NOLA.COM: Local FEMA leaders reassigned, National chief in N.O. probing complaints

Douglas Whitmer, the embattled chief of staff at the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Louisiana field office, has been asked to take a regional assignment at a Texas FEMA office, acting FEMA Administrator Nancy Ward said Friday.

Whitmer's was the only immediate departure announced by Ward, who arrived in New Orleans on Friday with a "tiger team" from FEMA in Washington to assess the morale of the office after accusations of widespread harassment, discrimination and favoritism surfaced in news reports.

NOLA.COM: FEMA chief reassigns staffer under fire

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A top FEMA official in Louisiana has been reassigned while the agency investigates allegations of misconduct by employees in its New Orleans hurricane recovery office, officials said Friday.

Acting FEMA Administrator Nancy Ward said the office's chief of staff, Doug Whitmer, was asked to take a temporary assignment at a regional office in Denton, Texas, following a "spike" in complaints by other employees.

NORMAN TRANSCRIPT: Before they were called doctors, 11 were police officers

Robby Frantz, M.D., Buck Hill, D.O. and Terry Hill, D.O. are used to working in high-stress situations as physicians at Norman Regional Hospital. Dr. Frantz serves as medical director of emergency services. Dr. Terry Hill practices emergency medicine, and Dr. Buck Hill is an anesthesiologist. The fast-paced environment is nothing unfamiliar.

Before they wore the white doctor's coat and carried a stethoscope, they were Norman police officers who worked in the Emergency Medical Services unit. The Norman Police Department was in charge of the ambulance service from 1978 to 1995.

"We were the EMS division," Frantz said. "You had to go to the police academy and do everything a police officer did."

SECURITY MANAGEMENT: Military Support Critical to Homeland Security, but Risky, Ex-Bush Official Says

02/27/2009 -

After Hurricane Katrina, former President George W. Bush was poised to shift responsibility for federal disaster response to the Pentagon until a senior defense official, harboring fears that date back to the country’s founding, warned that the move might violate the Constitution and federal statute.

That official, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense Paul F. McHale, Jr., addressed the American Bar Association’s Fourth Annual Homeland Security Law Institute conference Thursday in Washington, D.C.

TORONTO STAR: U.S. security chief seeks to ease Canadian fears

OTTAWA – The new boss of the U.S. homeland security department rejects suggestions Canada and the United States have a "thickened border" because of excessive security regulation since 9/11.

Still, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, speaking to Canadian reporters in a conference call from Washington, signalled an important shift in American rhetoric from the Bush years, going out of her way to say an "important balance" between trade and security at the border needs to be struck.

Napolitano refused to divulge the "preliminary" results of a review she ordered of the Canada-U.S. border's "vulnerabilities." She portrayed it as an information-gathering exercise.

But she sought to allay Canadian fears that her review meant a further "thickening" of the border.

FIREHOUSE: Massachusetts Town May Lay Off Entire Fire, Police Forces

NewsCenter 5's Jorge Quiroga reported that the central Massachusetts town of Dudley may lay off its entire fire and police forces. All members of both departments received a 30-day notice.

"Even if one or two got laid off from a full-time staff of six, it could have a real negative impact," said Dudley Fire Capt. David Koneczny.

All the jobs at Town Hall are also on the line.

HOMELAND SECURITY WATCH: Fussing over FEMA

On February 11 the Federal Emergency Management Advancement Act was reintroduced by Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK). With a much more promising launch, earlier this week Congressman James Oberstar (D-MN) Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee introduced the FEMA Independence Act ( HR1174 has not yet been posted to THOMAS). Both propose returning FEMA to the status of an independent agency.

Yesterday the House Appropriations subcommittee on Homeland Security held a hearing entitled Disaster Response: Is FEMA up to the Job? The witness list included the acting FEMA administrator, a prospective FEMA administrator and the Adjutant General of Kentucky. I was not able to view the webcast, but media reports indicate witnesses claim red tape complicated the FEMA response to the Kentucky ice storm. What a surprise.

CNN: Obama's first budget: Key department figures

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Obama highlighted education, along with energy and health care, Thursday when he announced the outlines of his first budget. Copies of the Obama administration's 2010 budget go on sale Thursday. The government's fiscal year runs from October of one year to September of the next. Here are some key figures for various departments:

WASHINGTON POST: National Security Structure Is Set

President Obama's first presidential directive, outlining the organization of his national security structure, adds the attorney general, the secretaries of energy and homeland security, and the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations to the formal National Security Council.

The four-page directive sketches wide input to NSC meetings, providing for "regular" inclusion of senior trade, economic and science advisers.

DAILY NEWS: City disaster prep is no game, just looks it

On a life-sized wraparound screen in a nondescript Brooklyn warehouse Thursday, a virtual explosion ripped through a building and engulfed firefighters gathered outside.

A city worker playing an FDNY chief grabbed a joystick, zoomed back for a better look, and shouted for more pumped water, more engines and help for an injured pedestrian.

Across the room, Office of Emergency Management training expert Natan Mandelbaum punched those commands into one of his two laptops, then added some twists of his own.

GLOBAL POST: The Bhopal disaster: 25 years later

BHOPAL, Madhya Pradesh, India — In the dim light of her two-room shack opposite the site of one of the world's worst industrial disasters, the Bhopal gas tragedy of 1984, Leelabai Ahirwar delivers a quiet account of the event that ruined her life.

“I myself am still affected by the gas,” the 45-year-old mother of four says. “I suffer from chest pains, and I often feel like I'm about to die. But my children are worse off. My daughter is anemic and her body swells up mysteriously, and my son, Jagdish, never grew properly, so he looks like he is only 14 years old, even though he is almost 22.”

WNDU: Report says FEMA isn't prepared to handle another large-scale disaster

A report released Thursday by the Senate Natural Disaster Recovery subcommittee says FEMA is still not prepared to handle the housing needs of millions if another disaster like Hurricane Katrina hits the United States.

RCR WIRELESS: AT&T, Verizon Wireless crux of FEMA’s telecom reform

It is a new era for the Federal Emergency Management Administration as it streamlines communications for emergencies and its day-to-day operations.

The federal agency, which was widely criticized for its response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Ike in 2008, has new contracts with wireless and satellite providers that are intended to improve its communications capabilities.

EHS TODAY: NLC Offers Emergency Management Training to Local Officials

In the wake of recent disasters such as Hurricanes Rita and Katrina and the Minneapolis bridge collapse, the National League of Cities (NLC) has created the NLC-Emergency Management Training Program to provide in-depth emergency management training to local officials.

SCIENCE BLOG: Random antenna arrays boost emergency communications

First responders could boost their radio communications quickly at a disaster site by setting out just four extra transmitters in a random arrangement to significantly increase the signal power at the receiver, according to theoretical analyses, simulations and proof-of-concept experiments performed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

The NIST work, described in a forthcoming paper,* may provide a practical solution to a common problem in emergency communications. The vast amount of metal and steel-reinforced concrete in buildings and rubble often interferes with or blocks radio signals. This was one factor in the many emergency communications difficulties during the response to the attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

GOOGLE/AP: FEMA investigating La. hurricane recovery office

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal emergency management officials are investigating allegations of cronyism and other misconduct at the New Orleans office that is overseeing efforts to rebuild the hurricane-battered Gulf Coast, authorities said Wednesday.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has endured fierce criticism over delays in the rebuilding effort, sent a team of Washington investigators to the office last week. The agency expects a report on findings in the coming days, two top officials said at a congressional hearing on the Hurricane Katrina recovery.

FEDERAL NEWS RADIO: Obama asks for review of White House homeland security coordination

The White House is replacing Homeland Security Presidential Directives with Presidential Study Directives, and President Barack Obama issued the first PSD Feb. 23 requiring the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism to lead an interagency review of how the White House is organized on these issues.

The Federation of American Scientists first obtained the memo.

COURIER-JOURNAL: FEMA: Ky. ice storm damage $185 million

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has estimated that damage from last month's ice storm may exceed $185 million across the state.

MSNBC: EU calls for better disaster planning

BRUSSELS - The European Union called Monday for better planning to curb the impact of disasters across the world, saying global warming may trigger more of them and cause worse damage.

REUTERS: China official weeps, apologises for mine disaster

BEIJING, Feb 25 (Reuters) - The governor of China's coal-rich northern province of Shanxi wept as he apologised for a mine explosion that killed 74 people as an initial probe blamed negligence for the disaster.

Wang Jun, who replaced the province's former governor after the collapse of an unlicensed tailings dam at an iron ore mine killed 277 people in September, broke down while apologising to the families of victims, state media said on Wednesday.

FIERCE WIRELESS: CTIA, others urge FCC to ban low-power devices in 700 MHz band

The CTIA and several public safety groups wrote to the FCC on Monday and urged the commission to bar the sale or operation of low-power "auxiliary" devices in the 700 MHz spectrum. The groups said these devices would be "harmful" and would interfere with spectrum owners from fully using the spectrum.

