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IAEM
This week, FEMA and its emergency management partners, including IAEM, released the PrepTalk, “Human Biases: Why People Underprepare for Disasters,” by Dr. Howard Kunreuther. Dr. Kunreuther is the James G. Dinan Professor Emeritus of Decision Sciences and Public Policy in the Operations, Information and Decisions Department, and co-director of the Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. In his PrepTalk, Dr. Kunreuther explores why disaster damages and fatalities from disasters increased globally through the early twenty-first century despite advances in forecasting and warnings. He identifies six human biases behind the underinvestment in protection against disasters and explains that understanding these biases can help us design strategies to improve preparedness. Dr. Kunreuther’s PrepTalk video and additional resources are available on the FEMA website.
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IAEM
The IAEM Editorial Committee’s selections for the four 2020 special focus issue topics, which have been Board-approved, will begin with the April issue of the IAEM Bulletin on the topic of “Black Swan Events: Pandemic.” The deadline for article submissions is Mar. 16, 2020. When it comes to a pandemic, we can look at what we have learned in order to be prepared. Articles could look at past incidents that offer lessons in how to best prepare. Specific topics could be: H1N1, SARS, MERS, or Spanish flu. How best can we learn how to prepare for a virus that is new? What can we learn from what has already happened with the coronavirus? As emergency managers, we learn from what has happened in the past to help us plan for the future. Events and incidents have precipitated change over the decades. Emergency management has a long and impressive history of major accomplishments through its professional growth. Consider the improvements you have experienced and witnessed, as well as the failures. Article length is 750-1,500 words, and author guidelines are online. A full list of 2020 special focus issue topics is posted here. Direct questions to Bulletin Editor Karen Thompson.
IAEM
There are still opportunities to become a speaker at the IAEM 68th Annual Conference, even though the breakout submission deadline has passed. The Poster Showcase application period will open Mar. 23 and will close on Apr. 24, 2020. The popular EMvision Talks sessions will issue a call for speakers on Apr. 6, and applicants will have until May 8, 2020, to apply. For more information about these events, please visit the conference website.
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Everbridge
With severe weather season intensifying, counties and cities across Florida share their perspective on hurricane preparedness and the benefits of leveraging Everbridge as their statewide mass notification platform, including improved situational intelligence, communication, and mutual aid. Watch Now.
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Health Canada via Benzinga
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) published its final report following an 11-day mission to review Canada's emergency preparedness and response framework for nuclear and radiological emergencies. The Emergency Preparedness Review (EPREV) was carried out at the request of the Canadian government, making Canada the first G7 country to request an EPREV mission and highlighting its commitment to protecting the health and safety of Canadians.
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CBC
Cape Breton Regional Municipality has revised its flood mitigation plan for the Sydney Wash Brook watershed in an effort to lessen the impact on an urban forest.
Supporters of the Baille Ard Trail worried the plan would devastate the well-used trail system and surrounding forest.
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We have all the products needed to stop the bleed! Shop our bleeding control kits today to be prepared for tomorrow’s need. Our kits are designed to provide an user with immediate access to products intended to stop a traumatic hemorrhaging.
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| | IAEM-OCEANIA COUNCIL NEWS |
Science Alert
Australia's wildfires have destroyed more than a fifth of the country's forests, making the blazes "globally unprecedented" following a years-long drought linked to climate change, researchers said.
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Optimum Seismic
California just experienced its deadliest and most destructive wildfire, ever. Nearly 14,000 homes, 530 commercial structures and 4,300 other buildings were destroyed in November when the Cal Fire ravaged the Butte County landscape, incinerating entire communities like the town of Paradise in its wake.
The devastation of lives and livelihoods lost is unfathomable. So too is the sheer scope of work needed to clear the charred debris before recovery can ever start.
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Homeland Preparedness News
The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) sent Congress a total $2.5 billion emergency supplemental spending request to fight the coronavirus outbreak, which top U.S. government officials warned will inevitably spread across the nation.
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WFXG-TV
When recent heavy rains swelled a private Mississippi lake and began eroding its earthen dam, Yazoo County Emergency Management Director Jack Willingham was scrambling for a plan.
