COMMUNICATION & INTEROPERABILITY ARCHIVES

Balancing Risk – Understanding & Preparing for Catastrophes

Space weather, nuclear, and catastrophic natural disasters are just lying in wait for the right combination of conditions. Although it is not possible to plan specifically for every type of threat – imaginable and unimaginable – it is necessary to weigh the risks associated with various threats and take sufficient

Cascadia Catastrophe – Not If, But When

A 9.0-magnitude earthquake off the Washington and British Columbia coast along the 700-mile Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) – followed by a tsunami with 90-foot or more wave surges in some areas – is possible based on geological factors and historical accounts. Communities in and around the CSZ, and those with

Space Weather & Electrical Grid – GPS, the Weakest Link

Among the many important, yet weak, satellite signals that can be disrupted by space weather, the Global Positioning System (GPS) is undoubtedly the most important and the weakest. Two recent public discussions have highlighted the challenges this poses for the national electrical grid, both today and going forward.

Tapping Media for Credible Disaster Communication

Few preparations made in anticipation of a disaster pay bigger dividends than how the team communicates with the news media and the public during a disaster. Seamless and coordinated communication is as important as seamless and coordinated operations – both during the disaster and in the recovery stage. Communications and

Planning in Miami for Changes in Cuba

Changes in the relationship between the United States and Cuba have come fast and furious since the December 2014 announcement by the Obama administration that diplomatic relations would resume between the two former foes. Understanding past incidents will help the nation address current and future concerns as movement between these

A Checklist for Rethinking Crisis Communications

Crisis communications planning is key to any emergency preparedness effort. One reason that so many organizations struggle with communications when crises strike may be that they focused their planning efforts on the crisis plan document without creating a shared vision of desired outcomes. They failed to define what they actually needed to do

Space Weather – A Historic Shift in Emergency Preparedness

For the first time since the demise of the civil defense program of the Cold War, the federal government has made one of the most significant modifications to its emergency preparedness message. A three-day emergency kit is no longer sufficient to prepare for emerging threats, whether coming from Earth or

Emergency Services/Critical Infrastructure Analysis Methodology

The nation’s critical infrastructure – loosely defined as the fundamental facilities, structures, and systems necessary for the basic functioning of daily life – is comprised of diverse components controlled and managed by a mixture of private sector and government organizations with varying levels of responsibility. Understanding the interconnectedness between sectors

Improving the Grade for Critical Infrastructure

All infrastructure is not the same. Across disciplinary sectors, agencies and organizations must identify the key elements necessary to ensure “a system” (e.g., community) has a minimum level of resilience, as a system is only as strong as the weakest link. DomPrep hosted a roundtable discussion to address “Critical Infrastructure – A Failing

Revisiting PROTECT

Two decades of federally funded research and development culminate in a real-time chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) system for detection, surveillance, and crisis management for the nation’s critical infrastructure. Argonne National Laboratory continues to tailor this system for various transit and other critical infrastructure environments.

Water Sector Resilience & Redundancy

With a rich history of coordinated water supply planning, the National Capital Region has been conducting regional workshops and creating new study results to enhance its ability to address the region’s water needs during a crisis. The resulting information will spur further discussion and assessment of drinking water system alternatives

Lockdown at Washington College

When the decision was made to cancel es on Monday, 16 November 2015 the week before the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday break, Public Safety Director Gerald (Jerry) Roderick drew upon his many years of experience and planning on how to deal with a possible threat to Washington College campus in Chestertown, Maryland.

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