YAHOO/AP: Breathing problems reported near Tenn. ash spill

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A survey finds Tennessee residents are experiencing breathing problems, stress and anxiety near where more than 1 billion gallons of coal ash sludge spilled from a power plant storage facility.

REPORT: Airport Disaster Preparedness in a Community Context

House T&I Committee Press Release - H.R. 1174 FEMA Independence Act of 2009

Senator Inhofe press release/prepared statement - S. 412 Federal Emergency Management Advancement Act of 2009

YAHOO: Economic Crisis Resulting in a Return to Personal Preparedness

Minneapolis (Vocus) February 19, 2009 -- Signs and wonders of the growing global economic disaster continue to emerge. No one is pretending to imply that things are going to be OK anytime in the near future. Millions of jobs are being vaporized. Home and real estate values are plummeting. Assets are disappearing into thin air and lives are being turned upside down.

Up to 40 million people will lose their jobs in 2009 according to the International Labor Organization. Over a quarter of a million western companies are expected to fail, representing record levels of insolvency. More than $10 trillion has been pledged by the U.S. alone toward solving the crisis.

Safecastle LLC owner Victor Rantala said, "Economic failure and cultural devolution are the best-case scenarios we have to work toward right now. The worst case?--the real possibility of the outbreak of major warfare, disease, and/or natural catastrophe that would coincide with the current demise of the economic system as we know it."

Scores of politicians, commentators, and experts from all walks of life have been toiling to get the word out in the last several months. The message is that people need to do what they must to be ready for a world that is about to be far less kind and gentle.

HOMELAND 1: FEMA gathering in Nev. raises eyebrows

LAS VEGAS — A Republican U.S. senator was all set to raise a ruckus about what appeared to be a federal agency sending workers to Las Vegas on the taxpayers' dime. But it turned out to be a false alarm.

Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., demanded to know why the Federal Emergency Management Agency had scheduled a gathering for 220 employees here in May. Citing President Barack Obama's recent condemnation of spending government money on trips to Las Vegas, he wanted to know how much it was going to cost and why it was necessary.

"While Las Vegas, or any other location, does not deserve to be unfairly singled out, we cannot expect taxpayers to pick up the tab for any extravagant junket when less expensive alternatives exist," Coburn wrote Wednesday in a letter to the Department of Homeland Security, of which FEMA is part.

Coburn's accusation was based on a passing reference to such a conference in a news story in Federal Times, a publication for government employees. However, it turned out that the conference in question will bring together local employees of federal agencies to be trained by FEMA staffers.

DESERT SUN: Emergency panel to change tactics

Members of the Rancho Mirage Emergency Preparedness Commission say they need to change how they reach out to residents to prepare for a disaster.

APNewsBreak: Terrorist in NYC bomb plot deported

NEW YORK – A Black September terrorist who served only about half his 30-year sentence for planting three car bombs in New York City in 1973 was deported Thursday, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

It was unclear which country had agreed to accept the 63-year-old Khalid Al-Jawary. The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the deportation, didn't immediately know where Al-Jawary was going.

Al-Jawary was convicted in federal court of placing the bombs in 1973 that could have killed and injured hundreds if they had detonated. They were timed to coincide with the arrival of then-Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir.

Al-Jawary was captured in 1991 and sentenced to 30 years in prison in 1993.

TECHNOLOGY TIPS: Handheld weather stations/meters

Weather information is everywhere, but the accuracy can vary for your specific location. Sometimes you want to know what the weather is right where you are standing. While weather stations can be mobile, such as response team vehicle-mounted stations, if you want to go even more portable, check out the handheld devices listed below.

KESTREL
http://www.kestrelmeters.com/

Kestrel makes the 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 Series, with website list prices from $74-$309. The bottom model is a wind meter only, while the top end covers measurements such as compass, altitude, barometric pressure, relative humidity, heat stress, temperature and night vision. The top end models also include date storage and computer interface. They also have specialty meters for specific functions like Delta T, Air Flow, Evaporation Rate, or Humidity Ratio.

SPEEDTECH
http://www.speedtech.com/ (click on weather meters on the left)

Speedtech carries the Skymate and Skymaster models, ranging from $49-$190. The top end Skymaster Weather Meter provides air velocity, temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, altitude, dew point, heat index, and wind chill readings. The Skymaster also graphically displays 16-hour pressure history and sounds an audible warning if severe weather threatens, all in a folding pocketknife design. Speedtech also carries the Windmate brand with the 100, 200 and 300 models, listing from $94-$220. Functions range from wind speed only to compass, temperature, humidity, wind chill and dewpoint.

SKYWATCH
http://www.weatherstationcentral.com/skywatch_wind_weather_meters.html

Skywatch makes the Xplorer 1, 2, 3 and 4 models. Like the other meters listed here, the models have a variety of features depending on the model, and list from $49-$139.

WRISTWATCH
There are wristwatches with limited weather capabilities, such as compass, altimeter, barometer and temperature.

A BIT DIFFERENT
A different twist is the Bushnell ONIX400 GPS Weather Tracker, advertised as the world’s first and only handheld GPS with satellite photography and XM weather. From the website at www.ambientweather.com : “Navigate using an actual satellite photo of your surroundings – layered with all your tools, waypoints and other points of reference. Subscription access to real-time XM weather and more than 170 channels of XM Satellite Radio programming featuring news, sports, talk, entertainment and music. Introducing the world’s first handheld GPS to combine navigational aids, satellite photography and XM weather on a single screen. It shows you the perfect pinchpoint for this wind. And how you should dress for the day. NEXRAD weather data downlinked via XM Weather, layered over a georeferenced satellite map of your location keeps you prepared. It’s all housed in a rubberized defensive armor built to XPX7 waterproof standards, with a high gain SIRF GPS receiver. In your palm.”

OTHER
Other websites for handheld weather include:
http://www.ambientweather.com/handheld.html
http://www.accumall.com
http://www.forestry-suppliers.com

NOTE: All prices in this post are either estimates or MSRP, and are highly variable. You MUST do the necessary research to get the best price. I have no connection to any of these vendors. This is by no means an inclusive list, but only a guide to help you narrow your search.

REPORT: RNC Commission Report & Executive Summary

BIOMEDICINE.ORG: Check Your Emergency Stocks When You Change Your Clocks, Says APHA

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As we gear up for spring, the winter storms that left many communities without power serve as a reminder that emergency situations can occur without warning. To ensure that we are ready for possible future emergencies, the American Public Health Association's (APHA) "Get Ready: Set Your Clocks, Check Your Stocks" campaign reminds Americans to update their emergency preparedness kits when they change their clocks on March 8.

TENNESSEAN.COM: Metro, Belmont look to team up on emergency information center

Belmont University has agreed to provide space for Metro Nashville to set up a central location from which to disseminate information after a disaster, Mayor Karl Dean announced today.

PROJECT DISASTER: Chemical Security Authorization Bill

WASHINGTON — Top aides on the U.S. House and Senate Homeland Security committees revealed plans Friday for moving a Homeland Security authorization bill and legislation regulating security at the nation’s chemical facilities, while acknowledging some potential obstacles ahead (see GSN, June 23, 2008).

FOX NEWS: DHS: Chances of Home-Grown Attack 'Very Low'

The latest intelligence indicates that a home-grown terrorist attack inside the United States is not likely anytime soon, according to a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security.

"We are not immune to an attack from a home-grown terrorist, but the probabilities and sustainability of such an act are very low," said DHS spokesman Michael Keegan.

That assessment came just hours after FBI Director Robert Mueller said his agency is "particularly concerned" that young men living in the United States could be recruited to attack the very country they call home.

WASHINGTON POST: FBI Director Warns of Terror Attacks on U.S. Cities

FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III today warned that extremists "with large agendas and little money can use rudimentary weapons" to sow terror, raising the specter that recent attacks in Mumbai that killed 170 people last year could embolden terrorists seeking to attack U.S. cities.

AP: Homeland chief orders gulf coast recovery review

WASHINGTON (AP) — In one of her first moves as Homeland Security secretary, Janet Napolitano has ordered a fresh review of hurricane recovery efforts in the gulf coast 3 1/2 years after two killer hurricanes swept ashore.

In testimony prepared for a congressional hearing Wednesday, Napolitano said the Federal Emergency Management Agency will assign a new team of senior staff members to look at ways to improve hurricane recovery operations that have been under way since hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. The Associated Press obtained an advance copy of her testimony.

HUFFINGTON POST: A Step Toward Human and Primate Safety

Last week in Connecticut, we had a tragic example of how reckless and dangerous keeping primates as pets can be. A chimpanzee that had been treated like a member of the household snapped. We still don't know exactly what transpired, or exactly why. What we know are the results, the animal was killed, people were horribly maimed, police officers attacked. Primates are wild animals, keeping them in our homes and our communities poses a serious threat to public safety and public health. In light of this horrific attack, we must move forward with legislation to prohibit the interstate trade of these animals, for human and animal welfare.

HOUSTON CHRONICLE: Crews prepare if digital disaster strikes

Digital communications are no longer a luxury. In this new century, both lives and livelihoods depend on being able to get information in all its forms across town, across the country and around the world.

