Center of Excellence

Editorial from the NY Times:

The homeland security mania has invited some startling abuses of police power, but we have yet to hear of any more knuckle-headed than one in Maryland. There, the State Police are sheepishly tracking down 53 innocent people to let them know they were entered as suspected terrorists on state and federal databases — for the Orwellian offense of engaging in peaceful protest.

Read the article here: Citizen Terrorists Deleted

Article in the Whittier Daily News:

Caltech Team Mulls Quake Worst-Case Scenario (DOC)

Critical infrastructure consists of systems and assets so vital to the United States that their incapacity would harm the nation’s physical security, economic security, or public health. Critical infrastructure is often geographically concentrated, so it may be distinctly vulnerable to events like natural disasters, epidemics, and certain kinds of terrorist attacks.

Vulnerability of Concentrated Critical Infrastructure: Background and Policy Options

Article in CQ Homeland Security:

Making Mr. Secretary: Experts Weigh In on Skills Needed by the Next DHS Chief.

From the Congressional Research Service:

Federal Liability for Flood Damage Related to Army Corps of Engineers Projects (PDF)

PDF posted.

FEMA Prepared. Responsive. Committed.

Public Health Emergency Preparedness: Six Years of Achievement published by Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE), and the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO).

In response to concerns over the adequacy of firefighter staffing, the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Act — popularly called the “SAFER Act” was enacted by the 108th Congress as Section 1057 of the FY2004 National Defense Authorization Act.

Report to Congress (PDF): Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response: The SAFER Grant Program

Published in Newsweek on children and evacuations:

“Overlooked: The Littlest Evacuees.”

Hurricane Ike death toll updated to 67.

Read about it here: 3 More Hurricane Ike Victims Raises Toll to 67

Written by J.J.Green, “Biggest Fear: ‘The Perfectly Hidden WMD’”

Excerpt from the article:

Homeland Security officials say security upgrades have shut down many of the nation’s vulnerabilities, making it hard to launch a major terror attack inside the United States. However, the State Department’s Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Dell Dailey, says that doesn’t mean a well disciplined terror group couldn’t do it. “The perfectly hidden weapon of mass destruction is our biggest fear,” Dailey says. “Coming at the United States will probably have to be a spectacular effort, very well controlled.”

According to State Department documents, there are at least six regional safe havens worldwide, spanning more than 27 countries on four continents.

CTE = Career + Technical Education

September 2008 Update PDF

The Committee on Determining a Standard Unit of Measure for Biological Aerosols, National Research Council The National Academies:
A Framework for Assessing the Health Hazard Posed by Bioaerosols

World Vision reports: Planet Prepare: Preparing Coastal Communities in Asia For Future Catastrophes

This report report to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate:

Recovering from Hurricanes Ike and Gustav and Other Recent Natural Disasters (PDF)

From The BCLC Disaster Assistance and Recovery Program:

An increasing number of businesses and their partners are interested in redefining the goals of disaster management.

Building on experiences from Hurricane Katrina and other major disasters, BCLC and the companies involved in the Disaster Assistance and Recovery program are working toward a holistic approach to disaster response.

We want to enable communities to recover faster and rebuild better. This issue is much larger than the business community. It is much larger than the voluntary sector and it is even larger than FEMA. It requires new attitudes and fresh thinking on the part of local, state, and federal government authorities.

As this publication will show, some organizations in every sector are taking steps to re-engineer the disaster response process. Much still needs to be done. We have not yet reached a tipping point. Many systems are still rooted in older ways of doing things. We are making progress, but we still have a long way to go to improve our nation’s capacity to effectively respond to disasters.

Read entire PDF here:
Re-engineering the Nation’s Disaster Response Processes

From the article:

“When Hurricane Ike punched Texas two weeks ago it destroyed more than just buildings. It was a blow to the credibility of public programs offering vast amounts of insurance at reduced prices throughout the coastal South. These are called wind pools. And Texas has a whopper: Combined private insurers charge discount wind rates in the riskiest seaside settings, on the condition that their losses will be limited. Taxpayers are responsible for damage above $2.1 billion …”

Read this interesting article here: Hurricane Ike Appears to Have Bankrupted Texas Wind Pool, Undermined Other Public Insurance Schemes

Associated Press article on California’s efforts in Emergency Management and Homeland Security.

Read it here: California Combines Emergency Response Agencies

FEMA Appropriations for 2009. Published by the International Association of Emergency Managers.

Memorandum to Emergency Managers: Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009

Insured losses estimated at $9.8 billion, read more about it here:

Hurricane Ike Estimated to Become Fourth Costliest Hurricane Ever; Claims Settlement Process Well Underway