CHATTANOOGA TIMES FREE PRESS: Tennessee Valley Authority boosts estimate from coal ash spill

HARRIMAN, Tenn. — A coal ash spill that blanketed more than 300 acres of the Emory River and surrounding properties is more than three times bigger than originally estimated, officials of the Tennessee Valley Authority said Friday.

AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN: Fire destroys home of former FEMA director Joe Allbaugh

The Southwest Austin home where Joe Allbaugh was living burned down on Christmas day. Allbaugh is the former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and one-time aide to President Bush.

BUFFALO NEWS: Who will handle homeland security for the county?

LOCKPORT — The Niagara County Legislature cut a homeland defense director job out of the 2009 budget last week, but the question of who will handle homeland security chores for the county remains unsettled.

The homeland security post, which would have cost $51,608 in salary and nearly $23,000 in benefits, fell victim to a 13-6 vote to delete it at the Dec. 16 budget adoption meeting.

Legislature Majority Leader Richard E. Updegrove, R-Lockport, said at the time, “We’re going to work on finding a more efficient way of providing these services. . . . We’re not committed to eliminating this position.”

Updegrove later elaborated on that. “We’re looking for a way to fulfill those duties within our existing structure,” he said.

CHICAGO TRIBUNE: Russian hackers target U.S., Europe for profit and politics

MOSCOW—Not long ago, the simple, anonymous thrill of exposing chinks in American software was enough of a payoff for a Russian hacker.

Today it's cash. And almost all the targets are in the United States and Europe, where Russia's notorious hackers pilfer online bank accounts, swipe social security numbers, steal credit card data and peek at e-mail log-ins and passwords as part of what some estimate to be a $100 billion-a-year global cyber-crime business.

And when it's not money that drives Russian hackers, it's politics—with the aim of accessing or disabling the computers, Web sites and security systems of governments opposed to Russian interests. That may have been the motive behind a recent attack on Pentagon computers.

ARS TECHNICA: DHS report surveys fusion center privacy concerns

In a Privacy Impact Assessment released publicly this week, the Department of Homeland Security's Privacy Office outlines the measures in place to ensure that "fusion centers" created to facilitate information sharing between law enforcement and intelligence agencies respect privacy rights. "Despite these efforts," the report concludes, "the Privacy Office has identified a number of risks to privacy presented by the fusion center program."

OREGON LIVE: Flat roofs = disaster

From where I live in Old Town I can see many flat roofs - it is part of the Old Town architecture. So what - you say?

Well, it will most likely lead to disaster for many businesses because of recent snow, rain, snow, rain and of course warmer weather. How so?

Neither the property owners nor the businesses they house are doing anything to reduce the extra load on the flat roofs. No one is making any attempt to remove the snow - while it is or was still snow - off the roofs.

NY TIMES: Prius: It’s Not Just a Car, It’s an Emergency Generator

The Prius has a new use, and it does not involve driving. The Harvard Press — which serves the Massachusetts town of Harvard as opposed to the university — reported that the car’s battery helped keep the lights on for some locals during the recent ice storms.

AP: Officials: 17 dead in Ukraine apartment gas blast

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — An explosion tore through an apartment building in southern Ukraine, killing at least 17 people and leaving dozens more trapped under the rubble, emergency officials said Thursday.

Up to 700 rescuers were searching for survivors in the wreckage of the collapsed five-story building in the Crimea peninsula resort of Yevpatoriya after a blast Wednesday caused by a suspected gas leak, the Emergency Situations Ministry said.

LAKESUN: Expanding Emergency Management

Camden County, Mo. - If all goes as planned, commissioners hope to close a 30-year lease purchase agreement in February to take over the existing Laclede Electric building on south State Highway 5.

The land and building is costing the county in the neighborhood of $420,000. Financing for the deal is being handled by Central Bank. Under the terms of the agreement, the county is not required to put any money down.

The building will become the future home of the Camden County Emergency Management Department. It will also serve as an emergency shelter for residents.

Where is the real problem?

Several stories in the news lately talk about changes and reorganizations involving emergency management agencies. Reasons for the changes run from problems with the EMA to funding to more efficient government, and everything in between. The question is - where is the real problem?

Emergency management, especially at the local level, is a little understood and vastly overlooked profession, as we all know. Comments made by well-intentioned but uninformed people continue to spread the inaccuracies. Depending on who you talk to, the sheriff, fire chief, police chief, public works director, or anyone else doing a good job at the moment are the best person to run the emergency management program. Arguments are made that the EMA costs too much, even though the change in organization brings no difference in costs. If the prior EMA management did not cut the mustard (either real or perceived), the answer becomes move the EMA under someone else. Sometimes the thinking is whoever has lights on the vehicles or guns on their side are the answer.

When you dig deeper, however, the real strengths and skills a good emergency manager are overlooked. The ability to coordinate disaster reimbursements, the knowledge of federal grant regulations, or the skill to bring together vastly disparate needs are not part of the equation of who can best do the job. While sometimes the underlying reason for changes or reorganization are uncontrolled politics or poor leadership, many times it is simply a lack of understanding. The first question should be - were the decision makers and leaders properly and fully educated on what is emergency management? If we as the emergency management profession are not educating, and are willing to stand by while these situations go on without providing comment or input, then we should not be surprised at the results.

Everyone (fire, EMS, law enforcement, public works, public health, business, etc.) has an important part in the big picture. We can not let the role of emergency management get lost in the shuffle again. We must keep telling people who we are and what we do, not just to ensure that we can do our job, but to ensure that the public gets the best out of their tax dollars.

FCW: FEMA releases guideline for first responder ID cards

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has released guidance for credentialing first responders that doesn’t mandate a federal technical standard for identification cards. Instead, the agency is asking state and local agencies to voluntarily follow the rules.

GREENWOOD COMMONWEALTH: County applying for $1M grant

T.W. Cooper hopes a long shot at a $1 million federal grant for a new emergency management center hits the mark.

Cooper, Leflore County’s emergency management director, said the new building would replace two small offices in the courthouse basement.

MSNBC: Statewide emergency declared by Governor Gregoire

SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. - On Christmas Eve, Gov. Chris Gregoire proclaimed a state of emergency in Washington due to the state's ongoing series of winter weather and storms.

NY TIMES: Because of Old Mix-Up, New York Police Won't Be Working at Inauguration

Police officers from across the country are being mobilized to help Washington manage crowds for Barack Obama’s inauguration, but the New York Police Department, the biggest and one of the closest and most experienced, will not be among them.

CNN: Suspected Santa gunman takes life; 6 others dead

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Police said they recovered six bodies from a Los Angeles house where a man dressed as Santa Claus fired gunshots and started a fire Christmas Eve. Bruce Jeffery Pardo was sought for a Christmas party shooting before taking his own life, police said.

Police said the suspect, Bruce Jeffery Pardo, committed suicide after the attack. In addition to the six people killed, police said three others -- Pardo's mother-in-law, father-in-law and ex-wife -- are still unaccounted for.

KENNY'S SIDESHOW: TVA dike break - Tennessee's Exxon Valdez

An environmental rape of a beautiful part of Tennessee after an economic rape of electric customers in a record earnings year by the largest public utility in the country.

ANNISTON STAR: Last nerve agent destroyed: Milestone leaves only depot's far-less-lethal blister agent weapons to be destroyed

Anniston is out of the nerve agent storage business. The final VX chemical weapons at the Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility were destroyed Wednesday, leaving only the far-less-lethal blister agent weapons to be disposed of from the stockpile here.

TIMES RECORD NEWS: City looks to fill attorney and emergency-preparedness positions

Wichita Falls is also working on filling another high-profile position.

Fire Chief Earl Foster had received about 45 applications as of Monday afternoon for the position of emergency preparedness coordinator.

Jamie Moore, who came to Wichita Falls in July 2007 to work in that position, left Dec. 5 for a similar job in Denton County, Foster said.

AP: Homeland Security forecasts 5-year threat picture

WASHINGTON – The terrorism threat to the United States over the next five years will be driven by instability in the Middle East and Africa, persistent challenges to border security and increasing Internet savvy, says a new intelligence assessment obtained by The Associated Press.

KNOX NEWS: TVA working to repair damage to area after pond breach

HARRIMAN - A pair of fishermen stood in a boat casting into the waters of Watts Bar Lake a few hundred feet from the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston Fossil Plant the afternoon of Christmas Eve, seemingly oblivious to the massive environmental cleanup on the other side of the plant or the fly ash flowing in their direction.

On Wednesday, about 30 track hoes, bulldozers, dump trucks and tanker trucks swarmed over a 400-acre site where a retention pond blew out early Monday morning, sending 1.7 million cubic yards of fly ash and water into the surrounding environs.