And that’s why, four times a year, AT&T prepares for what its staff calls “the smoking hole” — a disaster that takes out a big-city central office, leaving a gaping void in the company’s massive telecommunications backbone.

THE CUTTING EDGE: Energy and the National Security Question

As the United States moves into a new era of governance, evident even at this early stage is the importance which is to be placed on issues of energy security in the administration of Barack Obama. The field is enticing for precisely the reason it is so difficult to address – it cuts across such a large variety of policy areas that consensus as to its vital nature often dissolves into misinterpretation and competing or redundant policy initiatives. At the nexus of energy and national security, then, we must differentiate the challenges we face in order to construct sustainable, viable, and effective strategies.

FEDERAL TIMES: Cybersecurity chiefs unveil plan to lock out intruders

Frustrated with the government’s ineffective approach to cybersecurity, a team of more than a dozen security experts is taking the unusual step of launching its own grass-roots effort to protect government computers.

The team today unveiled a list of 20 steps that all federal agencies and defense contractors should take to protect their networks from attacks.

HUFFINGTON POST: Why the RNC Commission Report Won't Help Future Planners of National Security Special Events

One of the notable aspects of President Barack Obama's inauguration in Washington was that, somehow, without tear gas, tasers or thousands of people dragged off in handcuffs, professional law enforcement was able to provide exceptional public safety in our nation's capital, even when crowds swelled to almost 2 million people. Those peaceful scenes contrasted sharply with what happened in St. Paul a little over four months before.

FEDERAL COMPUTER WEEK: FAA breach heightens cybersecurity concerns

The Federal Aviation Administration was doing such a good job at protecting data in its computer systems that the Office of Management and Budget chose it in January to be one of four agencies to guide other federal agencies in their cybersecurity efforts.

Just a month later, FAA officials had to admit that hackers breached one of the agency’s servers, stealing 48 files. Two of the files contained information on 45,000 current and former FAA employees, including sensitive information that could potentially make them vulnerable to identity theft.

ABC NEWS: Public safety 'not compromised' with air marshal cuts

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has confirmed the number of air marshals in Australia has been reduced over the past year.

AFP Commissioner Mick Keelty will not say how many agents are employed as air marshals or the size of the reduction.

It is the first year that the program has been reduced since it was introduced in 2002.

SUITE101.COM: Picking a Disaster Recovery Planning Coordinator

Disaster can strike any business at any time. Management should take a proactive stance toward disaster prevention and recovery in order to minimize both risk and loss. Since disaster can take various, often unforeseeable, forms the disaster recovery coordinator plays a key role in the continuing health and prosperity of an organization.

PRESS-REGISTER: Baldwin leaders fire back at audit

BAY MINETTE — Baldwin officials said they got a fair hearing last week when they presented a de fense of the county's 2004-05 hurricane cleanup operations to Federal Emergency Management Agency representatives.

"They listened, they asked questions, we explained things. Two of them made the statement after the meeting that it was the best presentation and documentation they had ever seen. It makes me proud for our staff," Commissioner Frank Burt said.

"You can tell if you are getting through to folks ... I am much more hopeful than I was before."

NY TIMES: Trying to Understand Two Bronx Juries’ Opposite Verdicts on a Fatal Fire

They were separate juries considering the fates of separate defendants, but for weeks they sat side by side in a Bronx courtroom hearing much of the same evidence. Still, the juries returned verdicts that indicated anything but a common opinion of the proceeding they had witnessed.

Prosecutors had alleged that two tenants of a Bronx apartment building, the building’s former landlord and its current landlord were at fault in the deaths of two firefighters who jumped from a window to escape a fire in 2005. The prosecution said that illegal partition walls erected by the tenants to subdivide the apartments had disoriented the firefighters.

The jury considering the case against the owners convicted them of criminally negligent homicide. But the jury judging the tenants who were accused of installing the walls cleared them of all charges.

CLEVELAND.COM: Cleveland to replace radio system with one that will cost at least $30 million

CLEVELAND — The city is scrapping its failing radio system and replacing it with a new one that will cost at least $30 million.

The city plans to seek proposals next week to build a new system that connects all the safety forces -- police, firefighters and rescue squads -- as well as the city's snowplows, garbage trucks and water department employees.

The old Motorola system, which was installed in the mid-1990s, has crashed three times since December, leaving police in a virtual blackout.

ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION: DeKalb CEO Ellis fires Police Chief Bolton

DeKalb County Chief Executive Officer Burrell Ellis fired police chief Terrell Bolton on Monday, ending Bolton’s sometimes stormy two-year tenure but possibly setting off lengthy administrative and legal battles.

Ellis sent a termination letter to Bolton echoing allegations made in a “pre-termination letter” he issued Friday. That letter accused the chief of insubordination, misuse of county property and acts unbecoming an officer.

BOSTON GLOBE: Boston is wasting millions on overtime, watchdog says

The city of Boston is wasting millions of dollars on unnecessary overtime, building maintenance, and out-of-state consultants, draining resources at a time when the city is so cash-strapped that it plans to lay off police officers and teachers, according to a report issued yesterday by the Boston Finance Commission.

The commission criticized public safety officials in particular, for failing to keep overtime costs under control. It cited overtime costs exceeding the budget of $17 million in the Police Department and of $5.3 million in the Fire Department. It also cited $1.1 million in unnecessary overtime for security guards, most of whom patrol City Hall.

Those three categories accounted for nearly a third of the $75 million in all overtime paid in the city last year.

IMT Team Center website

USA TODAY: TVA chief says coal ash spill was 'catastrophe'

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Trying to rebuild credibility as well as the site of a huge coal ash spill, the president of the Tennessee Valley Authority acknowledged the massive sludge flood was worse than the agency's public relations staff initially said.

"It was a 'catastrophe,"' Tom Kilgore said, contradicting an internal TVA memo obtained by The Associated Press in which the description of the disaster was changed from "catastrophic" to a "sudden, accidental" release.

"As I have told people, look at the second definition of the word 'catastrophe,"' Kilgore said. "It says, 'A sudden movement of large earth.' That is certainly what this was."

The TVA memo was also edited to remove "risk to public health and risk to the environment" as a reason for measuring water quality and the potential of an "acute threat" to fish.

CNN: New nuclear plants to protect against jet strikes

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission voted Tuesday to require any future nuclear power plants to be designed to withstand strikes from commercial jetliners, addressing a possible terrorist scenario that has haunted some people since the September 11, 2001, attacks.

CHARLESTON.NET: Emergency network from NOAA in the works

The coincidence is staggering — a right whale and dolphins wash up on Sullivan's Island, a fish kill surfaces in Charleston Harbor, crows start to drop at the old Navy base.

It could be an environmental catastrophe. It could be bioterrorism. People could be next.

ADVOCATE-MESSENGER: Lincoln fires emergency manager

STANFORD - Lincoln County Emergency Manager Winford Todd was asked to resign Tuesday after magistrates met with him in executive session, but Todd emerged defiant, refusing to resign and having to be escorted from the courthouse by Sheriff Curt Folger. He was subsequently fired.

Todd and the county have faced strong criticism over their response to the recent ice storm emergency, and the Fiscal Court is under pressure to improve on its preparedness.

FEDERAL COMPUTER WEEK: Officials eye a geospatial 'Virtual USA'

Federal and state authorities are collaborating on a project that would allow state and local caches of geospatial data to be interoperable and more useful with the goal of creating a "Virtual USA" for emergency response purposes.

The Homeland Security Department’s Science and Technology Directorate recently sponsored a first meeting where officials from several Southern states discussed their efforts to manage and use geospatial data and how they could share it with each other. Officials say the goal is to make local- and state-owned geospatial data interoperable and usable across jurisdictions, with non-federal authorities maintaining control over the data and deciding what data to share.

BEACONCAST.COM: Reinhardt Eyes Public Safety School in N. Fulton

Everyone knows that North Fulton’s Public Safety services are among the best in the state. Now, the cities are planning to make the service even better with a proposed Public Safety Institute.

FEDERAL COMPUTER WEEK: DHS to aid security at Oscars

The Homeland Security Department will provide Hollywood's local law enforcement agencies with a whole new view of this year's Academy Awards festivities.

DHS will deploy aerial technology known as L.A. Shield to support law enforcement set up around the ceremony's venue. The system would improve ground-based security assessments by providing aerial images and geographic coordinates and supporting real-time information exchanges.

HARTFORD COURANT: Merge Homeland Security With State Police?

With all the mergers and consolidations of state agencies being debated at the state Capitol, the latest idea being floated is merging the Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security into the public safety department with the state police.

Some legislators like the idea. Some don't.

Stay tuned. The earliest vote would be Wednesday when the House and Senate vote on the latest deficit-mitigation plan.

SUN JOURNAL: Carter named interim public safety director

RUMFORD - Selectmen heaped more responsibilities and work on police Chief Stacy Carter at Thursday night's meeting.

They also agreed to allow the fire department to operate at a minimum staffing of three full-time union firefighters at all times until the end of the fiscal year on June 30, after which, it can be renegotiated, Town Manager Len Greaney said.