He had no contact information for any of the homeowners who might need to evacuate, so he drove to the scene and began knocking on doors.
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Homeland Security News Wire
The federal flood buyout program disproportionally benefits at-risk homes in the whitest communities of America’s largest cities, according to a new study. The study provides the first nationwide, peer-reviewed analysis of racial inequalities in the implementation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) flood buyout program.
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Homeland Preparedness News
New legislation proposed by U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy, Brian Schatz, Marco Rubio, Dick Durbin, Tina Smith and Angus King seeks to create a permanent fund to encourage quicker responses to public health emergencies.
The Public Health Emergency Response and Accountability Act (S. 3309) would implement a permanent ability for federal agencies to better respond to attacks, disasters, or diseases like Zika, Ebola or the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.
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IAEM
The state of Indiana is celebrating its first-ever EMA Appreciation Week, Feb. 24-28, to honor the tireless dedication that emergency management personnel have for keeping their communities safe. The week’s theme of “Safeguarding the Hoosier Homeland” highlights the responsibilities and actions of these individuals, many of whom are IAEM members. The Indiana Department of Homeland Security appreciates the hard work and commitment of Indiana’s 92 emergency management agencies (EMA), recognized through a proclamation issued by Gov. Eric J. Holcomb encouraging citizens to learn about the efforts of these highly trained professionals. Go online to see what Indiana is doing to honor their state’s emergency managers. Be sure to click on the links to regions to see photos and comments from some of the Indiana emergency managers.
Government Technology
More than three years after a windstorm wreaked havoc in Hidalgo County, Texas, and after considerable contemplation, the county finally unveiled its Special Response Unit to go into areas ravaged by potential disaster and respond to the community’s needs.
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DAWN
Experts at the launch of a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) project — supported by the Japanese government — underscored the need for community readiness to effectively address the threats posed by tsunami and earthquake in the coastal areas of Pakistan.
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NewsDay
The real difficulties encountered by the people who are physically challenged and impaired have been acknowledged, but have never been fully addressed. Their placement before, during and after disasters continue to show a number of procedural gaps which every nation should bother to address and rectify.
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STAT
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that it expects the novel coronavirus that has sparked outbreaks around the world to begin spreading at a community level in the United States, as a top official said that disruptions to daily life could be “severe.”
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Homeland Security News Wire
Five more countries in the Middle East yesterday reported their first COVID-19 cases, all linked to Iran travel, signaling an escalating situation in the region in the wake of Iran’s outbreak, as World Health Organization (WHO) officials announced that, although the global situation isn’t yet a pandemic, the world should prepare for one.
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WEAR-TV
A FEMA facility in Anniston, Alabama will be used as a coronavirus quarantine center for some American passengers evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced.
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Homeland Security News Wire
Researchers are using mathematical models to better understand and predict the spread of COVID-19 and to quantify the effectiveness of various efforts to stop it. The goal of the “mathematical epidemiology” model is to help the public health community understand and anticipate the spread of the infection and evaluate the potential effectiveness of different approaches for bringing it under control.
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| | CLIMATE/WATER/WEATHER UPDATES |
UNDRR
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) signed a joint partnership agreement to step up collaboration on three priority areas to accelerate the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 and the UN Plan of Action on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).
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Route Fifty
Some advocates say the federal or state government needs to step in and help people with disabilities acquire their own storm shelters.
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Domestic Preparedness
The National Archives Building in Washington, D.C. has an inscription on the Northeast corner that reads, “What is past is Prologue.” This simple but profound advice may easily be the emergency manager’s most calming guidance. The journey starts right now.
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Homeland Security Today
The nation is critically underprepared to confront transnational biological threats ranging from DIY bioterror agents to natural pathogens that outpace current pharmaceuticals and overwhelm medical facilities, the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense heard at the Hudson Institute.
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Emergency Management
Firefighters face an array of obstacles as they relay information in inhospitable situations. But a high-tech vest made from carbon atoms called graphene may be the answer to a serious voice and data transmission problem.