TRIBUNE & GEORGIAN: Emergency operations center will withstand hurricane forces

Construction workers will begin the process in January of transforming the old Kingsland post office into the most structurally sound building in the county.

The county commission voted 4-1 Tuesday to proceed with construction on the post office, which will eventually open as the new Camden County Emergency Operations Center. Once completed, the center will be able to withstand hurricane-force winds and flooding.

PORT ORCHARD INDEPENDENT: Kitsap agencies work to weather storm

Emergency Managment, Public Works among those battling to keep county safe.

The ability of different local agencies to work with each other and the public lessened the impact of this week’s heavy weather conditions.

“Every time we have an emergency, we get better at working together,” said Kitsap Department of Emergency Management (DEM) Director Phyllis Mann. “I wish we could resolve everyone’s problems, but that isn’t always possible. Instead, we have a great partnership that allows us to get things done very quickly and efficiently.”

MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER: Search for Autauga County EMA director hits snag

PRATTVILLE -- The Autauga County Commission has gone back to the drawing board to hire a director for the county's emergency management agency.

The governing body originally had advertised for candidates who met the Alabama Emergency Management Agency's requirements. None of the candidates met that bar, so the county is re-advertising the position and taking those requirements out, Commission Chairman Danny Chavers said.

ERIE TIMES NEWS: Crawford County emergency services look to expand

MEADVILLE -- Emergency operations officials are seeking solutions to their cramped county courthouse quarters.

Crawford County commissioners have given emergency management and 911 representatives the initial green light in hiring a consultant to assess conditions in their current home, and to possibly locate and price a new one.

SANFORD NEWS: Sizing up the damage

YORK COUNTY — The Dec. 11 ice storm that wreaked havoc in York County and left thousands of residents without electricity for an extended period is over, for the most part, except for the clean-up and the bill.

York County Emergency Management Agency Director Robert Bohlmann said Monday that public damages resulting from the storm are currently estimated at more than $2 million, but not all towns have reported their figures yet. Most of the storm costs are for debris removal for trees and limbs that came down, for emergency shelter expenses, and for overtime expenses for fire, police and public works crews. Bohlmann said the final tally will probably be about $2.5 million or more.

SUN HERALD: Ocean Springs builds $9M Public Safety Complex

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. -- Ocean Springs will build a $9 million complex to house its emergency operations center, police and fire departments and a new courthouse.

Much of the Public Safety Complex funding comes from a community development block grant and a tax levied on food and drinks that passed December 2007. The remaining cost will be funded through other sources, such as court fees.

Mayor Connie Moran said this week that construction could begin in April.

LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER: Sludge spill stirs concerns in Kentucky

A day after a massive coal sludge break in Tennessee covered hundreds of acres in ashy waste, Kentucky environmentalists and leaders said they will continue pushing for legislation to require emergency action plans in case of similar failures in their state.

Monday's break in Tennessee released millions of yards of dark gray mud that toppled power lines, covered roads and railroad tracks and ruptured a gas line, according to The Associated Press. No one was seriously hurt.

USA TODAY: Feds consider searches of terrorism blogs

WASHINGTON — The Homeland Security Department may soon start scouring the Internet to find blogs and message boards that terrorists use to plan attacks in the USA.

The effort comes as researchers are seeing terrorists increasingly use the Internet to plan bombings, recruit members and spread propaganda. "Blogging and message boards have played a substantial role in allowing communication among those who would do the United States harm," the department said in a recent notice.

WBKO: David Spade Helps Phoenix Police Buy Rifles

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Phoenix Police Department has gotten some high-powered goodies courtesy of actor David Spade.

The one-time Phoenix resident donated $100,000 so that the department can buy approximately 50 AR-15 rifles.

WASHINGTON POST FEDERAL EYE: Homeland Security Goes Hollywood

A new reality television show focused on the agencies and employees of the Department of Homeland Security is sure to find fans among bureaucrats and department observers, and also is likely to draw some criticism from those who wonder if a primetime television show is the best use of the agency's time.

BOSTON GLOBE: Homeland Security in disarray, officials warn

WASHINGTON - As the Department of Homeland Security prepares for its first transition, a series of major projects - including a communication network linking state and locals officials in a crisis, a system to scan shipping containers for terrorist weapons, and a massive border-control initiative - face serious technical delays or cost overruns.

FEMA NEWS: FEMA Tool Helps Water Association Repair Systems and Fight the Freeze

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Looking for a needle in a haystack might seem like an easy task for members of the Southern Iowa Rural Water Association* (SIRWA) when compared to their job of finding damaged and exposed water pipes as a result of this summer's severe storms and flooding.

With approximately 12,000 underground stream crossings and 4,000 miles of pipeline running through 13 counties, SIRWA's task of finding trouble spots before they cause problems for water consumers can be a difficult one.

This task may be lessened, however, with a new tool developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) aimed to help identify areas where damaged is most likely.

SCOTT MORONEY: How Social Media Helps in Emergency Management Situations

Living in the Northeast of the United States, many people think they are prepared for anything and can weather any type of storm. Alas, I learned this past weekend even the mighty can be humbled. Parts of Massachusetts and New Hampshire were struck with an ice storm that devastated trees and left nearly 500,000 homes without power, and cable, phone and Internet services for over one week in many cases. What is amazing is how unprepared most of all were in terms of basic needs.

CENTRAL VALLEY BUSINESS TIMES: Bettenhausen to head California Emergency Management Agency

Matthew Bettenhausen has been appointed acting secretary for the California Emergency Management Agency by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Los Angeles Emergency Management Initiative Report

Excerpt: As witnessed in the recent emergencies the City has faced, Los Angeles has the best prepared and most highly-trained emergency responders in the country and these brave men and women are ready for a disaster or a terrorist attack like never before. But the City must do more to prepare for the inevitable catastrophic earthquake or major wild fire. Through the implementation of the components identified in this initiative, the City will make the necessary changes to update and enhance its efforts to become the most prepared, most responsive, and most resilient City in the nation.

GPS DAILY: Satellite Navigation For Emergency Management

GMV has announced the results of the HARMLESS project, an international FP6 research effort aimed at studying and promoting the use of the Galileo and EGNOS satellite navigation systems for emergency management, humanitarian aid and law enforcement support.

WESTERN STAR: County EMA head offers to resign

HAMILTON — After receiving support from his agency's governing board and criticism from local police chiefs, Butler County Emergency Management Director William Turner is offering to resign.

LIVINGSTON DAILY: 911 officials recommend new chief, restructuring

The top two officials with Livingston County 911 Central Dispatch/Emergency Management are recommending promoting the current operations manager to director next April.

WEB STRATEGY BY JEREMIAH: How Municipalities Should Integrate Social Media Into Disaster Planning

This last Thanksgiving was marred by the horrible deaths of over 170 victims at Mumbai’s terrorist attack. If you weren’t watching, social media played a part in helping –and hurting– the event. First hand accounts were published on twitter, including pictures of terrorists in action, in fact Forbes called this Mumbai: Twitter’s Moment. Cities, authorities, states, and governments should have a social media plan in place to prepare for disasters of all sorts.

OXFORD PRESS: County eyes new site for emergency operations

HAMILTON — Butler County commissioners are eyeing the former Ohio State University agricultural extension office as a potential site to relocate the county's Emergency Operations Center.

TRUCKER NEWS SERVICE: ATA releases trucking cargo security guidebook

ARLINGTON, Va. — The American Trucking Associations today released the ATA Certified Cargo Security Professional Resource Guidebook, which provides a detailed synopsis of motor carrier security from pick up to delivery.

AMVA: Homeland Security recommends Kansas site to replace Plum Island

The Department of Homeland Security is recommending Kansas State University as the site of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility for the study of foreign animal and zoonotic diseases that can affect livestock.

The AVMA is backing federal legislation to establish the NBAF. The high-security facility will replace Plum Island Animal Disease Center on Plum Island, N.Y., the only location in the United States for research on the live virus that causes foot-and-mouth disease. Homeland Security has oversight of Plum Island, while the U.S. Department of Agriculture conducts the research there on foreign animal diseases.

AP: Firefighter: Miracle no one died on Denver runway

DENVER It was a miracle that no one was killed when an airliner veered sharply off a runway during takeoff, burst into flames and nearly broke apart, firefighters said Sunday.

MSNBC: Pigeon poop blamed for awning collapse

YUMA, Ariz. - Sheriff's deputies in Yuma County, Ariz., are blaming pigeons for the partial collapse of a gas station awning.

WICHITA EAGLE: Tornado study stuns authors

The first in-depth study of the Greensburg tornado has uncovered new details and raised fresh questions about one of the strongest and most dramatic tornado outbreaks ever recorded.