Previously, the board only allowed two full-time firefighters to run the station if the third was out sick or on vacation.

Following an executive session, selectmen voted 3-1 to hire Carter as interim public safety director and increased his salary by $13,000 annually.

MSNBC: 911 Center Upgrade Links Cameras to Cops

A major upgrade to Chicago's 911 system was announced Thursday, linking the Office of Emergency Management's 911 center computers to security cameras across the city.

TAMPABAY.COM: Charges against ex-Hernando Emergency Management official Stephanie Anderson to be dropped

BROOKSVILLE — Prosecutors plan to drop charges against a former emergency management official who is charged with bilking Hernando County out of nearly $10,000 in bogus overtime claims on the condition she completes a diversion program.

Stephanie Anderson served as secretary to Emergency Management Director Tom Leto until her arrest in April on charges of official misconduct and grand theft. Authorities contend she collected about $9,300 for overtime she never worked.

UNT: UNT unveils Emergency Operations Center

Denton, Texas, Feb. 19, 2009 – The University of North Texas unveiled its Emergency Operations Center, a hands-on learning lab that will allow students and community organizations to practice responding to large-scale disasters, with an open house on Feb. 18 (Wednesday). The state-of-the-art facility was made possible by support from local facilities maintenance supply distributor Grainger and Situational Readiness solution provider NC4.

NY TIMES: California: Sentence in 2007 Fire

One of five men accused of recklessly causing a wildfire that burned 53 homes and damaged 23 others in Malibu was sentenced to probation and community service. The man, Brian Franks, 28, was sentenced to five years of probation, during which he cannot return to the Corral Canyon area where the 2007 wildfire originated. He also must perform 300 hours of community service and must make restitution, Judge Leslie Dunn said.

LINCOLN JOURNAL: Doss resigns as county's public safety director

Ernie Doss, director of the Lincoln County Department of Public Safety, submitted his resignation to Commission Chairman Wade Johnson on Monday, February 16.

The resignation was tendered in the wake of a decision made by the board of commissioners to take the E-911 center away from the public safety department and place it under the control of the sheriff's office.

Doss' resignation goes into effect February 27.

KY POST: FEMA Uses YouTube For Disaster Outreach

FRANKFORT, Ky. – State and federal officials are using new technology to get out important recovery information for the Kentucky disaster.

A message by Brigadier General John W. Heltzel, Director of Kentucky Emergency Management Division (KYEM), was posted Wednesday on YouTube.

HUTCH NEWS: Officials discuss quake response

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Emergency management officials in Missouri and Kansas say the states have plans in place to respond to an earthquake should a significant one hit.

They told the more than 50 residents who gathered for a town hall meeting Thursday that both states have "risk areas" that could be affected by major earthquakes in the future.

They said an earthquake of significant magnitude isn't likely to occur for many years, but it's still important to be prepared.

PROJECT DISASTER: Officials from Northern Command, National Guard, and emergency response communities discuss hurricane response plans

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Top Pentagon, National Guard and federal emergency responders said Thursday their first-ever joint conference will help speed assistance to people before, during and after this season’s hurricanes.

“This allows us to tighten down our overall ability to respond to an event and get assistance to the local community,” said Gen. Victor Renuart, head of the U.S. Northern Command. “Citizens don’t care whether it is a civilian responder or a military responder, National Guard or active duty, they just need help.”

About 300 members of federal, state and military organizations met for three days at a conference on Hilton Head Island, trying to avoid the confusion that arose as Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast. Representatives from 27 states attended, organizers said.

SCIENCE DAILY: Risk Factors That Affected World Trade Center Evacuation Identified

ScienceDaily (Jan. 27, 2009) — Researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health have released findings identifying factors that affected evacuation from the World Trade Center (WTC) Towers on September 11. A research methodology known as participatory action research (PAR) was used to identify individual, organizational, and structural (environmental) barriers to safe and rapid evacuation.

KIOWA COUNTY SIGNAL: Media Center considered as host for emergency information website

A more practical reason for getting the Media Center up and running sooner rather than later was also put forth at Tuesday’s Kiowa County Commission meeting, a reason based on the possibility of income stemming from the enterprise.
Ron Frank, former Kansas State professor and current media consultant for the Great Plains Disaster Information Network (GPDIN), gave his own presentation ten minutes into that of Media Center Board Chair Jan West to explain how the Kiowa County based enterprise could be the central production facility for a developing project called the Kansas Disaster Information Network (KDIN).

ELECTRONIC NEWS: Nokia Launches New Nokia N86 8-megapixel Cell Phone

Nokia has introduced the best mobile imaging device, it combined wide-angle Carl Zeiss optics and an 8 megapixel sensor, resulting in performance comparable to a stand alone digital camera. The Nokia N86 8MP is designed to excel in both bright and low light conditions, and it’s optimized for both video and still imaging. Its high-speed connectivity ensures easy and convenient sharing. The Nokia N86 8MP is expected to begin shipping in the second quarter of 2009 with an estimated retail price of EUR 375, before taxes and subsidies.

JAVMA NEWS: Disaster training part of Foundation's mission

Emergency preparedness is on many people's minds, as spring and early summer can be some of the worst times for natural disasters. Peak tornado activity occurs from April to July, and hurricane season officially begins June 1.

The American Veterinary Medical Foundation is once again sponsoring disaster-related training sessions this year to help veterinarians and emergency officials anticipate for the worst.

NEWSDAY: Guilty verdict in Bronx fire that killed 2 firefighters

Whispered cheers of "Yes!" erupted in a hushed Bronx courtroom Wednesday when a jury found the manager of an apartment building and the company that owns it guilty of criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment in the deaths of two firefighters who jumped four stories in 2005 to escape a deadly blaze in the Tremont section.

The jury took four days to convict a limited liability company named 234 East 178th Street and Cesar Rios, manager of the building where the firefighters died, in the so-called Black Sunday deaths that occurred in a blizzard on Jan. 23, 2005.

The company, owned by Leslie Berman O'Hara, also owns 236 E. 178th St. where the blaze occurred. O'Hara was not a defendant.

WESTERN STAR: EMA now hiring

HAMILTON — Wanted: A new Butler County Emergency Management director. Must be professional. Preferably certified in emergency management. Must be politically savvy enough to pull local governments together when disaster strikes. But must not be solely a politician.

Deadline to apply is late March.

SF EXAMINER: Public safety agencies getting in sync

REDWOOD CITY – If a major earthquake were to strike one of the fault lines that runs through the Bay Area, emergency officials from across the region would largely rely on cell phones and land lines to communicate with one another.

Most radio systems used by the region’s public-safety agencies are not compatible with those in other regions. The consensus is that this problem must be solved before a catastrophic emergency puts the region to a test, but the precise method for doing that is the subject of a heated debate — particularly in San Mateo County.

The controversy centers around disagreements over which system is better: the analog system that has been used by most emergency officials for decades, or digital technology that many — including the federal government — believe is the radio system of the future.

SEATTLEPI.COM: Whatcom County emergency official fired

BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- The Whatcom County sheriff has fired Emergency Management Deputy Director Don Boyd, who is accused of pointing a knife at a woman during a neighborhood party.

Boyd had been on paid leave since Nov. 24 when the internal investigation started and Friday when he lost his job.

UPI: Feds shared info on peaceful protesters

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- U.S. Department of Homeland Security tracked peaceful activists using information shared with the Maryland State Police, government documents show.

REUTERS: United States Navy Selects the Previstar Continual Preparedness Solution (CPS) as Navy Emergency Management, Incident Management System

ALEXANDRIA, Va.--(Business Wire)-- The United States Navy has officially designated the Previstar Continual
Preparedness System (CPS) as the Navy Emergency Management Incident Management
System (Navy EM-IMS). Previstar`s CPS is being deployed to the Navy`s 6
Continental United States (CONUS) Regional Operation Centers (ROCs), including
103 CONUS installations as well as the Commander`s Washington DC-based
Headquarters Installation Support Center (ISC).

BUSINESS WIRE: viaRadio Corp. Awarded State Emergency Management Communications Contract

MELBOURNE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The State of Florida Division of Emergency Management awarded Melbourne-based viaRadio Corporation an annual contract worth $419,533 for a County Warning System Pilot Program following a competitive bid. Beginning March 1, 2009, the pilot program will actively cover Brevard, Orange, Pasco and Polk Counties.

The company will also provide the State with more than three thousand HEARO receivers as part of the contract. Officials will use the technology to communicate with county staff, emergency management team members and in some cases residents of each county on subjects ranging from urgent safety concerns to road and school closures.

WLWT: Sheriff Under Fire For Cutting Patrols, Not Administrators

CINCINNATI -- Sheriff Simon Leis has come under fire for laying off deputies who patrol the streets while protecting his higher paid administrators from budget cuts. Leis declined comment Tuesday, but he has previously said the administrators were vital to department operations.

