In Case Of Emergency, Read Blog

Today, on 9/11, I am posting again a “What Should We Tell The Public?” series video featuring Mary Fetchet, Founding Director of Voices of September 11th.
Mary and her husband Frank lost their 24-year-old son, Brad, in the World Trade Center attacks eight years ago today. Soon after, she founded Voices of September 11th as a clearinghouse for information and [...]

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As we mark the anniversaries of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, I wanted to again mention a bill which would create a ‘tax holiday’ for preparedness supplies and “Go-Bags,” introduced in the New York State Assembly by Assemblyman Jonathan L. Bing. Under the legislation, New Yorkers would be able to buy emergency supplies without paying state sales tax between September 1st-11th and purchase pre-made “Go-Bags” tax free [...]

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In their new books, former DHS Secretaries Tom Ridge and Michael Chertoff both say that there is a need to engage the American public in a discussion on risk and homeland security priorities. That’s also one of the recommendations in a recent report, “Improving Strategic Risk Management at the Department of Homeland Security,” from the [...]

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The subject of the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security’s Third Annual Essay Competition will be of interest to readers of this blog: ”How can, or should, the United States make homeland security a more layered, networked, and resilient endeavor involving all citizens?”
The competition is open to everyone with an interest in homeland [...]

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The most high profile American associated with citizen preparedness may be Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Russel L. Honore who came to national prominence for his work in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In the four years since, Honore has been an outspoken advocate for focusing more national attention and resources on community readiness. In a new book, Survival: How A [...]

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FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate went to the offices of Google in Mountain View, California to discuss how the company and the industry can help the agency’s disaster preparedness and response efforts.
Fugate shot a short video there (below) about the goals of the meeting which he says was to help the government figure out how “we [...]

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and Girl Scouts of the USA CEO Kathy Cloninger today unveiled a Girl Scout preparedness patch-designed to engage Girl Scouts and their families in personal preparedness for all emergencies-and announced a new affiliation between DHS Citizen Corps and the Girl Scouts to advance community preparedness nationwide. ”As [...]

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A bill introduced today by the U.S. Senate Homeland Security Committee’s Chairman, Sen. Joe Lieberman (ID-CT), and its ranking Republican, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), offers several initiatives to improve the government’s information and planning for the public in the event of a terrorist attack from weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
“The Weapons of Mass Destruction Prevention and Preparedness [...]

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In a proclamation declaring September as National Preparedness Month (NPM), President Obama declares that preparedness is “a top priority” of his Administration and emphasizes a “more resilient nation” as “our goal”. The statement begins:
“Preparedness is an essential element of a resilient and secure Nation. My Administration has made preparedness a top priority, and we are [...]

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The 10 finalists for the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) YouTube Flu Prevention PSA contest have been announced and posted on Flu.Gov. You can now vote here through September 16th for the winner who will receive a $2500 prize (and whose PSA will be featured on national television).
The finalists are all good and their entries [...]

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