Security Debrief

Resiliency and the Great Central U.S. Shakeout

By Jay Alan

At some point during my day I can usually see the scaffolding atop the landmark National Cathedral here in Washington, D.C. — a reminder of damage from the August earthquake. And a reminder that disaster can strike anywhere at anytime. We all know and preach the doctrine of preparedness, but building resiliency and knowledge takes time. This effort takes another great step forward on Feb. 7. The Great Central U.S. Shakeout will occur at 10:15am CST, with (as of this writing) 1.7 million people in nine states practicing the ‘duck, cover and hold’ earthquake drill.

Risks abound at home and abroad

A recent report by the UK-based think tank Chatham House describes the challenges associated with preparing for high-impact, low-probability events as well as potential global impacts. On the latter point, the report highlights how impacts will be felt well beyond an immediate disaster area, with the effects reverberating around the world because of our interconnected, global economy. In short, the best we can do is allocate resources based on risk assessments, and have a robust all-hazards plan to address the Black Swans that we could not have anticipated.

If you're a business and don't have an emergency continuity plan, read this

Tips for Creating a Plan that Addresses the 3 Key Phases of Business Continuity There are three key phases of business continuity: the plan, implementation and follow-up.

Virginia Tech Paper Uses Twitter to Publish Updates on Shooting Emergency

Using Twitter, Virginia Tech’s College Newspaper Kept on Publishing – NYTimes.com During the shooting in 2007, Virginia Tech’s Collegiate Times did not have a tool for publishing real-time updates and informing fellow students about what they had reported. On Thursday, the newspaper’s Twitter account, @collegiatetimes, was providing updates every few minutes, quickly becoming a source […]

LAPD Common Sense Approach to Protestor Management

The LAPD operation to clear the park in City Hall was noteworthy for its change in style and was the correct conclusion to what has been a policing operation characterized by engagement and discretion by the police. This and other examples of policing Occupy Protests must be examined closely by the departments that will host National Significant Security Events next year, extracting the lessons that will apply to certain sections of the protest community, and creating effective plans for the those truly violent demonstrators who were patently absent from Occupy LA.

Thad Allen, the Joplin Tornado & a New Resilience

Earlier this month, I was at Rutgers University and fortunate to hear retired U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen speak at the 2nd annual Maritime Risk Symposium. In his address, Adm. Allen developed a theme in discussing resilience that I believe bears greater and deeper discussion. He discussed the Joplin, Missouri, tornado devastation this past spring. At the center of this lesson is a school teacher – it is the story of Dr. C.J. Huff, the young teacher-turned-school superintendent who demonstrated resilience in practice.

Survey Says Rural Residents are Better Prepared for Disaster than Urban Dwellers

Survey finds that rural Ind. residents are better prepared than city dwellers for disasters- The Associated Press

A statewide survey suggests that Indiana’s rural residents are more likely than their urban counterparts to be prepared for a disaster.

The Newest Hardline Protestor Threat to Police

The newest threat to police from hardline protestors is “doxing” – the photographing of police and publishing their personal details, and sometimes that of their families, to the Internet. This tactic has been used to attempt to intimidate officers during events with protestors calling out officers’ names as they film and telling them they will be “doxed.” This tactic is an import from the hardline protest movements in Britain and should be of significant concern to police at all levels of operations and command, although it does have a very simple remedy.

You're prepared for emergencies — but zombies??

Are Zombies and Preparedness a Perfect Match? Agencies that cater to emergency preparedness are jumping on the undead bandwagon by encouraging the public to prepare for the zombie apocalypse. Why? Preparing for a zombie attack requires the same planning as emergencies like natural disasters — from putting together a disaster kit to creating an emergency […]

Airborne Chemical Releases: Ninety Tons of Trouble Blowin' in the Wind

DHS | Modeling Airborne Chemical Releases: Ninety Tons of Trouble Blowin’ in the Wind How do DHS experimenters release 4,000 pounds of deadly gas in 1 minute? Very, very carefully.