A new Congressionally-mandated commission has found that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) risk analysis capabilities and methods are not yet adequate for supporting DHS decision making.
The National Academies’ commission’s report — “Review of the Department of Homeland Security’s Approach to Risk Analysis” — does, however, approve of the Department’s current risk approach on natural [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Risk Communications'
New Report: Homeland Security Department Needs To Improve Risk Analysis Capabilities & Methods
September 21st, 2010 · 3 Comments
Tags: Department of Homeland Security · Preparedness Reports · Risk Communications
As Nation Marks 9/11 Anniversary, 20 Ideas To Improve Citizen Preparedness & Engagement
September 13th, 2010 · 3 Comments
As the U.S. marks the ninth anniversary of 9/11, I wanted to post some ideas that I think would help raise citizen preparedness and engagement. The recommendations come from discussions that I have had with people involved in all aspects of the issue, my own experiences as a parent and CERT member in New York [...]
Tags: Business Preparedness · CERT · City Preparedness · Congress · County Preparedness · Cyber Security · Department of Homeland Security · Federal Emergency Management Administration · Fire Safety · Government Education Programs · Media · Non-Profit Organizations · Preparedness 2.0 · Preparedness Ideas · Preparedness Incentives · Preparedness Models · Preparedness and Business · Risk Communications · See Something/Terrorism Tips · State Preparedness · Volunteer Opportunities
New Study Says “Individualistic” Americans May Be Too Optimistic About Disaster Risk Vs. Others In “Interdependent” Cultures Such As In Asia — Does That Explain Lack Of Preparedness?
August 14th, 2010 · No Comments
A new study  says “individualistic” Americans may be too optimistic about the risk of disasters, including terrorism, as opposed to more “interdependent” cultures such as in Asia. The report argues that the perception of disaster risk is influenced by culture more than experience.
It may help explain why many Americans still do not prepare for disasters (and, [...]
Tags: International · Preparedness Reports · Risk Communications
When U.S. Officials Warn Public About New Terror Threats To Nation, Why Do They Have To Do It Anonymously?
August 2nd, 2010 · No Comments
An article yesterday by the Washington Post’s excellent homeland security reporter, Spencer S. Hsu, “Arrest of Va. man spotlights al-Qaeda’s new American recruiters,” looks at how al-Qaeda and its affiliates are “increasingly are relying on a new generation of American recruiters to radicalize other Americans.”
It’s an interesting piece about how this potential growth of domestic-based [...]
Tags: Domestic Terrorism · Risk Communications · See Something/Terrorism Tips
Wharton’s “Quake” Simulation Game Shows Why Humans Do Such A Poor Job Planning For & Learning From Catastrophes
June 4th, 2010 · 18 Comments
On the subject of the role of games in disaster preparedness and response, an article, “Masters of Disaster” from the most recent Wharton Magazine, describes the computer simulation, Quake. It was designed by Howard Kunreuther and Robert Meyer of the Philadelphia school’s Risk Management and Decision Processes Center, to test ideas about how humans perceive risk. Amazingly, everyone [...]
Tags: Preparedness Resources · Risk Communications
Officials Shouldn’t Be Afraid Of “Fear” In Effort To (Responsibly & Constructively) Inform, Engage & Prepare Public On Terror Threats; It’s Used For Hurricanes & Global Warming, Why Not Terrorism?
June 1st, 2010 · 2 Comments
The word ‘fear’ has gotten a bit of bad rap this decade. And, I would argue that’s hurt the country’s public preparedness. Let me explain.
I think the fear of being accused of fearmongering has put a significant crimp in the ability of our leaders to communicate with and prepare Americans for terrorism. That’s a problem [...]
Tags: Preparedness Ideas · Risk Communications
“Oh Well: Why We’re So Bad At Dealing With Unlikely Disasters Like The Louisiana Oil Spill” & What Can We Do About It
May 4th, 2010 · No Comments
In Slate, Christopher Beam has an interesting piece, “Oh Well: Why We’re So Bad At Dealing With Unlikely Disasters Like The Louisiana Oil Spill,” about how we as a nation think about, prepare for, and ultimately learn from unlikely but disastrous events. His conclusion: not well.
…the real lesson of the oil spill may be how [...]
Tags: Preparedness Ideas · Risk Communications
New Report Calls On President To “Discuss [Homeland Security] Risk Priorities With The American People”; Says #H1N1 May Offer Good “Launching Off Point”
September 10th, 2009 · No Comments
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 [...]
Tags: Preparedness Reports · Risk Communications
#H1N1 Rap By Dr. Clarke Is This Blog’s Pick In HHS/YouTube #Flu PSA Contest; You Can Vote From Among 10 Worthy Finalists (And Watch All 242 Eclectic Entries) At Flu.Gov
September 8th, 2009 · 3 Comments
The 10 finalists for the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS)Â 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 [...]
Tags: Humor · Pandemic Flu · Preparedness Ideas · Preparedness Tips · Risk Communications
Is Twitter Playing A Positive Or Negative Role During Swine Flu Outbreak? I Say Positive But Am Concerned About Governmental Social Media Capability During A Pandemic
April 29th, 2009 · 3 Comments
In an interesting article on ForeignPolicy.com, “Swine Flu: Twitter’s Power To Misinform”, Evgeny Morozov argues that “despite all the recent Twitter-enthusiasm about this platform’s unique power to alert millions of people in decentralized and previously unavailable ways, there are quite a few reasons to be concerned about Twitter’s role in facilitating an unnecessary global panic about swine [...]
Tags: Pandemic Flu · Preparedness 2.0 · Public Health Preparedness · Red Cross · Risk Communications