U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano travelled to the New York City’s Emergency Operations Center in downtown Brooklyn yesterday to make a major speech to local first responders on the eve of the ninth anniversary of 9/11. I was asked by the City’s Office of Emergency Management to represent the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program at the event.
And, Napolitano’s message was aimed equally at the general public as the uniformed services:
“So tomorrow is also a reminder that each of us bears a unique sense of responsibility to one another, to our communities, to our states, and to our nation. Whether you are a police officer on the street, a firefighter, a doctor, a businessman, a student, or a stay-at-home parent, you – we – are the very backbone of our nation’s homeland security. We are all interconnected in the effort to protect this country…
Therefore, over the past year and a half, I have made one of my very top priorities for DHS to get information, to get tools, and to get resources out of Washington, DC, and into the hands of the men and women serving on the front lines. That includes you – the first responders – but it also includes citizens, community groups, and our partners in the private sector.”
The speech follows up another address she made last year here in New York on the role of the public in homeland security at the Council on Foreign Relations.
“I said in that speech last year that we had an ‘urgent need to refocus our counter-terror approach to make it a shared endeavor to make it more layered, networked, and resilient – to make it smarter and more adaptive.’ I said we needed to enlist a broader societal response to the evolving threats we’re facing – and that requires strengthening partnerships, and focusing on values like resilience and shared responsibility. And I said that individuals, families, communities, and businesses all have important roles to play.
This represents a shift for our country. In a sense, this harkens back to when we drew on the tradition of civil defense and preparedness that predated today’s concerns. In another way, however, it makes all of us responsible for being informed about the kinds of Twenty-First Century threats we face today.
Building a culture of preparedness and resilience across the country is a significant endeavor. And it is, indeed, still a work in progress. But I’m here today – a year later – to say that we have made progress. And we need to be making progress because the myriad threats against our nation have not gone away. Indeed, they have grown even more dynamic. So, I want to share that progress with you, and let you know what I see coming down the road for us.”
Napolitano acknowledges that this topic “may not generate big headlines” [except of course on this blog]. Saying “homeland security begins with hometown security,” Napolitano touted the role of the public and spoke about expanding the “See Something, Say Something” program nationally:
DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano inscribes ‘God Bless America’ and signs her name at the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
A bill which would create a ‘tax holiday’ for preparedness supplies including “Go-Bagsâ€, which was suggested by this blog, is now under consideration by the New York State Legislature. I would like readers around the U.S. to consider asking their elected officials about introducing similar legislation in their states.
Under the New York bill, citizens would be able to buy emergency supplies without paying state sales tax between September 1st-11th and purchase pre-made “Go-Bagsâ€Â tax free throughout the month. The bill would also declare September as “Emergency Preparedness Month†in New York. It was originally introduced by New York State Assemblyman Jonathan L. Bing as Bill A00783.
I had met with Assemblyman Bing’s staff to discuss emergency preparedness in his Manhattan district (where I live) as well as the State as a whole. I recommended that a tax free holiday on emergency supplies, which is being tried successfully by a couple states to increase public interest and action on preparedness, would be good for the Empire State. As Bing has long been involved in the issues of emergency preparedness and response, he thought a tax free period could have a significant impact on citizen preparedness, and decided to introduce legislation.
According to the proposed legislation, the tax-free period for supplies would run from September 1-September 11 commemorating the time between the anniversaries between Hurricane Katrina and 9/11. “Go-Bags†would be exempt all month but only if they met certain minimum requirements and were sold for $75 or less. Some of the individual emergency items would have similar price restrictions.
Storing supplies are just one step in becoming prepared, but getting people to take that initial step is crucial. In addition, a special tax holiday makes it more likely a) private businesses will add their marketing expertise and capacity to the preparedness effort and b) the media will provide coverage of the issue. Officials in Virginia and Florida, both of which recently implemented this idea, say results have been positive.
The bill has been introduced in the Assembly with twenty other sponsors as well as in the Senate. New Yorkers should contact your local legislators to encourage them to support the legislation. Those in other states should ask their elected officials to consider the idea.
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Manning wanted to remind preparedness stakeholders, including the public, that there are two days left to contribute a new idea — or offer a comment and vote on an existing one — to the Dialogue. The website can be found at http://preparedness.ideascale.com/.
Thus far, there have been 246 suggestions, 388 comments and 2867 votes posted by 759 users. With this web-based tool, users submit their ideas, the community discusses and votes for them, with the most popular suggestions bubbling up to the top. Right now, educating the public on preparedness are two of the three recommendations with the most votes.
The Dialogue will complement the work of the Preparedness Task Force which was created at the direction of Congress. The Task Force is comprised of 35 local, state, and tribal members and 24 Federal ex officio members with diverse expertise in homeland security and emergency management. It was formed to assess the state of disaster preparedness and make recommendations for improvement throughout the nation. The panel has been meeting since April and is expected to release a report next month.
