Why Crisis Communication Needs to Include Social Media, Now | A Desk is a Dangerous Place Chris Battle, a former U.S. Department of Homeland Security Public Affairs Director, basically scores the event Crowdsourcing 100, Government 0. In his post “After Earthquake, DC Government Needs Lesson in Social Media” he says if they don’t adapt, they […]
The present, predominant view that Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) is confined to Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and High Yield Explosives (CBRNE) only is now passé. Many people do not even include the “E”. This is far too narrow a view! At least two other categories must be included in the pantheon of WMD. These are cyber weapons and economic warfare.
Earlier this week, all the talk was earthquakes and hurricanes. It was also the day that The Heritage Foundation released its latest report on how to fix homeland security –“Homeland Security 4.0: Overcoming Centralization, Complacency, and Politics.” It is always nice to have some real world disasters to remind us that the U.S. is still not well prepared for to deal with really big disasters.
Ever tried to get on Twitter only to find that frustrating white whale floating in a sea of blue with the message that the network is overcrowded and you should come back later? In the social media world, this is known as the Fail Whale. During yesterday’s mini emergency in Washington, when a 5.8 earthquake shook the city and sent scared and confused folks fleeing from buildings, we experienced a Fail Whale on the part of the Washington DC, government. Increasingly, citizens aren’t turning to government officials for disaster management but to one another. And they’re doing it through social media.
In response to a recent DHS report citing concerns about the ability of insiders to cause significant damage at water utilities, Sen. Chuck Schumer is set to introduce legislation that would mandate FBI background checks for employees at drinking water and wastewater plants. While I understand Senator Schumer’s logic, Congress would be wise to hit the “pause” button before introducing new regulatory mandates so it can reexamine our current national approach to addressing water security.
One of the best descriptions of what it is like to work in Washington, DC, can be summed up with the old canard, “After all is said and done, there will be a lot more said than done.” I have every confidence that will be the situation following the earthquake we experienced early Tuesday afternoon. Less than 24 hours from the event, it is presumptuous to draw final conclusions, but there are some things that need to be addressed immediately.
I’m back in my office building after the great DC Shake of 2011. The earthquake that struck Virginia and surrounding areas was a surreal experience, one I’ve never had and one I don’t care to repeat any time soon. I have to say I’m proud of the people in my building for knowing what to do and doing it without panic, as well as the surrounding buildings for replicating the same behavior.
Shortly before 2 PM a 5.8 earthquake hit Mineral, Virginia, affecting Washington, DC, Maryland and the Eastern seaboard.
In 2004 and 2008, a congressionally charted commission studied the threat of Electro-Magnetic Pulse (EMP) to U.S. critical infrastructure. They concluded there were real and serious dangers to worry about. With the help Richard Weitz at the Hudson Institute, we conducted what we think is the first ever survey of what Washington has done with the information. In “Before the Lights Go Out: A Survey of EMP Preparedness Reveals Significant Shortfalls,” we conclude–not much.
In this great country, most days begin and end just like most other days, so it is hard to distinguish what we did or where we were at any given moment. However, there are those days and moments that we remember exactly where we were and what we were doing. I remember the vivid images of planes hitting the World Trade Center ten years ago. To me, they are so vivid it feels like they were only yesterday. It is hard to believe how quickly our nation has adapted and how much we have changed in a relatively short period of time. Goes to show what America can do, even in times of adversity.
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