City's new hurricane command center in disrepair
10:38 PM CDT on Monday, June 1, 2009
http://www.wwltv.com/topstories/stories/wwl060109cbcommand.3cd807fa.html
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Train derailment in Louisville Zoo - Updating
One of three Zoo Trains at the Louisville Zoo has derailed. Authorities tell WHAS11 that the train derailed near the
Be well. Practice big medicine.
Hal
Follow me on Twitter @BigMedicine
We just renovated our website. New content, new colours, and a crisp clean feel for summer. Come for a visit at www.tems.ca
Monday, June 1, 2009
FEMA and National Preparedness
Government Accountability Office. National Preparedness: FEMA Has Made Progress, but Needs to Complete and Integrate Planning, Exercise, and Assessment Efforts (GAO-09-369). Washington, DC: GAO, April 2009, 123 pages. Accessed at:
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09369.pdf
Abstract:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a component within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is the lead federal agency responsible for developing a national preparedness system. The system includes policies and plans as well as exercises and assessments of capabilities across many public and private entities. GAO was asked to assess the extent to which FEMA has (1) developed policies and plans that define roles and responsibilities; (2) implemented the National Exercise Program, a key tool for examining preparedness; (3) developed a national capabilities assessment; and (4) developed a strategic plan that integrates these elements of the preparedness system. GAO analyzed program documents, such as after-action reports, and visited six states located in disaster regions. While the results of these visits are not generalizable, they show how select states carry out their efforts.
What GAO Recommends
GAO recommends that FEMA improve national preparedness by, among other things, establishing a program management plan, better ensuring exercises follow program guidance, enhancing its project management plan for assessing capabilities, and developing a strategic plan that integrates system elements. DHS concurred with our recommendations.
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09369.pdf
Abstract:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a component within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is the lead federal agency responsible for developing a national preparedness system. The system includes policies and plans as well as exercises and assessments of capabilities across many public and private entities. GAO was asked to assess the extent to which FEMA has (1) developed policies and plans that define roles and responsibilities; (2) implemented the National Exercise Program, a key tool for examining preparedness; (3) developed a national capabilities assessment; and (4) developed a strategic plan that integrates these elements of the preparedness system. GAO analyzed program documents, such as after-action reports, and visited six states located in disaster regions. While the results of these visits are not generalizable, they show how select states carry out their efforts.
What GAO Recommends
GAO recommends that FEMA improve national preparedness by, among other things, establishing a program management plan, better ensuring exercises follow program guidance, enhancing its project management plan for assessing capabilities, and developing a strategic plan that integrates system elements. DHS concurred with our recommendations.
Israeli Drill
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel started its biggest emergency drill in the nation's history Sunday to prepare civilians, soldiers and rescue crews for the possibility of war, the defense force said in a statement.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has expressed skepticism that Iran can be persuaded to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has expressed skepticism that Iran can be persuaded to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
The five-day drill, nicknamed Turning Point 3, comes amid the nation's rising tensions with Iran.
It will be conducted in public facilities, including schools, military bases and government offices. Students, soldiers and other civilians will practice how to gather at protected places during an emergency.
Officials said the drill will include simulated rockets, air raids and other attacks on infrastructure and essential facilities, and use of weapons on civilians.
Everyone is expected to go to a protected place at the sound of sirens, the defense force said, adding that more instructions will be broadcast on a public channel.
"It is of great importance that every civilian, institute and workplace will seriously practice in order to improve our preparedness and national resilience," Maj. Gen. Yair Golan of the Home Front Command said in a news statement.
The move comes amid tension between Israel and Tehran.
Don't Miss
* Hamas, Fatah clash kills six in West Bank
* Obama urges Israel to halt West Bank settlement activity
* Netanyahu presses U.S. over threat of nuclear Iran
The Israeli government considers Iran's nuclear program as the dominant threat facing the country. Israel is publicly supportive of President Barack Obama administration's outreach to the Islamic state.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Israeli Army Radio last week that he believes "that the chance the dialogue has of stopping Iran's nuclear efforts is very low."
Barak's views are keeping with the majority of his countrymen.
An Israeli poll released this month found that 74 percent believe that the U.S. policy of engagement with Iran will fail and 81 percent think Iran will develop a nuclear weapon capability.
Israel has conducted emergency drills the past two years, but officials said this is the biggest so far.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has expressed skepticism that Iran can be persuaded to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has expressed skepticism that Iran can be persuaded to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
The five-day drill, nicknamed Turning Point 3, comes amid the nation's rising tensions with Iran.
It will be conducted in public facilities, including schools, military bases and government offices. Students, soldiers and other civilians will practice how to gather at protected places during an emergency.
Officials said the drill will include simulated rockets, air raids and other attacks on infrastructure and essential facilities, and use of weapons on civilians.
Everyone is expected to go to a protected place at the sound of sirens, the defense force said, adding that more instructions will be broadcast on a public channel.
"It is of great importance that every civilian, institute and workplace will seriously practice in order to improve our preparedness and national resilience," Maj. Gen. Yair Golan of the Home Front Command said in a news statement.
The move comes amid tension between Israel and Tehran.
Don't Miss
* Hamas, Fatah clash kills six in West Bank
* Obama urges Israel to halt West Bank settlement activity
* Netanyahu presses U.S. over threat of nuclear Iran
The Israeli government considers Iran's nuclear program as the dominant threat facing the country. Israel is publicly supportive of President Barack Obama administration's outreach to the Islamic state.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Israeli Army Radio last week that he believes "that the chance the dialogue has of stopping Iran's nuclear efforts is very low."
Barak's views are keeping with the majority of his countrymen.
