Our global environment is changing rapidly, and many of those changes increase our exposure and render us more vulnerable to risks and hazards. These trends also place greater demands on Federal, State and local authorities to be prepared and capable of managing emergencies resulting from hazards of all kinds. () Our population is growing (1) We depend more every day on complex and interdependent systems (2) The pace of events around us is accelerating (3) There is a growing public reliance on government for crisis support (4) There is a growing need to effectively and efficiently use public resources (5) Global political conditions remain unstable - while the risks of global war have diminished, the number of regional and local political disputes has grown. Proliferation of conventional, nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons technologies and sophisticated delivery systems increase the potential for attack from a variety of sources. These risks make it prudent for us to maintain our preparedness to meet attack emergencies of all kinds. These factors make up the complex environment of any emergency that a jurisdiction may experience. They put a high premium on all-hazard preparedness and the ability to deal with the consequences of emergencies regardless of their cause. They also raise the prospect of severe consequences for failure to be ready when the next emergency occurs. They place new emphasis on the ability of government response capabilities to survive and perform in any emergency. They are key reasons for the high priority FEMA places on achieving nationwide Survivable Crisis Management. (FEMA, An Introduction to Survivable Crisis Management, 1992, 10)