National Congress for Secure Communities: Security Update

TOP STORIES

Infrastructure, Climate Change and the Economy: Part 1 - Infrastructure Investment
February 11, 2011: Investment in infrastructure to meet the challenges posed by global climate change may spur economic growth and promote stability, a group of British engineering firms said recently. According to the BBC a new report found that communities will need "an infrastructure system that is more resilient to climate change. This will require Government, the public and private sectors and professional sectors such as engineers to come together and proactively meet the challenge of creating a climate resilient infrastructure system for the country."

Infrastructure, Climate Change and the Economy: Part 2 - The Cost of Climate Change
February 11, 2011: With the global climate shifting, national, state and local governments and communities are beginning to feel the effects of catastrophic weather (Australia's flooding and the rise of global food prices). In 2009, the University of Oregon released a study looking at the cost of environmental change to the communities in state of Washington. The report found that "If nothing is done to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Washington is likely to experience some $3.8 billion in associated annual costs -- including $1.3 billion in health related costs alone."

Infrastructure, Climate Change and the Economy: Part 3 - Measuring GDP vs GPI
February 11, 2011: Early last year, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley announced new plans for a state-run program which helps policy makers and citizens accurately measure Maryland's standard of living. The Genuine Progress Indicator, an online tool, uses the health of the environment and society as indicators with traditional economic calculations to find an overall grade. "Just as the elements of our natural world must be balanced to ensure a healthy ecosystem," O'Mally said, "so too must be the elements of how we judge our success as a State. A strong economy, a clean environment and a healthy citizenry go hand in hand; none can be a true measure of success without supporting the other two."

Breaking NEWS

Emergency comm for CO schools ... Colorado emergency officials said recently that federal grant tied to the National School Lunch Act could be used for emergency response communications technology for those schools... read more>>

Girl Scouts prepare ... Girl Scouts of America have partnered with FEMA and DHS to educate the young girls and to motivate them to help their communities and their families prepare for emergencies... read more>>

Federal aid sent to Missouri ... Federal aid was sent to Missouri after massive snows crippled the St. Louis and Independence metro areas as well as all 114 counties ... read more>>

Winter storms in Chicago ... During the winter blizzard in Chicago, many commuters were stuck on Lake Shore Drive after drifts and heavy snows blanketed the region ... read more>>

Mubarak resigns ... Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has stepped down as protests in the country increase ... read more>>

35 killed in bomb attack at Moscow airport ... Thirty-five people were killed when a suicide bomber detonated a bomb at Moscow's international airport. The detonation was located in the international arrivals waiting area outside of security ... read more>>

Rise in flu cases worries health officials ... Officials in Maryland are concerned about the rise in flu-related hospital admissions this winter season ... read more>>

Massive flooding in Brazil ... Massive flooding in the state of Rio de Janeiro have has killed more than 500 people. Brazilian officials fear more may be dead... read more>>

Possible threats to US food supply ... Officials in the Department of Homeland Security said recently that there are "credible" threats to the nation's food supply from potential terrorist attacks using ricin and cyanide ... read more>>

NYC response chief replaced ... New York City's head of emergency management and response has been replaced after the city's response to the massive snow storm over the Christmas/New Year's holiday ... read more>>

Fugate to speak at Esri event ... FEMA head William Craig Fugate will give the keynote address at the annual Esri Federal User Conference on January 19. The annual conference draws more than 2,500 ... read more>>

Detroit redesigns ambulance dispatch ... The City of Detroit has redesigned its ambulance dispatch unit system to help address emergency and non-emergency runs. The realignment should help with supplies, manpower and logistics, officials say ... read more>>

Floods in Australia ... Massive rainstorms in Australia have claimed the lives of 20 people already in Queensland. Close to Brisbane, an instant tsunami ripped through a town killing 10 ... read more>>

Potential of cyber attack worries congressional leaders ... Congressional leaders are worried about the current state of the nation's cybernetworks and the possibility of a cyber terrorist attack... read more>>

Federal government takes control of oil spill information ... The Department of Homeland Security will take over the informational side of the Deepwater Horizon response operation when BP hands over control the site to the federal government ... read more>>

New report urges federal action against climate change ... A new report by the Pew Center on Global Climate Change has is urging Congress and the federal government to spearhead changes in US policy to mitigate the effects of a changing climate for greater security on the local, state and national level... read more>>