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IAEM
MindEdge Learning, an online education company founded by Harvard and MIT educators, has partnered with IAEM to develop the online AEM®/CEM® Prep Course (U.S. version). The course, which can be purchased through the MindEdge catalog, allows candidates to review the application process, study the exam materials, watch video commentary from certified emergency managers, and access sample exam questions—including two full-length, 100-question practice exams.
William & Mary
William & Mary Police Chief and Associate Vice President for Public Safety Deborah Cheesebro has been named president of the Virginia Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators. Cheesebro, who was elected to the post earlier this month, previously served as an at-large board member for the organization.
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IAEM
Online registration for the 2020 Partners in Emergency Preparedness Conference, is open with special early bird pricing through Feb. 29. The event will take place Apr. 7-9, 2000, at the Lynwood Convention Center in Lynnwood, Washington. The Partners in Emergency Preparedness Conference (PIEPC) is the largest regional emergency management conference in the Western United States. Those who attend include public and private sector emergency managers, businesses, non-profits, school officials, healthcare professionals, academia, volunteer organizations, utilities, and more. The conference is an excellent place to network, with the goal of working to better serve our communities before, during and after disasters.
IAEM
On Apr. 6-7, FEMA will sponsor a free two-day residential coastal construction course at the National Hurricane Conference in Orlando, Florida. The course is designed to train participants on FEMA’s "Coastal Construction Manual." This manual is the primary reference for planning, designing, and constructing residential structures in various coastal environments. The target audience is engineers, architects, and building code officials, as well as floodplain management, hazard mitigation, planning, and building officials with building science knowledge. If you are interested in attending the class, please register via the conference website by Mar. 6. At least 20 participants must be registered for this course to be held.
Borneo Bulletin
Minister of Home Affairs Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Haji Awang Abu Bakar bin Haji Apong called on the Brunei Darussalam Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) to explore the possibility of expanding its membership, especially among students and youth to create greater awareness and understanding of its vision and mission in helping the community.
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Orissa Post
The National Institute of Disaster Management, under Ministry of Home Affairs, will be organizing a conference on understanding the different approaches in coastal disaster risk reduction and resilience. According to NIDM, the objective of the workshop would be to enhance the understanding of the issues and solutions on governance and administration for coastal disaster risk reduction and resilience.
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The Guardian
More investment in flood defences and improved planning for future disasters are urgently needed, scientists have warned.
They predict that the number of extreme wet days – which have already increased this century – will continue to rise in the coming decades and will bring even greater devastation than that experienced this month after Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis swept across the country.
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Homeland Security News Wire
As large swathes of the U.K. endure the worst floods in living memory, hearts and minds are rightly focused on protecting people and property. Once the floods recede, there will doubtless be a period of reflection on what could have been done better. It may be tempting to point the finger of blame or to promote a particular solution. But the hard truth is that there is no silver bullet for “preventing” floods.
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The Herald
Often in the wake of a flooding event questions are asked: What could have been done differently to save lives and protect property; Could the flood victims have received more warning? Did they receive the warning at all?
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Barbados Today
More Barbadians are using social media platforms to remain up to date on matters pertaining to natural disasters and emergency management, according to Director of the Department of Emergency Management (DEM) Kerry Hinds.
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China.org
Japan's Cabinet approved a bill aimed at making sure there is enough supply of electricity in times of disasters.
In the recent past swathes of the country have been left without power for protracted periods of time as a result of natural disasters including earthquakes and typhoons.
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Reuters
Nine people were killed and buildings collapsed across southeastern Turkey when a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck near the border with Iran, injuring more than a hundred in villages and towns in both countries, government officials said.
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Bloomberg
Parts of Indonesian capital and its suburbs were flooded after two tropical cyclones off the nation’s coast triggered extremely heavy rainfall, inundating houses in low-lying areas and forcing evacuation of hundreds of residents.
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Hurriyet Daily News
Some 694 buildings have been severely damaged after an earthquake hit the eastern province of Van on Feb. 23, according to preliminary information, Environment and Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum has said.
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BBC
Flooding across Scotland has left cars, roads and fields submerged.
One woman had to be rescued from her vehicle by canoe after her car became deluged by floodwater in Old Kilpatrick, West Dunbartonshire.
Other vehicles were left stranded as they became swamped.
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