ESRI HLS GIS Summit
ESRI, the computer mapping folks are having a Homeland Security GIS Summitin Scottsdale, AZ. It is fast approaching, October 20-23 and you can still register for $425 which is cheap by today's standards.
Mapping is a key technology for both planning and disaster response situational awareness. These systems keep getting easier to use. I encourage you to check out their site and review the agenda for the event.