BLOOMBERG: Australian Bushfire Toll Won’t Rise Much Above 201, Police Say

By Robert Fenner and Gemma Daley

Feb. 18 (Bloomberg) -- The death toll from Australia’s worst-ever bushfires is unlikely to increase significantly above 201 as people missing in the blazes have been accounted for, police said.

Authorities had warned that as many as 300 people may have been killed in the fires that swept through Victoria state Feb. 7-8, razing more than 1,800 houses and leaving 7,000 homeless.

“We are comfortable that all those unaccounted for have been accounted for,” Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Kieran Walshe said at a televised news conference today.

LA TIMES: As Australia fire toll hits 200, focus turns to survivors

Reporting from Kinglake, Australia -- Pamela Phoenix had five seconds to flee her home of 30 years where she'd raised her two daughters. That was more time than many here got.

She threw her handbag into the car and tracked the onrushing bush fire in her rear-view mirror: "A fireball chasing me," as she recalled it.

WASHINGTON POST: Obama, Gates at Odds Over New Whistleblower Protections

During an election featuring Democratic allegations that U.S. intelligence was distorted to justify a misbegotten war, Barack Obama endorsed new protections for national security officers who blow the whistle on abusive, corrupt or illegal behavior, by offering them the right to sue for damages and challenge denials of their security clearances.

But by keeping a Republican-appointed secretary of defense strongly opposed to those changes, President Obama is finding the path to a new policy on federal whistleblowing much more complicated.

OH MY GOV: Homeland Security reading terror on people's faces

Terrorists, beware! If the onerous security measures added after 9/11 haven’t done enough to deter the next airline terrorist plot, the cramped seats, baggage fees, and recent airplane crashes surely have made it less inviting. Who wants to pay $15 to check a bag that will just get blown up anyway?

The Transportation Security Administration, however, isn’t taking any chances. Hot on the heels (removed, please, as you walk through the metal detector) of installing controversial full-body scanners at a number of U.S. airports, the Department of Homeland Security is evaluating a new device that supposedly senses hostile intentions in people.

REPORT: Texas Hurricane Ike Impact Report

REPORT: Public Health Preparedness: Strengthening CDC’s Emergency Response

REPORT: Homeland Defense: Actions Needed to Improve Management of Air Sovereignty Alert Operations to Protect U.S. Airspace

REPORT: Planning Guidance for Response to a Nuclear Detonation

REPORT: Assessment of States’ Operating Plans to Combat Pandemic Influenza (Jan 2009)

2008 ERG

This is the website for the 2008 Emergency Response Guide. The website has the PDF, ERG Mobile, and Spanish versions; Commercial Suppliers List; the Argonne National Laboratory Report; and the ERG Training videos. The next version is scheduled for 2012.

There is also a link to the National Library of Medicine WISER website.

VICTORIA ADVOCATE: Hurricane could wipe out emergency center

Victoria County could get an emergency operation center capable of withstanding 170 mph winds if its grant application for $1 million is successful.

The commissioner court gave its backing to the project Tuesday and hopes to hear within a couple of months whether it will get the U.S. Department of Homeland Security grant.

BROOKS BULLETIN: Brooks was in the path of space junk

Brooks was in the potential path of space junk on Friday the 13th.

At about 10:30 a.m. the province got word that debris from a Russian rocket, about the size of a school bus, was hurtling towards Alberta. First it was thought Calgary might be the only centre in jeopardy, but soon southern Alberta, including Brooks, Hanna, Vulcan, Strathmore and Drumheller, was moved to the warning list.

At 10:46 a.m., just as the emergency warning button was about to be pushed by an official at the Alberta Emergency Management Agency, a call came in from Ottawa to say the debris suddenly was moving away from Alberta. It fell into the Atlantic Ocean.

HOUSTON CHRONICLE: Panel OKs new plan to allocate federal Ike aid

Houston-area elected officials approved a plan for allocating $814 million in federal Hurricane Ike recovery funds Tuesday, but officials said it’s likely to be several months before work can begin on housing or infrastructure projects.

The Houston-Galveston Area Council’s board of directors, with two dissenting votes, approved a staff-submitted plan with major changes from the original Feb. 6 proposal. The combined allocations to Galveston and Galveston County now account for 53 percent of the funds, and the revisions reduce the allocation to Houston while increasing funding for Harris County’s small cities and unincorporated areas.

GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE: Moving FEMA out of Homeland Security could pose risks

Ever since the Federal Emergency Management Agency was absorbed into the Homeland Security Department after its creation in 2003, bureaucrats and elected officials have debated the merits of that decision. After weighing the arguments for and against making FEMA a stand-alone agency again, the department's inspector general found such a reorganization could have significant negative repercussions.

FCC: DTV Reception Maps

HOUSTON CHRONICLE:

Sunday’s great Texas fireball was – probably – just a meteor.

Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Strategic Command said the bright lights witnessed over Texas skies were almost certainly not linked to last week’s collision between an American commercial satellite and a Russian government communications satellite.

“Our indication is this was a natural phenomenon, perhaps something like a meteor,” said Air Force Maj. Regina Winchester, a spokeswoman for the Space Surveillance Network, part of the Pentagon’s Strategic Command arm that tracks space debris.

ST. PETERSBURG TIMES: State Farm gets conditional approval to drop Florida property insurance policies

State Farm has the green light to pull out of Florida's property insurance market — as long as it meets a laundry list of demands from regulators.

Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty said the "conditional'' approval granted Friday is meant to ensure that the exodus of the state's biggest property insurer isn't "hazardous'' to its policyholders and the public at large.

INDYSTAR: New Indy office will be city's code enforcer

Mayor Greg Ballard has combined the code enforcement responsibilities of several city departments into a new office he says will work to improve "quality of life" services such as addressing abandoned homes and environmental compliance.

The mayor hopes by next year to make the Office of Code Enforcement -- established by executive order -- a stand-alone department that will offer "one-stop shopping" in the city's fight against blight and crime.

BANGOR DAILY NEWS: Report: 'Dirty bomb' parts found in slain man's home

BELFAST, Maine — James G. Cummings, who police say was shot to death by his wife two months ago, allegedly had a cache of radioactive materials in his home suitable for building a “dirty bomb.”

ABC NEWS: Kidnapping Capital of the U.S.A.

In what officials caution is now a dangerous and even deadly crime wave, Phoenix, Arizona has become the kidnapping capital of America, with more incidents than any other city in the world outside of Mexico City and over 370 cases last year alone. But local authorities say Washington, DC is too obsessed with al Qaeda terrorists to care about what is happening in their own backyard right now.

CNN: Explosive goes off in California prison

(CNN) -- An improvised explosive device went off inside a federal prison in California during a search Saturday, according to federal authorities.

No one was injured, the authorities told CNN.

YAHOO/AP: "War on terror" damaged rights, top jurists say

GENEVA – The United States and other countries that used torture in the so-called war on terror seriously damaged respect for basic human rights, an international panel of legal experts said Monday.

The eight-member panel, led by former Irish President Mary Robinson, said the three-year investigation found that the damage to human rights law was more severe than they had expected.

The U.S. Mission to United Nations offices in Geneva was unable to comment immediately.

HC PRO: Ask the Expert - Decontaminating EMS/firefighter equipment

Q: We have taught our paramedics and firefighters that their uniform is NOT PPE and that if their bunker gear gets soiled with blood or other potentially infectious materials, it may be hard to decontaminate. Do you have any suggestions for the cleaning of bunker gear and the heavy leather gloves they use?

A: While there are plenty of laundry regulations concerning PPE for healthcare workers, there are few guidelines for paramedics or firefighters. However, there are plenty of instances where both could come in contact with bloodborne pathogens.

DAILY GAZETTE: Saratoga Springs will review EMS bids

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The city has received three bids to provide emergency medical service, two of which could add significantly to its bottom line.

Late last year, the city advertised for ambulance service bids as a way of increasing revenue for the city without raising taxes during difficult economic times.

NATIONAL JOURNAL - NATIONAL SECURITY: A More Powerful NSC?

In a speech in Munich and in an interview with the Washington Post, National Security Adviser James Jones outlined sweeping reforms to the National Security Council that would give it a voice in nearly everything the U.S. government does. Jones intends to create new directorates for cyber-security, energy, climate change, nation-building, and infrastructure, as well as taking on some yet-to-be determined functions of the Homeland Security Council. Many of these ideas arise from suggestions in 2008 from the Project on National Security Reform, whose participants included Jones, Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, Defense Undersecretary Michele Flournoy, and Director of National Intelligence Adm. Dennis Blair.

ADFERO GROUP: FEMA: In or Out?

“Since the end of World War II, Congress and Presidents have debated, formulated, and revised administrative responsibilities for emergency management.” Some of the important questions that have been the subject of debate over the past 60 years, and that are particularly relevant today in the “FEMA In or Out” debate, include:

• What the jurisdictional boundaries of the agency charged with emergency management should be;
• How responsibility for new or emerging threats should be assigned;
• Whether it is necessary (or advisable) to distinguish between natural and manmade threats;
• What is meant by “all-hazards,” and what elements need to be present in an agency with an all-hazards mission;
• What the relationship between crisis management and consequence management should be; and
• What the relationships among the federal, state and local governments should be during a disaster, and whether the relationships should change in the face of a catastrophe.