Manning says the Task Force has been looking at all aspects of the nation’s preparedness initiatives, many of which date to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security more than seven years ago. He adds that the group will be addressing some basic questions, including, “What are we trying to achieve? How do we measure effectiveness? What have been the effectiveness of grant programs?”
To contribute to the Dialogue (by the deadline of September 10th), click here. If you would prefer to submit your comments, ideas or recommendations directly to the Task Force, send them by email to FEMA-Preparedness-Task-Force@fema.gov (also by the 10th).
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File this blog post under ‘no good turn goes unpunished’.
The Red Cross has organized a series of preparedness events for personnel and families on military bases, including one at Fort Belvoir earlier this summer and another at Fort Polk last month. The families were able to build an emergency preparedness kit and learn about emergency preparedness, according to a news release from Leann Murphy, CEO of the American Red Cross of Central Louisiana:
The goal is to provide 1,500 families at each location with basic elements of an emergency/disaster kit. The items that will be made available for military families at the event include:
ARC multipurpose lantern, Two LED flow sticks, Two emergency preparedness drawstring bags, Self-powered AM/FM National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration radio, Personal safety pack, Mini water storage system, and Multi-tool.
Red Cross volunteer teams from across Louisiana will be will be available to demonstrate how to assemble a disaster kit and to provide community disaster preparedness information. Other Fort Polk agencies and units will be supporting the event as well.
A military family at an American Red Cross preparedness event (Photo: Daniel Cima)
Ok. Everything seems all good. To me, there is no group that deserves free preparedness supplies than military families. And, it’s obviously better now that thousands of families are better prepared as a result of this initiative. However, here’s my ‘no good turn’ BUT — the fact that they are receiving their emergency kits gratis just underlines the challenge of getting the rest of the public to purchase or put together theirs. It is not inexpensive to do. And though it is great that thousands of military families get them free, it also underscores that fact that if emergency officials want the rest of the public to do so they need to make it easier and cheaper.
As I have proposed, one way would be for the Red Cross and government officials to work with the private sector to provide discounts on emergency products as part of an emergency supply marketing initiative which would lower the price and logistical obstacles for the public. That would help a wider range of Americans — including military families — build their emergency supply kits.
The public’s interest in free or discounted preparedness supplies was underscored this morning on the Red Cross’ Facebook page where the Eton Corporation gave away 700 free “Blackout Buddies,” an emergency LED blackout flashlight that plugs and recharges straight from a wall socket, in 30 minutes. Again, this giveaway is a positive private sector/Red Cross partnership, but it also serves to underline the need.
Eton Corporation’s “Blackout Buddy”
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The Great California ShakeOut began in 2008, as the Great Southern California ShakeOut, an effort to educate the public about emergency management during a large earthquake. It was the largest earthquake drill in U.S. history at the time with a total of 5.4 million participants spanning eight counties in the southern part of the state.
In 2009, the ShakeOut expanded to include the entire state of California — all 58 counties, divided into 11 areas. More than 6.9 million Californians participated, practicing Drop, Cover, and Hold On and other aspects of family, school, and organizational emergency plans. The 2010 ShakeOut will be on October 21st. To get more information and/or register for that event, click here.
The Great Central U.S. ShakeOut in April 2011 will involve more than 1 million people through a broad-based outreach program, partnership with the media, and public advocacy by hundreds of partners. This event is being organized by CUSEC and our Member States: Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. The ShakeOut will be centered around a simultaneous drop, cover, and hold drill that will be held at 10:15 AM CDT on April 28, 2011. The drill is designed to increase awareness and be a simple thing that can be done easily by many people…
The 2011 ShakeOut drill will be the largest earthquake preparedness event in central U.S. history. Soon, a website detailing ShakeOut drill procedures, registration, and promotion, will be ready at www.ShakeOut.org/centralus. At this website, you will be able to pledge your family, school, business, or organization’s participation in the drill. Registered participants will receive information on how to plan their drill and how to create a dialogue with others about earthquake preparedness. All organizers ask is that participants register (so the can be counted and receive communications), and at the minimum practice “drop, cover, and hold on” at the specified time. It is only a five minute commitment for something that can save your life. It all begins with registering, which is free and open to everyone.
To register for The Great Central U.S. ShakeOut click here. To register for The Great California ShakeOut, click here.
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In a good example of government involving average citizens in the nation’s homeland security effort, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has selected a 28-year-old Roanoke, Virginia woman’s public information campaign to help educate the public on cybersecurity.
Melissa Short’s “Cybersecurity Starts Here†campaign was one of the winners of the National Cyber Awareness Challenge “which called on members of the public and private sector companies to develop creative and innovative ways to enhance awareness of the importance of cybersecurity and safeguard America’s computer systems and networks from attacks.”
Melissa Short, DHS Cyber Challenge Winner
The Challenge, which Secretary Napolitano announced in March, received more than 80 proposals, from which seven were selected which will help inform the National Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign. It is designed to engage the American public, the private sector and state and local governments in efforts to guard against cyber threats and communicate strategies for the public to help keep themselves, their families and communities safer online. The Campaign will kick off in October 2010, in conjunction with National Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
It is also another deliverable on Secretary Napolitano’s pledge to begin “engaging and empowering our citizens to be part of collective effort†towards “creating a culture of awareness And preparationâ€. Cybersecurity has become more central to the nation’s homeland security and in fact was mentioned for first time in President Obama’s National Preparedness Month proclamation this year.
