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Public Alerts now on Google Maps

Yesterday Google launched the new Google Crisis Response project: Google Public Alerts, a platform designed to bring you relevant emergency alerts when and where you’re searching for them. 

See full article: http://blog.google.org/2012/01/public-alerts-now-on-google-maps.html

Securing Tomorrow’s Software

Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in collaboration with the Mitre Corporation, released the Common Weakness Enumeration version 2.0 (or CWE v2) – a dictionary of software weaknesses and their associated mitigation practices developed by the experts from government, industry and academia from across the software security community.

http://blog.dhs.gov/2011/06/securing-tomorrows-software.html

Robots assist rescuers in Japan

Two teams and their robots were actually in the U.S. when disaster struck. They were at "Disaster City," at Texas A&M University. "Disaster City" hosted American and Japanese researchers that jointly tested their bots using a mock-up terrain that simulates the same kind of environment that researchers will find on the battered eastern coast of Japan.

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/03/14/japans-best-robots-to-help-with-rescue-effort/#ixzz1Gc0xRiFo

First responders train for disaster in Disaster City

Emergency workers from around the world receive training in Disaster City, a Texas ghost town made up of derelict buildings, wreckage, and debris; they learn how to deal with major fires, earthquakes, floods, and terrorist attacks. George Bennett, the inventor of Disaster City, says that as far as floods, hurricanes, fires, and the like are concerned, rescue teams are usually well prepared nowadays. "But when it comes to terrorism, to exploding buildings, massive pieces of concrete and steel wreckage and massive numbers of victims -- how do you prepare people for something like that? --- Our emergency responders are being asked to do more and more, and before Disaster City there was no place that offered the possibility of training them for that"

Full article: http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/first-responders-train-disaster-disaster-city

U.S. Plans Cyber Shield for Utilities, Companies

The control room at a nuclear-power plant in Limerick, Pa. The National Security Agency's 'Private Citizen' program will detect cyber assaults on critical infrastructure, but could also help companies in other fields, such as Google, which sustained a major attack late last year. (photo Bloomberg)

Wall Street Journal reports the federal government is launching an expansive program dubbed "Perfect Citizen" to detect cyber assaults on private companies and government agencies running such critical infrastructure as the electricity grid and nuclear-power plants, according to people familiar with the program

Full Article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704545004575352983850463108.html

Widgets, Twitter to fuel FEMA emergency alerts

Social media strategy aims to disseminate disaster preparedness, response messages in near-real time.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has announced a new widget for disaster preparedness on its  Facebook page page as part of a series of releases to publicize its social media and Gov 2.0 tools for emergency readiness and response.

Full article at: http://gcn.com/articles/2010/06/23/fema-pushes-widgets-twitter-for-disaster-preparedness.aspx

InfraGard Houston President testifies at TX House of Representatives Select Committee on Emergency Preparedness about the ER-ITN system

Bob Janusaitis the current InfraGard Houston president testified at a hearing about the ER-ITN system for re-entry of critical infrastructure personnel after a crisis.  The system being implemented by the Pegasus Program was extensively tested by several Gulf Coast InfraGard chapters, and local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. 

Link to full InfraGard Houston blog article

Secretary Napolitano Announces New Standards for Private Sector Preparedness

Washington, D.C.—Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced the adoption of the final standards for the Voluntary Private Sector Preparedness Accreditation and Certification Program (PS-Prep)—a major milestone in DHS' implementation of a program recommended by the 9/11 Commission to improve private sector preparedness for disasters and emergencies.

PS-Prep site: http://www.fema.gov/privatesector/preparedness/index.htm

Downtown Houston Emergency Response Plan

The downtown district has revised its Emergency Operations Plan for downtown businesses.  The plan describes the role of each party during an emergency.  Each organization within the downtown area, and elsewhere within the city should acquaint itself with the plan prior to an actual event.

A copy of the plan is available at: http://www.downtownhouston.org/site_media/uploads/attachments/2010-05-26/Downtown_Emergency_Response_Plan_2010.pdf

NOAA Expects Busy Atlantic Hurricane Season

May 27, 2010

Hurricane Ike, 2008. High resolution (Credit: NOAA)

An “active to extremely active” hurricane season is expected for the Atlantic Basin this year according to the seasonal outlook issued today by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center – a division of the National Weather Service. As with every hurricane season, this outlook underscores the importance of having a hurricane preparedness plan in place.

Across the entire Atlantic Basin for the six-month season, which begins June 1, NOAA is projecting a 70 percent probability of the following ranges:

• 14 to 23 Named Storms (top winds of 39 mph or higher), including:
• 8 to 14 Hurricanes (top winds of 74 mph or higher), of which:
• 3 to 7 could be Major Hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of at least 111 mph)

Full article