DHS OIG Report OIG-09-25 FEMA: In or Out

USA TODAY: Reported raids on federal computer data soar

WASHINGTON — Reported cyberattacks on U.S. government computer networks climbed 40% last year, federal records show, and more infiltrators are trying to plant malicious software they could use to control or steal sensitive data.

Federally tracked accounts of unauthorized access to government computers and installations of hostile programs rose from a combined 3,928 incidents in 2007 to 5,488 in 2008, based on data provided to USA TODAY by the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT).

NY TIMES: Re-evaluation of National Security Ordered

WASHINGTON — The homeland security secretary, Janet Napolitano, is re-evaluating the largest federal program for testing the country’s ability to respond to terrorist attacks, one of several Bush administration initiatives she has ordered to come under review.

DHS: Secretary Napolitano Issues Bold Efficiency Review Initiative

EXCERPT: U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano announced today a department-wide action directive challenging every agency, component and office to generate new efficiencies and to promote greater accountability, transparency and customer satisfaction.

DAILY JOURNAL: Use the funds to improve U.S. security

Worried about whether the federal stimulus money will get where it's supposed to go? We are. And you don't have to look any farther than the Department of Homeland Security to understand the problem.The department was created after 9/11 to keep America safe from further terrorist attacks. But too much of the money has been used for purposes not directly related to enhancing security to prevent and stop attacks.

BELLINGHAM HERALD: Whatcom County fires emergency management leader after knife incident

A Whatcom County Sheriff's Office employee accused of pointing a knife at a woman during a neighborhood party has been fired.

Don Boyd lost his job as deputy director of the Sheriff's Office Division of Emergency Management on Friday, Feb. 13, Sheriff Bill Elfo said. Boyd had been on paid administrative leave since Nov. 24, when an investigation started, earning a monthly salary of $6,199.

The sheriff said the decision to terminate Boyd, who has worked for the office since 1996, was based on an internal review of a Nov. 22 incident. Elfo said the findings in the internal investigation "are parallel to what was filed with the criminal case."

HERALD SUN: We have a failure to communicate

SINCE the onslaught of the horrific bushfires there has been criticism that we have no phone-based communication system for use in emergencies.

It has been reported that there has been a system "on the table since 2004", but that bureaucratic delays and bickering between the Commonwealth, states and territories are holding up progress.

A proven working model was presented to the national emergency management bodies in 2001 by myself and a technical expert from Western Australia.

MIAMI HERALD: Ex-Broward spokesman to work for Seminole Tribe

Broward County's spokesman during Hurricane Wilma and other hurricanes has become the fourth person in several months to leave the county's Emergency Management Division for a job with the Seminole Tribe.

Carl Fowler, an associate planner, will be the emergency management coordinator for the Brighton reservation.

COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Turning to Franklin County's staff could save Columbus money

EXCERPT:

Other times, the county appears to be competing with itself. There's the Franklin County Department of Homeland Security and Justice Programs. And there's the Franklin County Emergency Management and Homeland Security agency.

Each has its own board and its own office. The homeland security department oversees the big prize: about $4.6 million this year to protect the urban area from terrorism. The emergency management agency got $946,000 in 2007 as part of a statewide grant to all counties.

In Hamilton and Lucas counties, the emergency management agencies control both grants.

"When these grants first came out (after the Sept. 11 attack), tens of millions of dollars dropped in your lap," said Kathy Crandall, director of Homeland Security and Justice Programs. "At that time, EMA was a tornado-sirens, weather and notifying-citizens-of-disasters agency. We were already doing tens of millions in criminal grants."

Both agencies work closely, she said. "It's seamless."

NY TIMES: Re-evaluation of National Security Ordered

WASHINGTON — The homeland security secretary, Janet Napolitano, is re-evaluating the largest federal program for testing the country’s ability to respond to terrorist attacks, one of several Bush administration initiatives she has ordered to come under review.

MANILA STANDARD TODAY: Adaptability is the answer

It must be human nature to dwell more on a problem than its solution. And this perhaps explains why marriages break up; why there is never an end to congressional probes yet corruption in government goes on unabated. Solution is hardly ever the focus of fights and debates.

It is the same with the problem of climate change. We talk about the onset of global warming and how it is causing extreme weather conditions. We warn that it is leading to the inevitable rise of sea levels that could wipe out cities and states. We endlessly rant too, about the worsening pollution of air and water that cause respiratory illnesses and the diminishing of our fresh water sources. Yet, we hardly talk, or even ask, about solutions.

DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND: The Demise of Public Health During the Bush-Cheney Years

A 2008 poll of American historians in which 107 of 109 rated the presidency of George W. Bush a failure, and in which 61% rated it the worst ever in U.S. history, doesn’t begin to provide an accurate picture of how bad the Bush presidency was. That presidency was filled with so much blatant corruption and crime that it is hard to know where to begin to describe how bad it was. If the willful demise of public health during the Bush presidency was the only black mark against it, that alone would have been enough to characterize it as a dismal failure.

NEWS-LEADER: Preparation for disaster

In March of 2008, the Greater Ozarks Chapter of the American Red Cross launched the Campaign for "Red"iness, which is a multifaceted effort to prepare to meet even the most catastrophic disaster needs in our region. It includes an exciting, tornado-proof "DOC Dome" (Disaster Operations Center) and numerous other improvements on our five-acre campus that will equip us to serve well into the future. We have enlisted the help from many community leaders to serve on the steering committee to help the Red Cross reach our goal of $2.6 million for the campaign.

APP.COM: For second time, small quake rattles New Jersey

MORRISTOWN — For the second time in two weeks, a small earthquake has rattled an area of central New Jersey.

But like the last quake in Morris County, no significant damage or injuries were reported.

TIMES TRIBUNE: Loud booms rattle Tri-County

Officials: Debris from satellite collision responsible for sonic booms

By Sean Bailey / Staff Writer

Debris from a satellite collision entering the Earth’s atmosphere at extreme speeds caused loud booms heard across the Tri-County and .

Regional emergency management directors say the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that satellite debris caused the booms.

“The Indianapolis (FAA) Center is reporting that debris from two satellites that collided a day or two ago is entering the atmosphere, and creating sonic booms,” Regional Emergency Management Director Jerry Rains said late Friday night.

GALVESTON COUNTY DAILY NEWS: City might end EMS contract with health district

GALVESTON — City officials are considering making emergency medical services part of the fire department, instead of continuing to contract with the Galveston County Health District for the service.

The proposed change could save the city quite a bit of money, City Manager Steve LeBlanc said.

Calls for ambulance service dropped dramatically after Hurricane Ike, leaving the city on the hook for $225,000 to cover losses from the 2007-08 fiscal year. This year’s losses could be even worse, although the city would still only have to pay $225,000, the maximum amount required under its contract with the service.

BOSTON GLOBE: Service remembers R.I. club fire victims

WEST WARWICK, R.I. - Survivors of a 2003 nightclub fire and relatives of the 100 people who died in the blaze gathered at the site of the fire yesterday for an annual memorial service.

The service included a recitation of the victims' names as well as music and 100 seconds of silence.

REUTERS: Australian fires toll rises as arsonist faces court

CANBERRA (Reuters) - The death toll from Australia's bushfire disaster rose by eight to 189 on Monday with warnings the toll would continue to climb, as a court released details of a man charged with lighting one of the deadly fires.

The wildfires in the southern Victoria state wiped out entire small towns on February 7, destroyed more than 1,800 houses and left 7,000 people homeless in Australia's worst natural disaster in a century.

Police confirmed more bodies had been found in the ashes of the disaster, but said the final death toll would not be known until police could identify those killed.

TORONTO STAR: Wal-Mart's glow-in-the-dark mystery

It began in late 2007 as a routine audit. Retail giant Wal-Mart noticed that some exit signs at the company's stores and warehouses had gone missing.

As the audit spread across Wal-Mart's U.S. operations, the mystery thickened. Stores from Arkansas to Washington began reporting missing signs. They numbered in the hundreds at first, then the thousands. Last month Wal-Mart disclosed that about 15,800 of its exit signs – a stunning 20 per cent of its total inventory – are lost, missing, or otherwise unaccounted for at 4,500 facilities in the United States and Puerto Rico.

Poor housekeeping, certainly, but what's the big deal?

In a word: radiation.

CNN: Texans report fireball in sky, sonic booms

(CNN) -- Sonic booms and at least one fireball in the sky were reported in Texas on Sunday, less than a week after two satellites collided in space and a day after the Federal Aviation Administration asked U.S. pilots to watch for "falling space debris," authorities said.

WCBS TV: Another Small Earthquake Rattles Central N.J.

For the second time in two weeks, a small earthquake has rattled an area of central New Jersey.

But like the last quake in Morris County, no significant damage or injuries were reported.

STARS AND STRIPES: Bill would turn six closed bases into emergency shelters

A Florida congressman wants to give a half dozen closed-down military bases new life in order to save lives.