Child obesity harming future military service ... A nonprofit, bipartisan group of retired generals and admirals are calling for greater nutrition in America's schools. New research has found that 25 percent of all children are currently too obese to join the military... read more>>

FCC works to implement rural broadband ... Federal Communications Commission officials is moving to reclaim its authority over broadband Internet service which is in line with an overall implementation of the National Broadband Plan ... read more>>

Hurricane season could complicate cleanup efforts in Gulf ... This year's hurricane season could complicate efforts to clean the oil in the Gulf of Mexico. Recent complications from Hurricane Alex underscore the problems BP is facing ... read more>>

Partnership formed in Texas for response ... Business leaders, government officials and housing advocates gathered in Austin, Texas recently to develop public/private relationships to help Texans stay prepared for and to respond natural and man-made emergencies... read more>>

Other NEWS

Crowdsourcing emergency response Pt. 3 - Crowdsourcing in Action
January 2011: This is the last post in a three-part series focusing on crowdsourcing in relation to emergency response during a crisis. The idea of accruing large amounts of data from the public during an emergency, or sending data out to be crunched by the masses, is at the heart of this actionable information and situational awareness relationship: from crisis mapping to handling the incredible amount of data during an emergency.

Crowdsourcing emergency response Pt. 2 - Crisis Mapping and Crowdsource Response Organzations
January 2011; In the previous post, crowdsourcing was shown as a way of collecting, analyzing and disseminating information. The challenge of crunching huge amounts data in real time from various media has always presented a problem for emergency response personnel, but with crowdsourcing, information processing has become much easier, actionable and faster. Taking that information and overlaying it onto real-time mapping is the purview of crisis mapping, an emerging emergency response discipline. And there are organizations who use crisis mapping as their primary focus for humanitarian aid.

Crowdsourcing emergency response Pt. 1
January 2011: One of the largest hurdles facing emergency responders is how to handle the amount of real-time information during a crisis. In order to get a clear picture of what is happening right after an earthquake, during a hurricane, in the aftermath of a terrorist attack, or before a flood hits, emergency response personnel and officials are increasingly turning to crowdsourcing as a way to digest large amounts of data and turn that data into actionable intelligence. Through social networking, text messaging and video crowdsourcing allows for multimedia information to be amalgamated and synthesized.

Response to historic flooding in Australia
January 2011: Australian government authorities are working overtime to try and help the communities of Queensland in the midst of epic flooding, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. More than 9,000 homes in Brisbane, the country's third largest city, are expected to be impacted by flood waters, while the city's downtown central business center cut it's electricity, the BBC reported.

Looking Back - Report: taking advantage of the private sector to safeguard the public
January 2011: Since the attacks of September 11, 2001 the public and private sectors have been working together to find new ways of securing the country's critical infrastructure through federal action like the Homeland Security Act and the Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7 (HSPD-7). There have been other - private sector-driven steps taken as well, but it is with the cooperation of the federal government that industry can improve optimally on its preparedness, resiliency and response operations.

In Memoriam: John Solomon 1963 - 2010
We were very saddened by the passing of our friend John Solomon last November. John was a friend and a great resource for inspiration through his blog In Case of Emergency, Read Blog. Throughout the years, his work provided the germination of many of the stories that I have used to work on community preparedness and resilience in the face of natural and man-made disasters. I also will remember warmly our wonderful and productive email exchanges. His stories and blog posts proved insightful and I will remember him fondly. Below are a few examples of the helpful work of John's we used to write about how our country is working toward sustainability, resiliency and preparedness during an emergency or crisis. John's obituary can be read here. Thanks John, we'll miss you.

Arizona citizens quick to respond in Tucson shooting
January 2011: When Jared Lee Loughner opened fire killing six people during a Congressional meet and greet in Tucson on January 8 , citizens present at the gathering were instrumental in tackling and disarming the gunman thus preventing any more casualties. According to the Arizona Republic, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik identified the three men and one woman as Patricia Maisch, Roger Salzgeber, Bill Badger and Joseph Zamudio. The official timeline of the response said the first 911 call was received at 10:11:56 a.m. "Within one minute of the first deputy's arrival, the suspect was in custody and medical personnel began treating the injured," the Pima County Sheriff's Department said in a press release.