An Israeli poll released this month found that 74 percent believe that the U.S. policy of engagement with Iran will fail and 81 percent think Iran will develop a nuclear weapon capability.
Israel has conducted emergency drills the past two years, but officials said this is the biggest so far.
Pandemic flu - planning guidance for agencies and others involved in the justice system
Pandemic flu - planning guidance for agencies and others involved in the justice system
Status: Closed - with response
Open date: 05 September 2008
Close date: 28 November 2008
Responses published: 28 May 2009
As part of the government's preparation for a flu pandemic we consulted on our proposed arrangements for keeping the justice system running. The guidance sets out how each of the main agencies plans to cope.
http://www.justice.gov.uk/consultations/docs/consultation-pandemic-flu.pdf
Status: Closed - with response
Open date: 05 September 2008
Close date: 28 November 2008
Responses published: 28 May 2009
As part of the government's preparation for a flu pandemic we consulted on our proposed arrangements for keeping the justice system running. The guidance sets out how each of the main agencies plans to cope.
http://www.justice.gov.uk/consultations/docs/consultation-pandemic-flu.pdf
The Science of Communications’
The Science of Communications’
Connecting Researchers & Practitioners
A Workshop for Risk & Crisis Communicators
Monday, June 2, 2008
Ronald Reagan International Trade Center
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC
www.nagconline.org
What actually happens in someone’s mind when they have to evacuate a burning building, are told to shelter in place while authorities check out a suspicious package, or hear rumors of a dangerous chemical or biological release? What triggers the ‘fight or flight’ response? To whom do they listen in an emergency situation? How do they assess risk and react in a true crisis?
To begin to answer these questions, the National Association of Government Communicators (www.nagconline.org), with technical support from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Science & Technology Directorate, will host a full-day workshop on Monday, June 2, 2008, in Washington, D.C. on the “Science of Communications.” The workshop will connect existing risk and crisis communication research to practitioners in the field, identify future research needs, and launch a national dialogue on these challenges. Panel discussions and interactive sessions will focus on the science behind people’s reactions and how communicators can evaluate the effectiveness of what they say, how they say it in crisis situations, and how they can reach people who may be at risk.
Notable speakers and participants include:
Dennis Mileti, PhD, Professor Emeritus and Research Scientist at University of Colorado at Boulder and former Director, Natural Hazards Center, Institute of Behavioral Science
Admiral Stephen Pietropaoli, Executive Director of the Navy League of the United States (he was the senior Navy public affairs officer on 9/11 and it was his area of the Pentagon that was hit)
Tim L. Tinker, DrPH, MPH, leader of Booz Allen Hamilton’s Center for Risk and Crisis Communication
Tony Dorsey, Media Relations Manager, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, former Director of Public Affairs for the Washington D.C. Fire Emergency Medical Services Department and former NBC reporter. (invited – he’s getting it cleared through his office)
Mike Dunaway, Program Manager, Community Preparedness & Resilience, Human Factors Division, Science & Technology Directorate, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Other government agency communicators, emergency managers, first responders and members of the media.
Emergency managers, public affairs officers from all levels of government, first responders, members of the media, scientists, and other professionals in the field are invited to attend.
NAGC has graciously extended its member rate of $199 ($50 discount) to members of the International Association of Emergency Managers. Register for this first-of-its-kind workshop at: http://www.nagconline.org.
Connecting Researchers & Practitioners
A Workshop for Risk & Crisis Communicators
Monday, June 2, 2008
Ronald Reagan International Trade Center
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC
www.nagconline.org
What actually happens in someone’s mind when they have to evacuate a burning building, are told to shelter in place while authorities check out a suspicious package, or hear rumors of a dangerous chemical or biological release? What triggers the ‘fight or flight’ response? To whom do they listen in an emergency situation? How do they assess risk and react in a true crisis?
To begin to answer these questions, the National Association of Government Communicators (www.nagconline.org), with technical support from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Science & Technology Directorate, will host a full-day workshop on Monday, June 2, 2008, in Washington, D.C. on the “Science of Communications.” The workshop will connect existing risk and crisis communication research to practitioners in the field, identify future research needs, and launch a national dialogue on these challenges. Panel discussions and interactive sessions will focus on the science behind people’s reactions and how communicators can evaluate the effectiveness of what they say, how they say it in crisis situations, and how they can reach people who may be at risk.
Notable speakers and participants include:
Dennis Mileti, PhD, Professor Emeritus and Research Scientist at University of Colorado at Boulder and former Director, Natural Hazards Center, Institute of Behavioral Science
Admiral Stephen Pietropaoli, Executive Director of the Navy League of the United States (he was the senior Navy public affairs officer on 9/11 and it was his area of the Pentagon that was hit)
Tim L. Tinker, DrPH, MPH, leader of Booz Allen Hamilton’s Center for Risk and Crisis Communication
Tony Dorsey, Media Relations Manager, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, former Director of Public Affairs for the Washington D.C. Fire Emergency Medical Services Department and former NBC reporter. (invited – he’s getting it cleared through his office)
Mike Dunaway, Program Manager, Community Preparedness & Resilience, Human Factors Division, Science & Technology Directorate, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Other government agency communicators, emergency managers, first responders and members of the media.
Emergency managers, public affairs officers from all levels of government, first responders, members of the media, scientists, and other professionals in the field are invited to attend.
NAGC has graciously extended its member rate of $199 ($50 discount) to members of the International Association of Emergency Managers. Register for this first-of-its-kind workshop at: http://www.nagconline.org.
Research opportunity
Just a reminder that the DMM faculty is looking for a few more researchers for a PhilaU grant addressing first responder response to suicide bombing incidents. Please feel free to contact me directly with your resume if interested.
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