This article discusses various issues related to the need for emergency training in the U.S. Although the readiness of first responders to meet U.S. Gulf Coast's enormous demands will clearly be grist for formal assessment, initial reports appear to be favorable toward emergency response units from around the country. That's as it should be, considering that mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery from natural and man-made disasters have become a national priority since the terrorist attack in the U.S. on September 11, 2001. The feverish activity could itself be likened to a hurricane, one that positions training in the middle of its eye. Everywhere one turns--within government agencies at all levels, public health organizations, and even among many large corporations--emergency planning and training activities are under way to prepare individuals for the unexpected. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security urges every American to be prepared--a cry that is certain to take on new urgency following Hurricane Katrina's sobering lessons.