U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., has proposed a bill that would turn six shuttered military bases nationwide into national emergency centers.

Those centers would provide temporary housing, medical and humanitarian assistance to people displaced by an emergency or natural disaster; furnish sites for first responders, government, nonprofits and faith-based organizations to coordinate a response; and serve as training centers. The bill is being called the National Emergency Centers Establishment Act.

GOVERNMENT NEWS AUSTRALIA: Expert calls for reassessment of disaster relief

The Attorney-General’s Department will hold an internal staff meeting today to reorganise its emergency management and security divisions.

The proposed new structure, announced to Department of Attorney-General staff on the 29 January, will see Emergency Management Australia (EMA) merged with the Protective Security Coordination Centre.

BUFFALO NEWS: Crash neighborhood remains tightly restricted

Steps are being taken to let families who were evacuated near the site of Thursday night's plane crash into their homes so they can recover personal belongings, medications and other items.

As investigators continued their tedious mission at the crash site, David Bissonette, Clarence's emergency services coordinator, met with other government officials late this morning at Erie County's command center in Cheektowaga.

About a dozen properties were evacuated near the Long Street crash site immediately after the tragedy occurred. It will be at least a couple more days before they're allowed to permanently return.

"They are being very patient and understanding," Bissonette said of the residents of who were evacuated.

Residents are being escorted into the neighborhood by Erie County sheriff's deputies, but they have to make appointments to do so, he said.

BUFFALO NEWS: Crash neighborhood remains tightly restricted

Steps are being taken to let families who were evacuated near the site of Thursday night's plane crash into their homes so they can recover personal belongings, medications and other items.

As investigators continued their tedious mission at the crash site, David Bissonette, Clarence's emergency services coordinator, met with other government officials late this morning at Erie County's command center in Cheektowaga.

About a dozen properties were evacuated near the Long Street crash site immediately after the tragedy occurred. It will be at least a couple more days before they're allowed to permanently return.

"They are being very patient and understanding," Bissonette said of the residents of who were evacuated.

Residents are being escorted into the neighborhood by Erie County sheriff's deputies, but they have to make appointments to do so, he said.

REUTERS: Australia pushing for bushfire early warning system

SYDNEY, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Australia's government is pushing to establish a bushfire early warning system after a week of blazes that killed at least 181 people, Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard said on Sunday.

Gillard told Channel Nine television that legislation was being prepared to set up the system after years of delays.

AP: Police: Suspect arrested in deadly Australian fire

YEA, Australia (AP) — A spokeswoman says police have arrested a man in connection to one of the recent deadly wildfires that swept southern Australia.

Victoria state police spokeswoman Marika Fengler confirmed Friday to The Associated Press that a man had been arrested, but would give no further details.

TALLAHASSEE.COM: Update: Fugate said he heard about FEMA possibility last week

WASHINGTON - Craig Fugate, who oversees Florida’s team of emergency-management specialists, has emerged as a top choice to oversee the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Fugate said he spoke with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano last week in Washington, but was not asked specifically about the FEMA position. He only knew he was being considered for a high-level role.

“I’d definitely be interested in it, but I haven’t been offered it, so we’ll have to wait and see,” Fugate said Wednesday from Washington, where he was attending a workshop on building social networks to help build resilience among communities affected by disasters.

Fugate, the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said he first learned he was being considered for the spot from a news report this week.

LA TIMES: L.A.'s water emergency

On Monday, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proposed accelerated water restrictions for Los Angeles -- and the city got about a third of an inch of rain. In the past, showers were considered bad luck for a conservation push, but these days they are a fitting backdrop. We may get a rainy day here or there, but Angelenos must learn to treat today's drought conditions as the new normal. The Department of Water and Power, the City Council and residents all should move quickly to implement the mayor’s plan, which calls for limiting lawn sprinkler use and sharpening the city's "tiered" pricing scheme.

SF CHRONICLE: S.J. hospital scare linked to sewer gas

(02-12) 15:15 PST SAN JOSE -- The emergency room of Santa Clara County's busiest hospital was closed for more than four hours Thursday because of a scare involving a man who had been overcome by a byproduct of sewer gas at his home.

HOUSTON CHRONICLE: State urged to be more proactive in hurricane recovery

Five months after Hurricane Ike, 15 state legislators told their colleagues and constituents Wednesday that Texas must stop waiting for the federal government to help its residents after a disaster.

In a sweeping set of recommendations developed through six public hearings throughout Southeast Texas, the House Select Committee on Hurricane Ike pushed to assert more state authority — and use hundreds of millions of state dollars — to provide temporary housing, ensure that utilities and other essential services continue to function and limit damage by requiring stronger building codes.

A key recommendation — providing $250 million for a state Disaster Contingency Fund — reflected the panel’s conviction that many federal services take too long to reach the storm-stricken families who need them.

FORBES: Bill filed to protect disaster workers from suits

People who come to Kentucky to help in the aftermath of natural disasters like last month's deadly ice storm wouldn't have to worry about lawsuits under legislation that's pending in the state legislature.

State Rep. Brent Yonts, D-Greenville, filed legislation on Thursday that would stop liability lawsuits unless those who file them can prove willful or wanton misconduct.

INDEPENDENT WEEKLY: Politics gives way to national mourning over fire disaster

Australians witnessed a rare thing this week - a parliament almost devoid of politics.

As the full horror of the Victorian bushfire disaster unfolded it became clear the daily political dogfight of question time was simply not appropriate.

Instead, a more human face emerged reflecting the national sentiment about one of the greatest peacetime losses of life in Australian history.

NEXTGOV: Bush's cyber chief calls national security initiative too secret

Federal officials working to craft a national cybersecurity plan to protect government and corporate computer networks from attacks kept too much of the work secret, which led to criticism from those in government and industry unable to monitor progress, the Bush administration's head of cybersecurity told Nextgov.

Greg Garcia, who was appointed assistant secretary of cybersecurity and telecommunications at the Homeland Security Department in 2006, said the Bush administration plotted out a sophisticated, interagency program that was "extraordinary." But, he added, the White House kept the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative, which DHS designed to better protect computer networks by improving the way agencies managed information technology, too secret -- a criticism that many IT security professionals and consultants leveled at the program.

CNN: Commentary: Don't let White House shakeup hurt our security

(Comment by Frances Townsend) WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Washington Post recently reported that Gen. Jim Jones, President Obama's national security adviser, is reviewing plans to reorganize the White House National Security and Homeland Security councils.

Some, if not all, of the functions of the Homeland Security Council may be folded into an expanded National Security Council.

There is no more solemn responsibility that the president bears than to protect American lives.

WASHINGTON POST: Handling of Odd Mailing Raises Concerns at DHS

A senior official at the Department of Homeland Security set off alarms last week after she received white powder and a dead fish in the mail at home and brought them to work, sources said.

The FBI is investigating the incident, and the official, Maureen McCarthy, a career official in the department's intelligence and analysis directorate, continues to work, DHS spokeswoman Amy Kudwa said.

Lawmakers briefed about the episode said they were troubled by lapses that led to a biohazard response at a DHS-occupied building at 1120 Vermont Ave. NW.

ADFERO GROUP: What DHS Got from the Stimulus Bill

Let it never be said that giving out Christmas presents has to happen just one day a year. In fact, it can occur any time the Congress and President are in the spending mood and, boy oh boy, are they in the spending mood.

Below is what will be signed into law (anticipated on Monday) and needless to say DHS has not been ignored or forgotten when it comes being a ‘stimulator’ for the nation’s ailing economy.

REUTERS: Tornado kills 8 people in Oklahoma

DALLAS (Reuters) - A tornado killed eight people when it struck a small town in Oklahoma and up to 30 people were missing, local officials said on Wednesday.

The tornado, one of three to hit the state on Tuesday night, cut a half-mile (0.8-km) swath through Lone Grove, halfway between Oklahoma City and Dallas, Texas, said Michelann Ooten of the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.

"Eight fatalities have been confirmed ... and 14 injured," Ooten told Reuters.

Local media said the death toll could climb as high as 15.

Ken Grace, the sheriff for Carter County which includes Lone Grove, said rescuers were searching the rubble.

"There may be up to 30 people missing," he told Reuters by telephone.

Lone Grove's population was put at 4,631 in the 2000 census, according to www.lonegroveoklahoma.com.

YAHOO/AP: In shift, Blackwater dumps tarnished brand name

RALEIGH, N.C. – Blackwater Worldwide is still protecting U.S. diplomats in Iraq, but executives at the beleaguered security firm are taking their biggest step yet to put that work and the ugly reputation it earned the company behind them.

Blackwater said Friday it will no longer operate under the name that came to be known worldwide as a caustic moniker for private security, dropping the tarnished brand for a disarming and simple identity: Xe, which is pronounced like the letter "z."

YAHOO/AP: Jet's nosegear collapses during landing in London

LONDON – The nosewheel of a British Airways passenger jet collapsed with a loud bang as it landed Friday evening at London City Airport, sending the plane scraping across the tarmac with 71 people aboard, officials and witnesses said. All aboard escaped by emergency slides, but one person was taken to a hospital with a minor injury.

