In Case Of Emergency, Read Blog

In a speech marking the end of National Preparedness Month, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano today asked Americans “to raise your hand and ask ‘What’s our plan’” at their schools, workplaces, houses of worship, social organizations, and homes.
The full speech text has not yet been released but in the Department’s “Leadership Blog,” Napolitano summarized its contents:
“Today, [...]

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U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will be delivering a major speech on preparedness at 2:15 ET at the Red Cross in Washington, D.C. to mark the end of National Preparedness Month.
In the speech, she will make a request that citizens: Stand up at school, or at work, or at home, and ask, “What’s our plan?” [...]

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With news of several alleged terror plots across the U.S. just weeks after the nation marked the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, there have been renewed calls from current and former top officials warning Americans to avoid “complacency” and to continue to be “vigilant” about the potential terrorist threat. From the public’s perspective, that raises [...]

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As I’ve mentioned before, one of the most challenging aspects in the effort to plan for a possible H1N1 pandemic is dealing with the business sector. Unlike schools, there is no central managerial authority to make and implement policies; guidelines have to be created and implemented on a firm by firm basis. It will also have to [...]

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A new Rand Corporation study, The Role of Nongovernmental Organizations in Long-Term Human Recovery after Disaster: Reflections from Louisiana Four Years After Hurricane Katrina, recommends more attention for “human recovery” after disasters and provide more support for non-profit group response efforts. According to the Rand press release:
Focusing on the region damaged by Hurricane Katrina four [...]

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U.S. Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) said earlier this month he agreed with the findings of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism that a biological attack on the nation is more likely than a nuclear attack.
Lieberman and ranking member Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced a bill that [...]

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Speaking to a workshop on crisis communications yesterday, DHS Secretary Napolitano said both ‘old’ and ‘new’ media “can and need to” continue to address the accuracy of rumors and conspiracy theories on homeland security issues such as H1N1 and terrorism. In her remarks, she also outlined some other news/information challenges faced by the media as [...]

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In Baltimore today, about 120 area journalists, government officials, business executives and scientists faced the following [mock tabletop] situation:
A major explosion at City Hall; another explosion at Baltimore’s World Trade Center; gunmen firing upon those on at the two sites; their actions are obviously being coordinated using complex communications partly utilizing info/images broadcast by the media; [...]

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HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced this morning that “H1N1 Rap By Dr. Clarke” by Dr. John Clarke of Baldwin, New York is the winner of the Flu.Gov PSA contest. “H1N1 Rap” was chosen by the public from among 10 finalists with more than 50,000 votes cast. Dr. Clarke’s video was ‘endorsed’ by this blog and was [...]

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This past weekend, I finished two good books that are definitely worth reading for anyone interested in emergency preparedness and response: Homeland Security And Federalism: Protecting America From Outside The Beltway (Praeger International) by Matt A. Mayer and A Paradise Built In Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise In Disaster (Viking) by Rebecca Solnit.
At a time [...]

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