"There are a lot of things in that storm that made me go, 'Wow,' " said Les Lemon, a co-author of the study and research associate meteorologist with the Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies at the University of Oklahoma.

"Most meteorologists will see this kind of storm once in their lifetime."

NY TIMES: Jet Catches Fire in Denver

DENVER (AP) — A Continental Airlines jet taking off from the airport here went off the runway and caught fire on Saturday night, forcing more than 100 passengers to evacuate on emergency slides and injuring at least seven people, officials said.

ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION: DeKalb public safety chief urged

A review of DeKalb County operations says the 911 dispatch system is “severely inadequate,” that “potentially large amounts of the county’s technology investments have been wasted” and that the county needs a new public safety director position.

The report, prepared for incoming Chief Executive Officer Burrell Ellis, notes the county’s projected budget shortfall of $40 million next year.

It says there are “numerous” areas that could be more efficient and questions whether departments are held accountable when they overspend their budgets.

STATE JOURNAL: Controversial public safety building complete

The city of Frankfort's $12-million public safety building, now occupied for several weeks, is complete with the controversial "Emergency Operations Center" coming online Friday.

City officials have yet to stage a ribbon-cutting for the building, though Mayor Bill May told The State Journal Friday during a tour of the facility there may be a ceremony this week.

The structure, which drew fire from local candidates campaigning for city offices in November elections, now houses the city's police and fire departments, a dispatch center and an emergency command operation for use in disasters.

DENVER WESTWORD: Denver Health to City Auditor: You aren't the boss of us!

Denver Auditor Dennis Gallagher presented his office's long-awaited report on the city's emergency medical response system yesterday, saying that the information his team has compiled "speaks for itself." His choice of such a careful phrase to describe the scathing assessment is indicative of the bitter inter-agency politics that have hovered around the audit since it was announced ten months ago.

ABC NEWS: Could It Happen? The Truth About Disaster Movies

Medical Expert Explores Truth Behind Diseases Depicted in Entertainment

The question is debated among many science fiction fanatics and writers alike: How will the world end? Perhaps a giant gorilla that wreaks world-ending havoc? Or a final, apocalyptic world war?

AP: Doubts remain 20 years after Lockerbie disaster

LONDON (AP) — Much of the political fallout from the Lockerbie air disaster has been resolved, but doubts remain about who was behind the explosion 20 years ago Sunday in the skies above Scotland.

A cancer-stricken Libyan secret agent is in prison, the sole person convicted in the tragedy, but he has earned a second appeal by convincing judges that "a miscarriage of justice" may have occurred during his trial.

Some of the victims' families are still not convinced that Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, 56, is to blame for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, which killed 259 people, mostly Americans, in the air, and 11 more on the ground. Al-Megrahi, convicted in January, 2001, is serving a life sentence.

INFORMATION WEEK: Practical Disaster Recovery For Midsize Companies

Disasters happen, and when they do, IT had better be prepared, since businesses depend on information and the technology that manages it. For midsize companies, however, planning and equipping for disasters has been problematic. Where large enterprises have an array of specialized disaster-recovery systems from which to choose, and small businesses often can make do with ad hoc measures, midsize companies frequently have been caught in the middle--not able to afford big-bucks systems, yet needing more than just sending tapes off-site.

RAND: Better Efforts Needed to Track, Prevent Career-Ending Injuries Among Public Safety Workers

Non-fatal injuries to police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians and other public safety workers are common, but little is done to track these incidents in order to improve prevention efforts, according to a study issued today by the RAND Corporation.

"We have pretty good information about the causes of fatalities that strike public safety employees, but we do not do enough to track the less-severe injuries that routinely strike this group of workers," said Tom LaTourrette, lead author of the study and a physical scientist with RAND, a nonprofit research organization.

Non-fatal injuries among public safety workers are far more common and create more costs for employers than fatal injuries, according to the RAND study.

LA TIMES: California Supreme Court allows good Samaritans to be sued for nonmedical care

By Carol J. Williams
December 19, 2008

Being a good Samaritan in California just got a little riskier.

The California Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a young woman who pulled a co-worker from a crashed vehicle isn't immune from civil liability because the care she rendered wasn't medical.

The divided high court appeared to signal that rescue efforts are the responsibility of trained professionals. It was also thought to be the first ruling by the court that someone who intervened in an accident in good faith could be sued.

AP: 5 men convicted of conspiracy to kill US soldiers

CAMDEN, N.J. – Five Muslim immigrants accused of scheming to massacre U.S. soldiers at Fort Dix were convicted of conspiracy Monday in a case that tested the FBI's post-Sept. 11 strategy of infiltrating and breaking up terrorist plots in their earliest stages. The men could get life in prison when they are sentenced in April.

AP: Fla. terror plot retrial will start in January

MIAMI – Six Miami men accused of plotting with al-Qaida to destroy Chicago's Sears Tower and bomb FBI offices in several cities will go to trial for a third time in January, a federal judge said Monday.

Juries twice have failed to convict any of the so-called "Liberty City Seven," although one man was acquitted after the first trial. That defendant, 33-year-old Lyglenson Lemorin, is still in immigration custody as the U.S. works to deport him to his native Haiti.

A third jury will be chosen beginning the week of Jan. 13, said U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard at a brief hearing. Because of publicity from the two earlier trials, that could take two weeks or more.

GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY: Video Games Hone Triage Skills

Dec 19, 2008, By Hilton Collins

The video game market has stormed the U.S. like a commercial juggernaut. PricewaterhouseCoopers, a global professional services and consulting firm, estimates that consumer spending for console and handheld games will reach $11.7 billion in 2012, a noticeable increase over the $8.6 billion in 2007 the firm recorded.

This upturn means that games about shooting, beating and blowing up people are on the rise. But there's a lesser-known game genre whose chief goal is training and educating, rather than entertaining vicariously through digital violence.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: Arizona Deploys Gateway Trial for Public Safety Communications

The Arizona Public Safety Communications Commission Statewide Radio System Demonstration Project is piloting a deployment of Motorola's ISSI Gateways on Project 25 Networks between live Project 25 (P25) networks.

The prototype installation culminated many months of multi-agency collaboration and provided "connected coverage" with the Regional Wireless Cooperative in Phoenix and the Yuma Regional Communications System.

FIREHOUSE.COM: Oops, California Hangar Fills with Foam

TRACY MANZER
Press-Telegram, Long Beach, Calif.

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- A contract employee working at an airport hangar that holds the police department's helicopters accidentally triggered the building's fire system, filling the 100,000-square foot facility with flame retardant foam Thursday morning. Long Beach Fire Department and Police Department employees working at the facility said the system worked like a charm, filling the cavernous building to the ceiling with high-expanding foam in a matter of moments. There were many jokes about it being a snow day in Long Beach, but the potential price tag for the mistake is not expected to be a laughing matter.

USA TODAY: Storm-ravaged Galveston faces 'disaster tourism' dilemma

By T.J. Aulds, The Galveston County Daily News

GALVESTON, Texas — Janet Oostenbrink came to see the sights. Actually, the Canadian was on Galveston's seawall to see what sites were no longer there.

"It's amazing," said Oostenbrink, who was visiting from Edmonton, Alberta. "You talk about the power of the ocean, and you see that there is nothing you can do to stand against it."

She didn't come to the United States just to see what destruction Ike had brought to Galveston. She was visiting fellow Canadian Beth Wiebe in Spring, and the two were curious just what was left of Galveston. They had seen plenty of images on TV, but standing on the seawall and seeing what was left of Murdoch's Pier and the damage to the Flagship Hotel they decided the television images didn't do the storm justice.

"We just didn't realize it impacted this area," Wiebe said. "It is so different from what we have in Spring."

The Canadian women are not the only tourists who are making trips to the island to see what was destroyed, what was damaged and what survived Ike. They also wouldn't be the first disaster tourists.

YAHOO NEWS: Scientists seek ways to ward off killer asteroids

WASHINGTON — A blue-ribbon panel of scientists is trying to determine the best way to detect and ward off any wandering space rocks that might be on a collision course with Earth.

``We're looking for the killer asteroid,'' James Heasley , of the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy , last week told the committee that the National Academy of Sciences created at Congress' request.

Congress asked the academy to conduct the study after astronomers were unable to eliminate an extremely slight chance that an asteroid called Apophis will slam into Earth with devastating effect in 2036.

JOURNAL OF LAW AND ECONOMICS: Weathering Corruption

Could bad weather be responsible for U.S. corruption? Natural disasters create resource windfalls in the states they strike by triggering federally provided natural-disaster relief. By increasing the benefit of fraudulent appropriation and creating new opportunities for such theft, disaster-relief windfalls may also increase corruption. We investigate this hypothesis by exploring the effect of disaster relief provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on public corruption. The results support our hypothesis.

