AGRICULTURE & FOOD DEFENSE ARCHIVES
Black Swans – Preparing for Pandemic & Biological Threats
Robert C. Hutchinson
November 6, 2013
The first step in preparing for a “Black Swan” event is to confirm that it actually exists. Once that is done, it is important to recognize its potential impact, implement the plans and strategies needed, and understand the roles played by all stakeholders involved.
Public Health Answers for Non-Public Health Organizations
Chas Eby
October 23, 2013
Private companies and public agencies conduct business as usual most days, but emergency planners at these organizations should be acutely aware not only of the companyās vulnerabilities but also of any external threats to operations that might cause major problems. Cyber attacks, earthquakes, and/or a pandemic flu ā to cite
Ready & Able – But Not Always Willing
Raphael M. Barishansky and Audrey Mazurek
October 9, 2013
Public health agencies play a central role in responding to many different types of manmade and natural emergency situations ā including, but not limited to, outbreaks of pandemic influenza, biological attacks, radiological incidents/events, and extreme weather emergencies. Unfortunately, the increased number of multi-casualty incidents in recent years (e.g., the 9/11
Building Resilience Early & Geographically
Stephen McElroy
September 11, 2013
Earthquakes have changed the course of rivers, tornadoes have uprooted and moved trees and homes, and other types of disasters have caused terrain and geographical changes that made it difficult for residents to recognize their own neighborhoods. Geographic information systems offer emergency managers and responders a valuable tool to help
Listeria – When Food Bites Back
Dana Pitts
June 26, 2013
Food safety is a top priority at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As the only agency tasked with tracking human cases of foodborne illness at the national level, the CDC works ā in collaboration with the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and the Food Safety &
Promoting Food Security in Disaster Relief Situations
Scott McCallum
June 19, 2013
In 2011, 14.9 percent of U.S. households (17.9 million households) were āfood insecure,ā according to the U.S. Department of Agricultureās study, Household Food Security in the United States in 2011. Those numbers equate to slightly more than 50 million Americans living in food-insecure households: 33.5 million adults and almost 17
Early Detection of Zoonotic Emerging Infectious Diseases
Thomas Cotter and Earl Stoddard
June 19, 2013
In 2009, the H1N1 pandemic strain of influenza served as a dramatic wake-up call for biosurveillance experts around the world. Despite major advances in domestic and global surveillance capabilities, H1N1 was spreading rapidly across the United States long before a vaccine could be developed, tested, and mass-produced in time to
Counter-Agroterrorism 101
Patrick P. Rose
June 19, 2013
Some biological agents – anthrax and ricin, for example – can be used as weapons against human targets; others specifically attack animals and food crops. Both types of attack, though, can have devastating effects on the economy and on the morale and overall wellbeing of a nation. To mitigate these
Food Safety: An Emergency Manager’s Perspective
Kay C. Goss
June 12, 2013
Emergency management is an evolving discipline that requires a progressive emergency manager to fulfill new and expanding requirements for success. Successful leaders in this field follow a systematic problem-solving process and excel at coordinating multiple agencies and information sources rather than simply being experts in one subject. The seven and
Protecting the Milk Supply During a Foreign Animal Disease Outbreak
Danelle Bickett-Weddle and Pamela Hullinger
June 12, 2013
With thousands of farms and millions of cattle scattered across the United States, regulators, dairy producers, and veterinarians strive to protect the nation’s food supply, including the milk supply chain from cow to breakfast table. Emergency preparedness planners, therefore, must work with agricultural suppliers to protect milk and other food
Defending the Food Supply: The Basic Recipe
MichƩle Samarya-Timm
June 12, 2013
Protecting the food supply chain and defending against intentional contamination requires preventive/defensive efforts at all levels of government, particularly within local communities. All stakeholders therefore must be able to identify vulnerabilities, integrate federal requirements, and determine the resources and training needed to effectively protect the nation’s food supply.
Protecting Water, Diluting Threats, Saving Lives
Joseph Cahill
June 5, 2013
Water, water everywhere, and all of it fit to drink. Reservoirs supply drinking water to communities throughout the United States. Protecting such a large area, including the surrounding land, poses many challenges and raises red flags when unauthorized visitors come too close.
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