Occasionally, I will have to stretch a bit to tie a post to emergency preparedness. This is one of them, but I can make a connection — though I would have written a post even if I couldn’t find one.
Steve Luxenberg was one of the nicest and best editors I have ever written for when [...]
Entries from July 2009
New Book — “Annie’s Ghosts”
July 31st, 2009 · No Comments
Tags: Media
Hometown Girl (Now Homeland Secretary) Napolitano Returns To NYC: Speaks To Council On Foreign Relations, Visits Ground Zero, Rides Subway With Mayor, Thanks NYPD/NYFD
July 30th, 2009 · 1 Comment
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who was born in New York City, returned to the Big Apple for a day-long, multi-stop, multi-mode -of- transportation tour yesterday. I followed her for most of it.
Her day in New York began with a morning speech to the Council on Foreign Relations, which focused to a large extent [...]
Tags: Department of Homeland Security
In NYC Speech, Napolitano Says “For Too Long, We’ve Treated The Public As A Liability To Be Protected Rather Than An Asset In Our Nation’s Collective Security”; Promises To Begin “Engaging And Empowering Our Citizens To Be Part Of Collective Effort” Towards “Creating A Culture of Awareness And Preparation”
July 29th, 2009 · 16 Comments
In a major speech this morning here in New York City that focused a great deal of attention on the role of the American citizen in homeland security, Secretary Janet Napolitano said that “for too long, we’ve treated the public as a liability to be protected rather than an asset in our nation’s collective security” [...]
Tags: Department of Homeland Security · Preparedness Ideas
FEMA Head Says Personal Preparedness “Must Be National Priority”; Requires “Considerable National Attention” — “Every Elected And Appointed Official At Every Level of Government Must Make It A Priority”
July 28th, 2009 · 4 Comments
In prepared testimony yesterday for a House subcommittee, FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate reiterated his concern about the lack of U.S. citizen preparedness in some pretty strong language. He told legislators that “personal disaster preparedness is and must be a national priority” and it “needs considerable national attention,” recommending that “every elected and appointed official at every [...]
Tags: Federal Emergency Management Administration · Preparedness Ideas
Aligning Emergency Management & Homeland Security Cultures (Not To Mention Health, Law Enforcement, Infrastructure, Technology, Etc.) To Prepare Public For Diverse 21st Century Threats
July 27th, 2009 · 2 Comments
After returning to New York from the H1N1 Summit, I was listening to the “Homeland Security Inside & Out “radio show on my iPod riding the subway (ironically to a meeting at the City’s Office of Emergency Management’s headquarters in downtown Brooklyn).
In my Flu Summit summary post, I had mentioned how struck I was by the [...]
Tags: Media
Give Tamiflu Prophylactically Or Not? When Personal & National Preparedness Can Conflict
July 26th, 2009 · 1 Comment
A New York Times article Saturday, “Cut Back on Tamiflu, U.S. Official Says”, by Donald G. McNeil, Jr. reports that the Centers For Disease Control (CDC) is asking kids’ summer camps to stop distributing Tamiflu prophylactically, because the agency worries that “giving the drug to healthy people wastes the world’s limited supplies of Tamiflu and [...]
Tags: Pandemic Flu
The “John J. Harvey” Fireboat & Waterfront Preparedness
July 26th, 2009 · No Comments
This past weekend, my family and I had a great opportunity to explore New York Harbor on the retired fireboat, the “John J. Harvey”. The trip was part of City of Water Day, an event sponsored by the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance (MWA), a non-profit organization I am involved with. More than 10,000 people participated in the [...]
Tags: City Preparedness · Hurricane Preparedness
The ‘No-Win’ Public/Media Communications Challenge For Officials On Possible Fall H1N1 Flu Outbreak
July 26th, 2009 · No Comments
I read a very smart and helpful post, “Hubris And The Flu” this morning from the blog Avian Flu Diary about the challenge for government in communicating with the public and the media on H1N1.
The piece does a very nice job of illustrating the almost ‘no-win’ communications dilemma governmental entities have on H1N1 (and potential [...]
Tags: Media · Pandemic Flu
Book Contest: “Worst-Case Scenario”
July 25th, 2009 · 1 Comment
The “Worst-Case Scenario” series is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and the publisher, Chronicle Books, has given me three copies to give away. So, here’s the contest: email me (jsolomon@incaseofemergencyblog.com) a ‘worst-case scenario’ you have been in and how you dealt with it. The first three next two* people who do so will receive a “Worst Case Scenario” [...]
Tags: Contests
One Person’s Ability To Make A Difference In Preparing Her Neighbors, House Of Worship, Community
July 24th, 2009 · No Comments
On this blog, I try to highlight examples of people who show what can be done by a single individual in the area of citizen preparedness — and may provide inspiration to others. The story of one such person, Lisbeth R., was recently featured in the “Safety & Security” section of the Serve.Gov website. Lisbeth explains [...]
Tags: CERT · Preparedness Models · Preparedness Tips · Volunteering