CQ POLITICS: Northcom Chief Vows to Address Worries About New Homeland Unit

A senior military official pledged Wednesday to address congressional concerns about a new homeland emergency response task force that is designed to respond to a chemical, biological or nuclear attack.

Air Force Gen. Victor E Renuart Jr., commander of U.S. Northern Command (Northcom), also told reporters that the new force, which will eventually total 20,000 personnel, will not require new funding right now and is not meant to authorize the federal government to enforce martial law.

YAHOO NEWS: NRC issues security rules

WASHINGTON – The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is beefing up security at commercial nuclear power plants, including more stringent requirements to counter potential cyber attacks.

YAHOO NEWS: Harmless white powder mailed to US embassies

WASHINGTON – Eight U.S. embassies in Europe have received suspicious letters of white powder, the FBI said Tuesday in what the agency called a hoax.

Additionally, more than 40 governors' offices nationwide have gotten the letters, which also contain an unspecified note, FBI spokesman Rich Kolko said.

YAHOO NEWS: British pilot hits cow during emergency landing

LONDON – A British pilot said he ran into an unusual hazard while making an emergency landing — a cow. Rob Wotton said he was trying to land his World War II-era Tiger Moth after the engine stalled just after takeoff southwest of London on Sept. 14. He was about to touch down in a field when the animal wandered into his way.

NEWSWEEK: A Germ Warfare Guru Goes Free

A U.S.-trained Al Qaeda microbiologist has been released from jail by the Malaysian government, prompting alarm among American counterterrorism officials.

REUTERS: Train carrying fertilizer derails in Minnesota

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Two freight trains collided in southeastern Minnesota on Wednesday, derailing about 40 cars, spilling liquid fertilizer and sending one locomotive into the Mississippi River, authorities said.

No one was injured but two employees of the Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd, operator of both trains, were taken to the hospital for examination, CP Rail spokesman Mike LoVecchio said.

The accident involved one train with 15 rail cars, and another with 93 rail cars, three of which contained fertilizer, he said. The rest were empty.

A 1,000-gallon (3,785-liter) stationary tank of propane used to warm the tracks was also punctured and had a small leak, said Joyce Tlougan of the Winona County Emergency Management Department.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: European Emergency Number 112 Now Works in all EU Member States

People can now reach emergency services from anywhere in the EU, simply by dialing 112, the single European emergency number. Now that 112 can be called from any phone in Bulgaria, it has achieved complete availability just before the Christmas period when thousands of people travel between EU member states to visit family, hit the slopes or look for winter sun. It also crowns the combined efforts of the European Commission and EU member states to make 112 fully available everywhere so that Europeans will always have a lifeline in the EU.

Non-traditional highre education degrees may be an option for emergency managers

In a recent article by Bob Jaffin in Government Technology, the increase in emergency management degrees was discussed. The article also mentioned Thomas Edison State College. I am an alumni of TESC.

I received my emergency/disaster management bachelors degree from TESC. Originally, I was working on a degree in nuclear engineering technology, using my U.S. Navy nuclear power training as a foundation. The Nuclear Power program trains engineers to run the nuclear reactors on ships and subs in the Navy. The program was classified, but in an arrangement with TESC, the training program was evaluated so a program graduate could earn college credit for the accomplishment. (At the time I was in the program, the school was highly competitive, crammed a lot of information into a very short period of time, and was considered equivalent with the top universities in the country.)

I eventually changed my major to reflect where I really wanted to go with my career. While most of my former peers went on to commercial nuclear power plants, I wanted to take a different path. At that time, there was not a lot of online options, but TESC was flexible enough so that courses from different colleges, exams and transfer credits could by used to meet degree requirements. In many ways, this was the beginning of the move to non-traditional degree options.

A lot of emergency managers out there have cut their teeth in the field, earning a lot of experience and knowledge in the process. It may be tough for some to go back to school full time. The nontraditional degree route may be a better option for them.

GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY: Emergency Management Profession Gets Boost From Increase in Degree-Granting Programs

Dec 15, 2008, By Bob Jaffin

Professions such as law enforcement, fire science, emergency management and homeland security continue to evolve and develop. Simultaneously higher-education course delivery methods also continue to evolve. In fact, both adult education and online education continue to grow faster than traditional programs.

The development of emergency management as a profession and a recognized discipline is a direct result of the large increase in degree-granting programs. This has made it necessary for many who entered the field early to now earn undergraduate and advanced degrees or certificates in their areas of expertise, such as finance, budget and public administration.

This article will briefly examine a cross section of opportunities available for anyone willing to obtain academic degrees or certifications. At the same time, we as a society are recognizing the inherent value of lifelong learning. Part of that comes from extended life expectancies, and another part comes from the growing body of knowledge we use in our professional endeavors.

REUTERS: "Death map" shows heat a big hazard to Americans

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Heat is more likely to kill an American than an earthquake, and thunderstorms kill more than hurricanes do, according to a "death map" published on Tuesday.

Researchers who compiled the county-by-county look at what natural disasters kill Americans said they hope their study will help emergency preparedness officials plan better.

CQ POLITICS: Homeland Security ‘Midnight’ Regulations More Nuisance Than Worry

A handful of contentious homeland security regulations are in the pipeline in the waning days of the Bush administration, but some of the more controversial proposals have been softened or left for the new administration to deal with.

White House Chief of Staff Joshua B. Bolten announced earlier this year that the Bush administration would avoid issuing a torrent of last-minute regulations, a practice that has been part of the republic since its founding.

Bolten directed department heads in a May memo to hold off issuing so-called midnight regulations “except in extraordinary circumstances.”

These regulations can create confusion for the incoming administration and require a lengthy proposal and public comment period to be officially undone.

But in the meantime, President-elect Barack Obama can direct his appointees not to enforce last-minute Bush regulations, or steer resources away from programs he disapproves of, according to Matt Madia, regulatory policy analyst for the watchdog group OMB Watch.

NTI: Homeland Security Council Out? Obama Might Add Responsibility to National Security Council

By Shane Harris National Journal

WASHINGTON -- The incoming Obama administration is considering changes to the White House's role in homeland security policy that could dramatically enhance the influence of the president's national security adviser, giving him a primary role in shaping disaster management and counterterrorism policy within the United States (see GSN, Dec. 3).

BALTIMORE SUN: Shifting priorities affect police presence on the city waterfront

Peter Hermann | Baltimore Crime Beat

December 14, 2008

A little more than three years ago, the Baltimore Police Department's Marine Unit was an indispensable crime-fighting tool. The city had spent $143,000 on a state-of-the-art 27-foot SeaArk craft packed with the latest radar, sonar and satellite navigation, and had enough federal homeland security money to buy two more.

"You are always concerned that there is a possibility that Sept. 11 can happen again, right here with us," Sgt. Ed Coleman explained back then.

What had appeared necessary for the security of the nation and the citizens of Baltimore is suddenly not so necessary anymore. Money isn't flowing as it was then; in fact, city police are cutting back while dealing with nearly a murder-a-day crime pace that started at the beginning of November and threatens to overshadow gains made earlier this year in reducing the number of killings.

The city's five police boats are still docked between Fells Point and Canton, but the 14 officers assigned there have dwindled to a single sergeant, who can go out if required. It's nearly winter, crime is surging, the budget is tight and the police commissioner has redeployed the marine officers to different jobs, at least until the ice thaws and people go sailing again.

ISRIA: Canada and United States Renew Emergency Management Cooperation Agreement

The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Honourable Peter Van Loan, Minister of Public Safety, today welcomed the renewal of the Agreement Between the Government of Canada and the Government of the United States of America on Emergency Management Cooperation.

NEWSWEEK: FEMA’s Turn To Get Saved

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which was widely ridiculed for its pitiful response to Hurricane Katrina, may undergo big changes under President Obama. Agency critics say the nation's disaster-relief efforts have been hampered ever since FEMA was lumped into the Department of Homeland Security—the slow-footed bureaucratic behemoth created by the Bush administration after 9/11. Last week, officials from the International Association of Emergency Managers, which represents local disaster agencies, met with Obama aides and urged them to break FEMA free from Homeland Security and restore its previous status as an independent agency.

BLACKBERRY INSIGHTS FORUM: Are you prepared? Emergency / Disaster Prevention with your BlackBerry

Here is a list of essential applications and utilities you need for your BlackBerry to be prepared:

ANN ARBOR NEWS: Homeland Security failed to protect U.S. from financial harm

Immediately after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 a common expression was that "everything is different now." In fundamental ways, many things are different in relation to counterterrorism strategies and the enforcement and administration of criminal justice both at home and abroad.