Short told me in an interview that in her campaign entry she wanted to make cybersecurity more accessible and doable for the average citizen:Â ”How do we make cyber security relevant to their lives? But give them steps they can actually do.”
“There’s no silver bullet. It won’t happen overnight,” she says, adding, ”I hope we can get a dialogue when we’re talking about security. Get a discussion going among the public.” Short works at the U.S. Veterans Administration in Roanoke, Virginia in information technology, but  says she is “non-technical” so she feels she can understand both the expert and non-expert worlds.
DHS spokesperson Meredith Isola explained why DHS reached out to the public:
“Everyone has a stake in cybersecurity –- and we believe that all Americans can be part of the solution to keeping our cyberspace safe. And so we knew that by tapping into some of the wisdom and creativity of the public and cyber experts, we could come up with some great ideas for getting the word out more broadly.”
“Every day Americans are incorporating new and innovative technologies into their lives. We’ve come to rely on computers, smartphones and many other online resources at home, at work and at school. That heightens the need for every single one of us – young or old, computer savvy or not – to learn about the potential threats and how to stay safe online.”
If National Preparedness Month has inspired you to want to volunteer in your community to assist in emergency preparedness and response, I wanted to post an article by Darryl Madden, Director of the Ready Program, “Be Part of the Preparedness Team.” In the piece, he offers some suggestions from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s grassroots readiness initiative, Citizen Corps:
* Volunteering for local law enforcement agencies through the Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) Program. VIPS volunteers conduct traffic control, crowd control, and other duties that support local law enforcement
* Training to become a member of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) in your area. CERT members support first responders before, during and after a disaster occurs by providing support for preparedness awareness and using their skills to execute response protocols to assist emergency responders
* Joining a Neighborhood Watch group to assist with crime and terrorism prevention by working more closely with local law enforcement, and emphasize the importance of emergency preparedness among families and homes in your neighborhood
* Donating time to a Medical Reserve Corps Unit through volunteering with medical and public health professionals to contribute skills and expertise throughout the year as well as during times of community need
* Becoming an advocate for fire safety and prevention education in the community and assisting with administrative duties at your local fire station through Fire Corps.
* Getting involved with an American Red Cross Chapter by giving blood to ensure a safe supply, volunteering with your local chapter, getting trained to respond to local disasters like home fires, or making a donation to the Disaster Relief Fund.
* Helping other community members prepare, including those children and adults with disabilities and others with access and functional needs.
During the past two decades, such blackouts have increased 124 percent — up from 41 blackouts between 1991 and 1995, to 92 between 2001 and 2005, according to research at the University of Minnesota. In the most recently analyzed data available, utilities reported 36 such outages in 2006 alone.
It offers a good reminder that citizens should be prepared for such events. One particular tip I would suggest is to make sure that you have requisite backup power for your mobile phone as communications in a crisis is paramount.
The need for — and importance — of backup power for mobiles in an emergency was brought home to me a couple years ago when I responded to a building collapse in Manhattan with my CERT team. The accident displaced a number of apartment residents who came to the Red Cross evacuation center with two questions: when can we get into our homes? and second, how can we could get our cellphones charged?
The City Council President, Deputy Mayor, the commissioners of OEM, Fire, Health Department and Immigrant Affairs all give their quick answers in the 30 second spot.
NYC-OEM/Ad Council PSA
I like the idea of involving public officials and publicizing their own preparedness process. I wrote earlier this summer there is a need for high profile people both in and out of the emergency management field to discuss publicly their own family readiness efforts as a model for the rest of the community. In this PSA, each interviewee only gets a quick one sentence answer. I would like to see another PSA where they go into more detail about their emergency plans.
To me, one of the biggest gaps in citizen preparedness communications is the lack of personalization and humanization. The messaging is far too institutional, and the result is that people largely do not respond. Officials ask average citizens to create emergency plans and kits, research threats and do practice run-throughs, but they never show them how (and if) they do it for themselves.
As a result, they do not have a full understanding of the challenges for the public in taking what seem to be simple preparedness steps but are not particularly easy for laypeople — there are always many questions and hidden obstacles for civilians going through the preparedness process. But those are almost never addressed in a personal way by those in authority, which is a major reason why the messages do not largely get through to the public. While officials are always asking the public “what’s your plan?†or “what’s in your kit?†but rarely tell us what’s in their plan or their kit.
Now, it is true that public officials are not going react like regular citizens in a disaster but instead will be likely be working managing the situation. So, they may not have to plan for themselves in the same way an average person would. However, most have families who are going to prepare and respond along with the rest of the public. The fact is that everyofficial is also a citizen; it would be helpful for other citizens if officials show that perspective more, and it would be similarly useful for leaders to take that point of view more in their preparedness planning and communications.
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