just the hurt and the pain and the darkness and the destruction being in the disaster, uh, world, every day, what brings me hope?

What brings me a sense of, uh, courage?

What makes me, um really embrace the thing that we all need, which is to be included and to feel love and be loved, and to love back when I think about all those things that are super important.

to me, it's the approach that enables all of it is service, serving others.

giving of your time, of the, um, resources that you may have and being of others, whether that's at a local food bank.

I know, you know, Yolo County and others are doing extraordinary work, whether that's at a hospital, and being a support system there.

Uh, whether that's, being involved in your church, in your, in your center of faith, or at your kid's school, and being, a parent volunteer, whatever it means for you and whatever access you have to serve.

that has been the gift of my life.

That has been, the thing that makes me feel, really empowered by and encouraged by the sense of humanity in our communities.

on the darkest day, on days like maybe today where the sun is shining.

but giving of others because, it's that... it's that important.

And, it's such a huge mantra for our nation, for the United States of America.

That's such a huge part of what it means to be an active participant in the citizenry is... is to be of service.

And so, that's what I would say is in my heart.

And we're really leading the charge in a way that is, both exciting and effective to engage the Latino community, in a more, reflected, culturally responsive way, the black and African American community, we just are leading a campaign right now on, older adults, specifically older adults that are rural and have limited resources and are also have a disability, to think about how we're being a little bit more targeted and, uh, intentional about the communities that we're trying to serve.

A general preparedness message, doesn't work.

But when we think about communities and put them at the center as our administrator asks, put them at the center of our work and design around what people need, meeting people where they are, we can actually develop content that we know.

And our records show and our data shows, moves the needle that actually gets people the information that helps them take that first step to prepare.

And that could both save their life, for them and their families.

And so I'm really the most proud of the work we're doing with the nation's Ready campaign.

Rob: That's huge.

That is absolutely huge.

And I'm so glad you shared that with us.

Justin.

I'm so proud of you.

Not only have you made our region rise, but you've carried that to the national stage, serving others at FEMA.

♪♪♪ Thanks for joining us.

You can watch when you want at RobontheRoad.org.

Annc: Murphy Austin, Adam Schoenfeld, LLP, focusing on business law and commercial litigation is proud to support Rob on the Road Region Rising.

More information available at MurphyAustin.com