For example, the local police are now engaged in the "war on terror" in addition to fighting crime, and the FBI - originally devoted to domestic law enforcement - has international field offices today in places like Afghanistan, Indonesia and Uzbekistan. Indeed, large portions of the criminal justice system, the military and the intelligence and security institutions have been reorganized, largely through the Department of Homeland Security, to fight a war on terror that has neither a time frame nor a reliable means of measuring the extent of success or failure in this war.

More importantly, what has fallen below the radar are the connections between these changing legal crime-fighting operations and their effects on the missing war on white-collar and state-corporate crime.

It is these "omissions" in controlling many financial practices from Wall Street to Main Street that may be linked to this country's current economic crisis.

PLATTS: FEMA agrees to new reimbursement policy for damaged power systems

The US Federal Emergency Management Agency on Friday said it had reached
an agreement with state emergency management agencies and cooperative and
municipal utilities over the terms of a proposed national policy on
post-ice-storm reimbursement for downed and damaged distribution lines.

NOLA.COM: FEMA approves $150 million for Katrina damages to Charity Hospital

After years of haggling with state officials, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced late Friday that it has approved $150 million for hurricane-related damage to Charity Hospital.

The amount is far less than the $492 million that the state claims the damage is worth but considerably more than the $23 million that FEMA previously had said it was willing to pay.

Rather than bring the long-running dispute to an end, FEMA's announcement merely moves the issue to the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama.

MOAA: Homeland Security — coming to a small screen near you!

We were roused from a Grey’s Anatomy-induced stupor by an advertisement for a new series. It seemed to be a spoof on reality show TV.

“Homeland Security USA,” said the announcer. Since there was no “gotcha’ moment or announcer to confess the joke was on the viewer, it became painfully obvious that ABC would, in fact, air a reality show about the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

HERITAGE FOUNDATION: The Quadrennial Homeland Security Review: A Vital Tool for the Obama Administration

by Jena Baker McNeill Backgrounder #2215

Election Day has come and gone. While homeland security did not play a major role in the 2008 presiden­tial election, Americans must not forget that the impor­tance of keeping the nation safe does not diminish in the transition from one Administration to the next. Homeland security is different from many of the issues in the political marketplace because if homeland secu­rity fails, lives are lost and all the other issues are imperiled. Protecting Americans from hostile enemies, preparing for and responding to natural disasters, and securing the country's borders should be less about pol­itics and more about implementing sound approaches that keep our country free, safe, and prosperous.

The best way to ease this transition is through the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR). The QHSR will be a new comprehensive review by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including recommendations for future action.

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE: A disaster agency that's a disaster

Earthquake, wildfire or flood - take your pick for the next natural disaster that will hit California. But if you want to see the aftermath, look at the Texas gulf coast where a 30-mile stretch of shore remains buried in smashed homes, dead animals and splintered trees nearly three months after Hurricane Ike.

It's disaster piled on disaster, and the results are pinned on the Federal Emergency Management Agency by angry Texas officials from the governor on down. FEMA, once again, stands for failure, error, mismanagement and arrogance.

WHNT: Marshall County EMA is Likely Moving

The Marshall County Emergency Management Agency could soon be moving to a new location. The agency is currently housed in a small space in the basement of the Marshall County Courhouse. A space so small, much of their equipment is stored in the hallways.

REPORTER: Cain New Chief Of Public Safety

A restructure of two city departments has a familiar face leading both the Hillsboro Police Department and Hillsboro Fire/Rescue.

City Manager Jack Harper announced the creation of the Hillsboro Public Safety Division Monday morning, December 8.

Police Chief Tony Cain will serve as the director over the new entity as chief of public safety.

“The departments will continue as two separate departments. The change is that Chief Cain will direct the activities of both,” Harper explained.

PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT BLOG: Web 2.0 and disaster management

There's been quite a lot of attention in the media recently about the role of Web 2.0 in disaster management. Spurred by the Mumbai attacks, Jeremiah Owyang, a specialist in web strategy and social media, wrote an interesting article on "How Municipalities Should Integrate Social Media Into Disaster Planning." (For a different but also fascinating take on what municipalities can achieve through the web, see "a city that thinks like the web").

And it's not just man-made disasters that are getting attention. Aftershock is a website entirely devoted to "the world’s first massively collaborative disaster simulation about a major earthquake affecting much of Southern California."

TECHNOLOGY TIPS: Getting the new technologies approved

In a recent blog on Eric Holdeman's Disaster Zone, Eric quoted Pascal Schuback on using technology for EM. I agree with Pascal's and Eric's comments, but think there is another layer to consider. What about the Emergency Manager who is on top of technology, who wants to move forward, but the "mastadons" are the bean counters and the senior approvers? We all know people who have the authority to approve these projects who can not spell VOIP, let alone understand it.

This is just another example of the widely diversified talents required of emergency managers. Not only do you have to understand the technology, you have to be able to explain it to the non-techies and justify it to the approvers. The tip for today is building your support structure to get these things moved forward. Most of the technology can benefit everyone at some level. Make sure you take advantage of that fact to garner support for the project.

AMERICA NATIONAL CATHOLIC WEEKLY: Ideas for Obama: Raid Homeland Security Budget

Over the next few days, we will throw out some policy ideas for the new Obama administration. Readers should send in their own proposals by posting a comment.

While the financial crisis permits Obama to spend almost unlimited amounts of money in his first year trying to jump start the economy, he still needs to find ways to re-direct government funds towards projects liberals care about. He can start by raiding the Pentagon and Homeland Security budgets for mass transportation.

Mass transportation? It’s called an evacuation plan.

AZCENTRAL.COM: Public-safety column: Ride-alongs

Two firefighters play video games from the comfort of a pair of recliners, happily stalking each other with guns as they enjoy a momentary lull in emergency traffic at Station 27 in northeast Phoenix. Others prepare homemade shredded beef tacos - a firehouse dinner favorite.

It appears like a quiet afternoon, a classic example of the "Ride-along Jinx" that many journalists and public officials experience during observation runs with the Phoenix fire and police departments. Those who want to see their first-responders in action often get nothing more than a handful of routine calls.

WASHINGTON POST: Study: Maryland Ranks Last in Disaster Preparedness

A new study finds Maryland tied for last among states nationwide in readiness for a health emergency.

Maryland scored a five out of 10 possible points on indicators for health emergency preparedness capabilities according to the study released Tuesday by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

MENS NEWS DAILY: Homeland Security Experts Offer President-Elect Obama Counseling

Jim Kouri, CPP

The Homeland Security & Defense Business Council and the Georgetown Public Policy Institute today held a transition briefing to discuss the historical context of the US Department of Homeland Security, the evolution of the homeland security mission, and recommendations to the Obama Administration for where the Department should go from here.

“Although we are certainly doing better, we are not there yet,” said Greg Pellegrino, Chair of the Homeland Security & Defense Business Council and Global Managing Director at consulting giant Deloitte. “Speed and openness is the enemy of security and after 9/11 we responded very rapidly. We are still navigating the balance between openness and protection.”

LOSANTAVILLE BLOG: Homeland Security in the Obama Administration

Homeland Security in the Obama Administration

I received a copy of a report from the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) from my friend Claire Rubin a JHSEM. Neither candidate spoke much about issues of homeland security or emergency management during the campaign. The CSIS article is entitled “Homeland Security in an Obama Administration” and covers eight categories the President-elect intends to address during his administration.

HOMELAND SECURITY WATCH: More Insight Into the Next Administration’s HLS Priorities

by Jonah Czerwinski on December 5, 2008

Readers will recall the dearth of attention given to homeland security during the presidential campaign. In part, this was a welcome absence. It reflected some level of consensus on the issues between the candidates, but it also indicated a lop-sided focus during the campaign on kinetic aspects of combating terrorism (notwithstanding the significant attention given by candidate Obama to soft power mechanisms). However, now that the election is over, there is an abundance of discussion about whither homeland security policy, the Department of Homeland Security as an organization, the future of certain of its component agencies, and the question of how the White House will be organized to lead the mission at a variety of levels.

NY TIMES: ABC Schedules a ‘Homeland Security’ Series

ICF International Awarded $1.5M Task Order under Department of Homeland Security Contract

THE SUN: Cal State San Bernardino has new emergency response chief

SUFFOLK NEWS HERALD: City to break ground at new safety center

WTVD: City council approves safety center's design

NY TIMES: Reforming FEMA: Two Senators Speak Out

DAILY PRESS: New indictment: Bernard Kerik shoulda spilled in Dept. of Homeland Security interview

NY TIMES: ‘Political Archaeologists’ Find Surprises During the Transition

DHS Announces $34 Million in FY 2009 Emergency Operations Center Grants

EOC applications must be submitted via www.grants.gov no later than Feb. 27, 2009.