YAHOO/AP: Peanut Corp. of America files for bankruptcy

ATLANTA – The peanut processing company at the heart of a national salmonella outbreak is going out of business. The Lynchburg, Va.-based Peanut Corp. of America filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Virginia Friday, the latest bad news for the company that has been accused of producing tainted peanut products that may have reached everyone from poor school children to disaster victims.

CNN: Search for answers begins in Buffalo plane crash

CLARENCE CENTER, New York (CNN) -- The pilots of a commuter airliner that crashed late Thursday about 6 miles from a Buffalo, New York, airport discussed "significant ice buildup" on the plane's wings and windshields before the plane plunged to the ground, killing 50.

Trucker Weather Watch™ (TWW™)

FROM THE WEBSITE:
Trucker Weather Watch™ (TWW™) was founded by Sean Kiaer of Everett, Wa. on October 12 2006 to integrate the Trucking industry in to the National Weather Service's Severe Weather Reporting Network, known as SKYWARN™. SKYWARN™ is the National Weather Service (NWS) program of trained volunteer severe weather spotters. SKYWARN™ volunteers support their local Community,County, Country and Government by using the products, services and training provided by the NWS, to provide the NWS with timely and accurate severe weather reports for the protection of life property and the enhancement of the national economy. These reports, when integrated with modern NWS technology, are used to inform communities of the proper actions to take as severe weather threatens.

WASHINGTON POST: FCC Targets TV Stations Ending Analog

The Federal Communications Commission has told the owners of 123 TV stations that had planned to go ahead with the switch to digital broadcasts next week that they cannot do so unless they can show that consumers in their viewing areas will not be left in the dark.

NY TIMES: Air Crash Near Buffalo Kills 49

AMHERST, N.Y. -- The crew of the plane that crashed near Buffalo on Thursday night discussed a “significant ice buildup” on the wings and windshield as the aircraft descended through light snow and mist, according to the flight data and voice recordings recovered from the scene of the accident that killed all 49 people on board and one person on the ground.

FIREHOUSE: Tenants Acquitted in 'Black Sunday' Deaths

A jury today cleared two Bronx tenants of causing the deaths of firefighter John Bellew, 37, and Lt. Curtis Meyran, 46, in the tragic 2005 Black Sunday inferno.

FIREHOUSE: Residents Return to Destroyed Homes in Australia

Residents of towns scorched off the map by the worst wildfires in Australia's history returned for the first time Wednesday to find twisted metal and blackened debris where their homes once stood.

TECHNOLOGY TIPS: ORAU Exercise Builder

FROM THE WEBSITE:
This program is intended to be an easy-to-use tool for persons developing DOE emergency exercises. Generic exercise components such as scenarios, objectives, and criteria are avaliable for downloading via the web. This is a PC-based application that sites can use to develop Exercise Plans. End products include scopes, objectives, scenario materials, and evaluator guides. Exercise Plans can be modified for future use once they have been developed.

FAS: CRS - FEMA's Disaster Declaration Process

TECHNOLOGY TIPS: Master the Disaster! An interactive tabletop exercise builder for public health emergencies

FROM THE WEBSITE:

Master the Disaster! is an interactive, customizable, emergency preparedness tabletop exercise builder designed specifically for public health agencies. This easy-to-use product features seven public health emergency scenarios, step-by-step instructions for planning, designing, conducting and evaluating a tabletop exercise, plus a host of resources, including scripts for each scenario and an extensive photo library and question bank for creating interesting and realistic exercises. With an automated Disaster Designer Wizard, creating your next tabletop exercise will be fast, fun and FREE!

Note: This tool is only available as a Free CD–ROM in our Bookstore. The "Here" link will direct you to the item to add to your cart. Shipping charges apply.

TECHNOLOGY TIPS: EMCAPS (Electronic Mass Casualty Assessment & Planning Scenarios)

FROM THE WEBSITE:
This standalone software program is intended to allow users to model disaster scenarios for drill planning and to use as an education resource. The EMCAPS Model allows you to estimate casualties arising from biological (Anthrax, Plague, Food Contamination), chemical (blister, nerve and toxic agents) radiological (dirty bomb) or explosive (IED) attacks. These scenarios are based on the Department of Homeland Security Planning Scenarios (April 2005).

When you run the EMCAPS Model, you are able to select one of the scenarios we have listed above and adjust the various inputs (e.g., bomb size, population density, quantity of release, wind speed, etc) to most closely simulate your own environment. For the selected scenario, EMCAPS will then estimate casualties including levels of acuity. In other words, EMCAPS allows you to model the selected scenarios for your own community.

This tool is intended to allow plausible scenarios to be reasonably modeled to help planners better understand and assess preparedness and response capabilities needs. It is not intended to precisely model the physical behavior of WMD threat agents or the outcomes of specific threat condition.

HOUSTON CHRONICLE: Houston municipal courts to close one more day

Houston Municipal Court will remain closed until Friday while workers make sure that a computer virus which shut down courtroom operations earlier this week has been eradicated.

City officials had initially hoped that courtroom operations would resume Thursday, but they want to make sure that the virus, which infected hundreds of city computers Feb. 4, has been removed before judges begin handling cases, said Pat Trahan, a spokesman for Mayor Bill White.

MSNBC: Salmonella found at Ga. plant as early as 2006

WASHINGTON - See the jar, the congressman challenged Stewart Parnell, holding up a container of the peanut seller's products and asking if he'd dare eat them. Parnell pleaded the Fifth.

The owner of the peanut company at the heart of the massive salmonella recall refused to answer the lawmaker's questions — or any others — Wednesday about the bacteria-tainted products he defiantly told employees to ship to some 50 manufacturers of cookies, crackers and ice cream.

USA TODAY: Two satellites collide 500 miles over Siberia

Two communications satellites collided Tuesday in an unprecedented orbital accident that would have been visible from the Earth, a NASA scientist said Wednesday.

The collision roughly 500 miles from Earth created a huge field of debris, but the risk to the International Space Station and its crew of three — 215 miles from Earth — is very low, said Nicholas Johnson of NASA's Johnson Space Center. So is the risk to the next shuttle mission, he said. The launch is scheduled for as early as Feb. 22.

The debris, though, could make it more dangerous for astronauts to repair the Hubble Space Telescope on a space shuttle mission planned for May, Johnson said. The Hubble is about 375 miles from Earth, Johnson said, and debris generally falls toward Earth.

The collision was between a now-defunct Russian communications satellite launched in 1993 and one of 66 satellites privately owned by Iridium, a Maryland company that provides phone service to customers such as workers on offshore oil platforms. The company said in a statement that service interruptions should be minimal and fixed by Friday.

YAHOO/AP: Lab tests show possible salmonella at Texas plant

ATLANTA – Private lab tests show there may have been salmonella at a second plant operated by the peanut company at the center of a national outbreak, but the potentially tainted products were not sent to consumers, Texas health officials said Tuesday.

BBC: Fire aftermath 'too distressing'

Australian police are stopping some residents of bushfire-hit areas from returning to their homes, saying the scenes would be too gruesome.

USA TODAY: Peanut boss refuses to testify at salmonella hearing

The head of the company linked to a massive salmonella outbreak in peanut products refused to testify at a Congressional hearing Wednesday as lawmakers accused him of caring more about profits than food safety.

Peanut Corporation of America President Stewart Parnell invoked his fifth amendment right not to testify, as did the plant manager at the Blakely, Ga., plant implicated in the outbreak, during the hearing before a House subcommittee. Both men also refused to eat recalled products that one lawmaker offered to them from a jar.

KNOXVILLE BIZ: TVA cleanup to take years

The cleanup of the Kingston fly ash spill will take years and could cost hundreds of millions of dollars, a Tennessee Valley Authority spokeswoman told a group of Knoxville engineers and other technophiles Monday.

TVA spokeswoman Barbara Martocci gave an update on the cleanup during a luncheon of the Technological Society of Knoxville at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. TVA officials have submitted a Phase I dredging plan for the Emory River but haven’t forged a long-term plan, Martocci said.

FIRE RESCUE 1: Understanding Limitations of NIMS

Success during a major emergency or even disaster is difficult to define and infinitely more difficult to measure. An earthquake strikes a populated area, hundreds are injured, scores die, and there are millions of dollars in damage. How do you look back on that and say, from an emergency services perspective, that we were successful? Complicating matters for emergency services are the twin notions of planning and preparedness. There is a sense that the quote by Napoleon is actually achievable. But we cannot disregard the roles of luck, chaotic event progression and immeasurable outcomes — it is not all about thought and meditation alone.

AP: Obama narrows choice for FEMA director

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two seasoned state emergency managers have emerged as the Obama administration's leading candidates to head the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Florida's emergency manager Craig Fugate and former Iowa emergency manager Ellen Gordon are the administration's top two choices, according to two administration officials familiar with White House deliberations on the appointment. Both officials asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the situation.

The announcement is expected within days, one official said.