In this episode of the Crisis Lab Podcast, host Kyle King sits down with maritime operations expert James Merten to explore how global trade depends on a fragile and often invisible system: ocean shipping. From cargo delays and cyberattacks to major port shutdowns, disruptions in this sector have far-reaching effects—touching everything from factory supply chains to your local grocery store.

James draws from his experience with the U.S. Coast Guard and academic research in port resilience to unpack the real challenges of keeping maritime systems running. They discuss why maritime coordination is so complex, how ports prepare for storms and peak shipping seasons, and what new risks are emerging as the industry goes digital and adopts clean energy.

Tune in to learn what really happens behind the scenes when maritime systems break down—and what it takes to build them back stronger.

Show Highlights
[02:28] How everyday goods depend on global shipping routes
[04:31] What actually counts as a major maritime disruption
[06:48] Inside the tangled web of port governance and response
[10:05] The real-world gap between plans and emergencies
[11:56] Balancing global supply chains with local recovery needs
[13:52] How ports plan for hurricanes, holidays, and heavy cargo flows
[16:34] Why digitized ports are vulnerable to cyberattacks
[18:38] What port recovery looks like beyond reopening
[20:06] A new training course for maritime professionals
[21:55] What’s ahead: wind farms, automation, and changing risks

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In this episode of the Crisis Lab Podcast, host Kyle King introduces the “velocity of crisis”—a powerful yet overlooked concept in emergency management. As disasters escalate faster and ripple through interconnected systems, our current response models are falling behind.

Kyle explores how predictive analytics, anticipatory positioning, and automation can help us stay ahead. Featuring real-world examples like the 2021 European floods and innovations like California’s Alert program, this episode unpacks how we can shift from reactive to proactive crisis management—and build systems ready for the speed of modern emergencies.

Tune in to discover how understanding crisis velocity could reshape how we protect our communities.

Show Highlights
[00:00] What is the “velocity of crisis” and why it matters
[01:23] The dangerous speed gap in emergency response
[02:09] How modern disasters cascade through systems
[03:00] Spain & Portugal blackout: a case of systemic failure
[05:03] Why warnings failed during the 2021 European floods
[06:02] Tech solutions that anticipate crises, not chase them
[07:06] Three principles to interrupt crisis escalation
[09:19] Matching crisis velocity with automation and AI
[10:20] Rethinking emergency management for today’s risks

In this episode of the Crisis Lab Podcast, Kyle King unpacks the “Resilience Paradox”—why we expect people to be self-reliant during emergencies while tolerating fragile infrastructure. Triggered by the mass blackout across Spain and Portugal, Kyle examines the deeper disconnect between how cities are planned and how they perform under stress. He makes the case for embedding resilience into the design of power, water, and communication systems—so communities can function even when external support fails.

Tune in to rethink how we design for disruption, not just efficiency.

Show Highlights
[00:00] Examining the massive power outage that paralyzed Spain and Portugal
[00:27] Introducing the concept of the Resilience Paradox in modern urban systems
[01:29] Unpacking the contradiction between citizen preparedness and fragile infrastructure
[02:27] Revealing the professional disconnect in how communities are designed and protected
[04:11] Rethinking infrastructure resilience through real-world examples and failures
[07:00] Outlining integration pathways to build inherently resilient communities
[07:21] Emphasizing the urgent need for governance reform and cross-disciplinary education
[07:58] Highlighting the importance of measuring and incentivizing resilience alongside sustainability