GW HATCHET: City, GW prepare for inauguration

As Jan. 20 quickly approaches, federal, city and GW officials are beginning the arduous task of planning President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration, which is expected to draw millions of visitors.

As many as four million people are expected to attend the event. With most of the District, including GW, observing Inauguration Day as a holiday, locals and visitors will pour into the National Mall to watch Obama deliver his inaugural address only blocks away from campus.

John Petrie, GW's assistant vice president for public safety and emergency management, will also have a hand in inauguration coordination since it is expected to draw millions of people to the University's doorstep.

TECHNOLOGY TIPS: Emergency Warning Functions in Telephone Systems

Modern telephone systems have a public address or paging function either built in or part of a connected controller. If you have ever been at a retail store and heard the overhead speaker announcement that diapers are on sale in aisle 4, then heard a sound like someone hanging up a phone, that is an telephone system PA function.

This function can be a critical (and often overlooked) part of an emergency warning system. Whether in a retail store or an office setting, the ability to announce to every phone in the system of an emergency can be invaluable. Look for features such as all or selected paging, paging to phones and/or stand alone speakers, and the ability to integrate with other warning systems. A very important function is the ability to add a passcode to prevent unauthorized use.

Here is an example of how this works. The emergency coordinators in an office building monitor the weather radio. A tornado warning is issued. The emergency coordinator picks up any phone in the system, punches in the ALL CALL passcode, and announces a take cover warning to everyone. The warning goes out over the telephone speakers (whether the phone is in use or not) and over stand alone PA speakers. Once the tornado has passed, an all clear announcement is transmitted the same way. A step up in functionality could be integrating the weather radio alert directly into the telephone system, with either an ALL CALL or designated phones.

Contact your telephone vendor or IT provider for more information.

HOMELAND SECURITY WATCH: DHS Issues 73 Terms in Official Lexicon of Homeland Security

DHS is in the process of building an Integrated Risk Management Framework to gather, integrate, analyze, and communicate information about risk in order to prioritize efforts and resources.

A newly released DHS Risk Lexicon is designed to support the Integrated Risk Management Framework by defining a standard set of definitions for DHS risk management. The DHS Risk Lexicon provides definitions for 73 terms deemed fundamental to homeland security risk management.

HOUSTON CHRONICLE: New White House urged to bolster cybersecurity

WASHINGTON — A pioneering bipartisan report that will be released today calls on the incoming Obama administration to set up a high-level office to coordinate the defense of the nation's computer systems from cyber-attacks by rival nations, industrial spies and criminal syndicates.

NEW YORK TIMES: Playing it Safe Around Pirates

A week after pirates fired on one cruise ship near the Horn of Africa, a German cruise company has decided to play it safe in dangerous waters.

Hapag-Lloyd cruises announced today that a ship sailing from Genoa, Italy, to Dubai would unload 300 passengers and crewmembers before it reaches the Gulf of Aden, the lawless stretch of water off the Somali coast where pirates have menaced passenger boats, boarded cargo ships and hijacked a Saudi tanker loaded with $100 million in oil.

WASHINGTON BUSINESS JOURNAL: Inauguration celebration seen as ‘opportunity’ and ‘nightmare’ for D.C.

The inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama will create an economic boom and a logistical deluge for the District, according to organizers speaking to Greater Washington Board of Trade members Monday.

Having as many as 4 million people visit the region in one week -- about one-fifth the number that typically visit the region in one year -- “is an enormous opportunity or logistical nightmare” said Jim Dinegar, president and chief executive officer of the Board of Trade, to more than 100 business leaders gathered at the law firm K&L Gates. Dinegar said there were requests for parking spaces for 10,000 buses, enough to stretch around the Capital Beltway and up to Baltimore.

Companies should plan for emergencies, delays in delivery of goods due to packed roads, communications failures and other infrastructure deficiencies, according to Charles Fishher, vice president of James Lee Witt Associates. “When you bring this many people into the area you are going to see some stress to the system,” he said.

HOUSTON BUSINESS JOURNAL: Perry asks FEMA for $300M

Governor Rick Perry has written a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency requesting $300 million to create an alternative temporary housing program for Hurricane Ike victims to supplement the existing FEMA program.

MIDDLETOWN JOURNAL: Butler County leaders seek to replace EMA director

HAMILTON — In a pair of scathing letters, Butler County leaders and police chiefs across the county expressed a lack of confidence in the county's emergency management chief after his response to September's historic windstorm.

In a letter to the Butler County Emergency Management Agency governing board today, Dec. 8, two county commissioners said EMA Director William Turner's "service has become a divisive force instead of a unifying force in Butler County."

Commissioners Donald Dixon and Gregory Jolivette called for "a change in management of the EMA."

USA TODAY: Nuclear weapons decision awaits Obama

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — One of the most important national security decision facing President-elect Barack Obama will unfold in this remote valley of aging factories, where workers enriched uranium for the first atomic bomb of World War II.

FREEP: Granholm’s mailroom receives powder; no injuries

LANSING -- Test results from the Michigan State Police have come back negative for a suspicious package with a powdery substance received at a Michigan government mailroom.

Pentagon: 9/11 conspirators want to confess

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Five detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, say they want to confess to conspiracy charges for planning the September 11, 2001, attacks, a Pentagon spokeswoman said Monday.

Officials: 3 dead after military jet crash

(CNN) -- A military jet crashed into a residential neighborhood in San Diego, California, on Monday as it tried to land at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, killing three people in a home, authorities said.

The victims -- two adults and an infant, according to the San Diego medical examiner's office -- were in one of two houses destroyed by the crash and ensuing fire, officials said.

One other person believed to be in that house is missing.

The pilot of the F/A-18 Hornet ejected safely and was taken to a hospital, the Marine Corps said in a news release. The pilot, whose name was not released, was the only occupant of the two-seat aircraft, the Marine Corps said.

Special Events Planning - Not Just Security

There has been a lot of discussion lately about whether FEMA should be in or out of DHS, with lots of good comments and thoughts on both sides. One of the big reasons to move FEMA out is to ensure that the all-hazards approached is maintained and the big picture is maintained.

Special Events (Contingency) Planning is a good example of the where the security focus can lose the big picture. When special events planning is led by the law enforcement-homeland security sector, it tends to focus on only the security aspect. Even some of the planning guides found on the internet developed by the law enforcement sector talk about other sectors such as fire, EMS, public health, public works and the like as "support" functions. This is not an indictment; this is the natural tendency of a sector to focus on their areas of expertise.

In fact, a good special events (SE) plan ensures that all sectors are represented and considered. All special events have different needs and areas of concern, with security being one of those areas. You can see this in the recent discussions of the Black Friday shopping incidents. Yes, security is an issue, but coordination between the retailer and local responders, the design of the buildings, and the psychology of crowds are also important issues. A good SE plan will use the principles of emergency management to coordinate, collaborate and communicate with ALL the players on a level basis, not just the familiar public safety agencies.

Also, a good SE plan is based on existing emergency/contingency/disaster plans. SE plans should not be an entity unto themselves. The SE plan should use the existing plans as the foundation, with the SE plan addressing the issues specific to the special event. If the SE plans are focused on the specific issues, it actually takes less overall time to plan, as the foundations are the same for each special event. Over time, this will make lead to stronger overall emergency planning for all situations.

Finally, the type of event covered by special events planning needs to be expanded. The minute someone says "we have always done that event this way, we don't need to go overboard, and nothing happens anyway", or something similar, should raise the red flags that this is probably the very event that needs a good planning effort. How many times do we have to after action an incident with the comment "who would have ever thought that could happen?" Have we already forgotten that lesson from 7 years ago?

For more information, see the IS 15a Special Events Contingency Planning training course.

Homeland Security, Emergency Management and the Economy

Dec 1, 2008, By Eric Holdeman

As I write this, the economy -- the financial markets, the stock market and what the future holds for business and families -- dominates the thoughts of most Americans.

What will a severe economic downturn mean for emergency management and homeland security? I'm not a futurist, but I'll take a crack at analyzing the outlook of emergency management.

Rethinking 700 MHz for Public Safety

Nov 21, 2008, By Sascha D. Meinrath

Emergency communications save lives.

The unfortunate corollary to this maxim: Communication failures kill. Increasingly attention is being focused on how to increase communication, not only within an emergency response organization, but also across first responders from different agencies. To remain fully connected, key communications officers have often adopted a "bat belt" approach with several communications devices - sometimes a half dozen or more - strapped to their waist. It's a necessity for communicating among the many different federal, state and local agencies' wireless networks during an incident.

Pentagon to Detail Troops to Bolster Domestic Security

The U.S. military expects to have 20,000 uniformed troops inside the United States by 2011 trained to help state and local officials respond to a nuclear terrorist attack or other domestic catastrophe, according to Pentagon officials.

The long-planned shift in the Defense Department's role in homeland security was recently backed with funding and troop commitments after years of prodding by Congress and outside experts, defense analysts said.

Panel warns biological attack likely by 2013

WASHINGTON – The United States can expect a terrorist attack using nuclear or more likely biological weapons before 2013, reports a bipartisan commission in a study being briefed Tuesday to Vice President-elect Joe Biden. It suggests the Obama administration bolster efforts to counter and prepare for germ warfare by terrorists.

"Our margin of safety is shrinking, not growing," states the report, obtained by The Associated Press. It is scheduled to be publicly released Wednesday.

TECHNOLOGY TIPS: Change those old VHS tapes into DVD

For those of you who still have VHS tapes (or for that matter, even Beta), before the picture fades away on the tape, consider converting them to DVD. There are several ways to do this:

1. GET SOMEONE TO DO IT FOR YOU
There are many places that will take your tape and convert it to DVD. They usually provide services such as cleaning up the picture and/or sound. The downside to this option is price - it can be very expensive. You may want to leave this option for those critical tapes or the tapes that could be in fragile condition.

2. GET AN ALL-IN-ONE BOX
There are several VHS-DVD Recorder devices on the market. They come in two basic flavors: cheap and simple, and geek squad. The simple type is limited in the bells and whistles, such as cleaning up the picture and/or sound. You put in the tape, put in a blank DVD, push the button - poof, out comes the converted VHS video on DVD. The more expensive boxes have the bells and whistles with lots of options, but it helps to bone up on conversions to get the most out of what you pay for.

3. USE SEPARATE COMPONENTS
This also runs the gamut from simple to geek. Simple has you set up the VHS tape player, run the output to a DVD recorder, hit record, punch play, and off you go. The DVD recorder can be a stand alone DVD player-recorder, or can be your computer. Most computers will require a separate analog-digital converter box. Again, this can be simple with few options, or complicated with lots of options.

If you want to go the geek route, do your homework. Spend some time on the internet to understand things like how DVD recording works, video compression, copy protection, etc. You may find that all need is the simple push-the-button set up. What ever method you choose, it is still better than finding your precious tape of the emergency response of the decade is nothing more than static on the screen.

Illinois family thanks employees with surprise bonuses

This has nothing to do with emergency management - or does it?

CHICAGO – Even though employees at the Peer Bearing Co. no longer work for the Spungen family that recently sold the Waukegan-based ball bearings maker, they still received a turkey each this Thanksgiving in keeping with tradition.

But even better was the gift that came in mid-September, when the Spungens threw a party to celebrate the company's acquisition by a Swedish company.

They gave away $6.6 million in year-end bonuses to Peer's 230 employees, decided by a formula based on each worker's years of service.

The 211-Emergency Management Nexus

211 is the national abbreviated dialing code for access to health and human services information and referral. 211 is a free, confidential service with universal social value, accessible to the entire population and national in scope. Calling 211 will help anyone get information and access to vital community services.

Emergency Management should closely collaborate with 211 to expand the benefits of this service. Many of the issues facing emergency management can be solved by 211.

One example is the use of 211 for community outreach and input. Most communities can not maintain the infrastructure necessary to handle incoming calls from the public during emergency situations. 211, especially in those states that are connecting the individual 211 systems together to provide surge capacity, can provide the ability to communicate with the public on a large scale. The 211 system can not only answer the phone and distribute public information, they can provide call analysis to emergency management to help focus public information efforts.

Another example is using 211 for volunteer management. The 211 system could take the incoming call, provide initial screening, and give preliminary directions to emergency volunteers. The information can then be forwarded to emergency management for action.

Another example is the development of a special needs registry. For most emergency management agencies, this is a daunting task, yet this is exactly what 211 can provide. Emergency management can work with 211 on scripts for incoming requests for assistance to include special needs. When you think about how many people 211 talks to in the average day, it is far more than even the best emergency agency agency could manage.

This is a win-win for everyone. It is especially important for 211, as these partnerships help increase the visibility of a vital community service. If you have not already done so, contact your local emergency management or 211 agency to schedule a strategy meeting to discuss how you can help each other.

Emergency Management and Innovation

An interesting book for emergency managers is The Medici Effect by Frans Johansson. To paraphrase the idea behind the book: find the intersection of fields, disciplines and cultures to combine existing concepts into extraordinary ideas in new ways.

This book brings out an important idea at this time in history. Emergency management has been on the forefront of innovative ideas in the past. The changes in the White House, Congress and across the country provide a fertile ground for stepping back and looking at the emergency management profession anew. Emergency management is all about collaboration, communication and coordination, some of the very same principles needed to find the new intersections of ideas.

TECHNOLOGY TIPS: Redundancy, Redundancy, Redundancy

Your entire emergency management system must be redundant - after all, it is supposed to be as disaster proof as possible.

If you have one of the emergency management information/incident management software programs, that's great. But what if it fails? Step back to basic word processing and spreadsheets. But what if that fails? Step back to paper-based management. All your forms should be usable at all these levels. All forms used in the software system should be printed and number of copies set aside for manual use. Your training and exercise program should include scenarios where the systems fail and you have to fall back on redundant methods.

Communications systems are another key area for redundancy. Do not rely on one or even two methods of communication. You may have to fall back all the way to runners, people physically running messages by hand. Yes, be concerned about information overload, but if it is a choice of too many or not getting through, go for too many. This can be an issue when members of your emergency response team complain that they get too many of the same messages. Your training must clearly explain the redundancy concept and the need to ensure that the message gets through.

These principles are equally applicable to the general public. Family emergency preparedness teaches concepts such as redundant communications among family members. Another example - while digital copies of important documents are good to have, it can be just as important to squirrel away that paper backup copy.

In the world of real estate, location is everything. In the world of emergency management, redundancy is the same. Ensure that redundancy is a key part of your planning.

TECHNOLOGY TIPS: Mapping, GIS and USNG

Many times, it is easier to understand a situation when the data is changed from words to pictures. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are software used to capture, store, manage, analyze and display geospatial data resources. GIS software can perform a wide array of functions, including use as an emergency management tool.

For example, combining natural disaster damage field reports with land tract and property assessment information can produce damage assessment reports showing property loss in less time and with greater accuracy than manually combining paper lists. This could result in reduced recovery time and cost, which improves the economic recovery.

Software is not the only answer, however. Even a paper map on the wall can be helpful. Laminate the map and use non-permanent markers to display the information. Another idea is to use clear overlays over the paper map for different information - a low tech way to simulate GIS software. Multiple maps can be used, but it is more difficult for the average brain to combine the multiple information into one visualization.

A final point is using a mapping standard. A key point of NIMS is all emergency responders speaking a common language. There are many types of ways to read locations on maps (street addresses, Public Land Survey System, State Plane Coordinate System, three types of latitude/longitude). Organizations should seriously consider following the recommendations to move to the US National Grid (USNG) as the mapping standard.

NY Times Editorial: Fixing FEMA

The train is moving down the tracks.

TECHNOLOGY TIPS: Network your copiers

Many offices have one of the large, high speed, high capacity, multiple function copiers set up for manual use. Features might include duplex printing, hole punch, stapling and the like.

Most offices use the copier by having someone walk up the machine to make the copies, using a document printed out somewhere else, say at the workers desk. There is another way - network the copier and print directly.

Networked workgroup printers are being used all the time. The same principle applies to the copier. Networked copiers allow users to access all the functions right from their desk, and eliminates the middle step of printing out a document to take to the copier. Cutting out the middle step is more efficient and effective. Functions such as user tracking for cost assignment and remote copier system status checks are also available.

Modern copiers either have the network option built in or available as an option. Contact your copier vendor or IT staff for assistance.

Obama to Nominate Daschle as HHS Secretary

While the immediate focus on the Daschle nomination has been on health care, it should also be interesting for emergency managers to understand the Daschle-emergency management connection and the potential impacts on public health preparedness.

ARTICLE: Daschle Criticizes Disaster Relief, Calls for Leadership at FEMA

Article by Sarah Mellott: Former Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle and former Federal Emergency Management Agency Director James Lee Witt criticized the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina during the first of a series of discussions hosted by Daschle Wednesday at the Center for American Progress.


http://www.thehoya.com/node/6780

VIDEO: Conversations With Daschle: Disaster Response in the Wake of Katrina

Video includes comments from Tom Daschle and James Lee Witt. (As you will recall, Sen. Dashchle's office was one of the targets of the Oct 2001 anthrax letters.)

http://www.campusprogress.org/features/657/conversations-with-daschle-disaster-response-in-the-wake-of-katrina

A Napolitano Nomination Could Signal Shift in Focus at Homeland Security

Multiple news sources are reporting Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano has been selected by the Obama team as the next DHS Secretary.

Rugged Wrist-Wearable Computer for Homeland Defense and First Responders

I love saving these articles, then looking back in a few years to see the evolution. Dick Tracy is coming, Dick Tracy is coming!

McCain backer Lieberman keeps Homeland Security committee chair

EMERCON: The Russian FEMA?

Some interesting information on EMERCON. EMERCON is somewhat equivalent to FEMA.

EMERCOM or The Ministry of the Emergency Situations (Russian: Министерство по чрезвычайным ситуациям - МЧС России) was established on January 10, 1994 by President Boris Yeltsin. The complete official designation is Ministry of the Russian Federation for Affairs of Civil Defence, Emergencies and Disaster Relief (Russian: Министерство России по делам гражданской обороны, чрезвычайным ситуациям и ликвидации последствий стихийных бедствий). Some consider the real date of birth of the agency as December 27, 1990, when the Russian Rescue Corps was established and assigned the mission of rapid response in the case of emergencies. (From Wikipedia)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMERCOM

http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/russia/agency/rusert.htm

http://www.mchs.gov.ru/ (Official site in Russian)

Mitigation - making a comeback?

New administration, new people, and new priorities in the nation's capitol could spell a comeback for mitigation. Mitigation not only reduces emergency impacts and recovery costs, it also provides a focal point for community preparedness activity. Several calls have already gone out for the new administration to bring back mitigation as a priority.

The Government Technology article below, written by Eric Holdeman and Ann Patton, discusses Project Impact. Project Impact was one of the victims of the change in administration back in 2000, even though it was a success story after only a few short years. Check out the article.


http://www.govtech.com/gt/articles/428900?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=link

Hazard Hazard Mitigation Association blog

The organization goals, as stated on the blog:

- To create a forum for professionals working in hazard mitigation to share their ideas and experiences

- To establish Hazard Mitigation as a profession in its own right.

- To serve as a source of training and technical information to those working in the field.

- To function as a professional and unified voice from hazard mitigation managers in the public marketplace of ideas and the political arena.

- To promote greater awareness of the social component of hazard mitigation decisions.


http://nhma.info/

TECHNOLOGY TIPS: Cutting edge can bleed you to death

Emergency management needs to be on the forefront of technology, the so-called cutting edge. There is a danger, however, that you can be too far in front. Knowing the pros and cons of new technology will not only keep your agency out front, but will also ensure that you can still operate under emergency conditions.

When considering new technology, you should consider several points:

1. Do we really need this technology, or is it just really cool?
   
2. Will this technology improve emergency capabilities?
3. If this technology fails, will this reduce my capabilities?
4. Is this technology proven reliable?
5. How much will this technology cost now vs. the future?
6. How much upkeep/maintenance is required for this technology?
   

For example, almost all emergency agencies have cell phones. Many are using the standard cell phone and service to do the basics, i.e. make a phone call. Adding services (email, internet, maps, etc.) and upgrading phones (PDA, smart phone, iPhone) will probably improve emergency capabilities. However, if you can not make a simple phone call because the additional services or equipment is having problems or does not work, then capability is affected. Make sure that you the new technology actually helps, not just that it is the hot new thing.

Cell phones are constantly improving, but like all technology, it takes a while to sort out the bugs. Problems with new equipment or service that may be acceptable when you are trying to find the restaurant for dinner tonight are probably not acceptable when you are trying to save lives. Consider keeping the older technology during a specified transition period.

Almost all new technology costs more in the beginning. Cell phones that cost hundreds of dollars now could be free in the near future. New cell service features that are expensive now almost always go down in price as more users come on line and improvements are made to the service. Just because technology came out last year does not mean that it is obsolete.

Finally, your basic cell phone requires a lot less upkeep than the more advanced technology. Adding data service, internet access, organizational email connectivity and the like requires personnel and time to keep the advanced stuff working. Make sure you know the support needed for the new technology.

Good emergency managers always want to be out in front of the technology curve. We always want to improve emergency management technology - ultimately it may save lives. Just make sure when you go cutting edge, you know the pros and cons, and keep the band-aids handy.

Where did it go wrong?

In doing research for a future article, the issue arose about why an emergency manager is not successful. It seems that there is a lot of information about how to do it right, but not a lot of lessons learned when it goes wrong.

We all know the characteristics of a successful emergency manager. We also know emergency managers who seem to have those characteristics but things still seem to go wrong. Why is that? Is it the emergency manager, the organization, the profession? What do you think?

"Readiness to Do Right" column

The Governing.com Management Insights column for November 12, 2008 "Readiness to Do Right" is about ethics. The article contains 6 actions to strengthen ethical readiness.

• Embrace your purpose

• Test your excuses

• Harness your moods

• Insist on integrity

• Cultivate trust

• Self-differentiate

http://www.governing.com/mgmt_insight.aspx

FEMA back to the Cabinet?

There is a lot of talk about the incoming President-Elect Obama's priorities for emergency management. A lot of the comments actually talk about the homeland security priorities when they are actually talking about emergency management. This is, of course, a result of the homeland security takeover that occurred after 9/11. One of the first casualties of that takeover was FEMA.

In the Clinton Administration, with James Lee Witt at the helm, FEMA went from worst to first, a Cabinet level independent agency that concentrated on emergency management issues with the full support of the President. FEMA should be returned to that status as soon as possible.

Yes, it is true that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for emergency management agencies in this country. However, one of the principles of emergency management is collaboration. An effective emergency management agency, at any level of government, is able to build relationships and consensus. As noted in ICMA Emergency Management: Principles and Practices for Local Government, as well as many other publications, an effective emergency management agency is more focused on coordination and collaboration, and less on command and control.

Another of the principles is to be comprehensive. Again, there is no one-size-fits-all solution, but most emergency managers will tell you that the agency responsible for emergency management needs to be in direct connection with the Chief Executive, and not buried in another agency with a more singular focus and multiple levels of bureaucracy in the way.

With the direct support of the Chief Executive, and with a good emergency manager who focuses on finding the win-win situations and spending just as much time on mitigation and recovery as on preparedness and response, the end result is an effective and efficient organization that sees the big picture and the long term. Improving government efficiency and effectiveness is a solution that fits all sizes.

Lessons in the Elections for Emergency Management

I voted today, and from all indications, so did the vast majority of the rest of the country. No matter who you voted for, I hope you were able to vote. In Michigan, for example, the prediction is currently at 70%! The potentially record-breaking voter turnout shows, in part, that voter apathy was overcome.

How does that matter to emergency management?

First, it shows that apathy can be overcome. There is apathy in the public, the natural human instinct to ignore all the warnings, to tell yourself "it will never happen to me." I just finished reading "The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why" by Amanda Ripley. (This is an excellent book, I highly recommend.) It helps explain why people think the way they do about personal emergency preparedness. Your local Joe Emergency Manager needs to understand how the political campaigns work (and don't work) and apply those lessons to areas such as public education on emergency management.

Second, it also has lessons for organizational education. There are many an emergency manager out there who has fought the battle with their leadership over the priotity of the emergency management program. (Free plug for EM Forum: Leadership Challenges in Emergency Management - A Moderated Panel Discussion is the topic of the day tomorrow at noon ET, go to www.emforum.org for more information.) How someone goes about getting elected has direct application to how an emergency manager gains support for their program.

Finally, it leads to the discussion of politics and the emergency manager. I would argue that a good emergency manager is apolitical, i.e., politically neutral. Of course politics affects us and how we do our job. The politics of the organization definitely affect the program. Some of the emergency management program goals could be aligned with a political viewpoint. Certainly we have our own political viewpoints. Still, you need to be politically neutral to be truly effective. After all, the point is to take care of ALL of the organization and ultimately ALL of the public.
To be clear, you need to be aware and engaged, and you need to deal with the politics, but the minute you align yourself with a political viewpoint, you have boxed yourself into a corner. (Check out Disaster Policy and Politics: Emergency Management and Homeland Security by Richard Sylves, University of Delaware for another viewpoint.)

Homeland Security is really part of Emergency Management

We continue to move back to where we were before the big Homeland Security tidal wave rolled through the nation. Homeland Security is just another part of the bigger Emergency Management picture. Yes, it is an important segment, but it is just one of many important segments. You hear it more and more how another government agency is changing the name back to emergency management, or how they are combining the separate homeland security function back into emergency management. It seems like we have been in the desert for quite a few years, and have finally found the way out.