Critical Infrastructure Archives

The Pursuit of Nukes: No Job for Amateurs

Richard Schoeberl August 21, 2013

Unsecured and non-declared nuclear and radiological materials make a deadly combination, particularly attractive to terrorists. Forestalling the threat of any attack using weapons of mass destruction requires careful consideration of not only the sources of the materials used and the technological capabilities of those building such weapons but also the

Nuclear Meltdown – The Need for Timely & Honest Information

Janette D. Sherman and Joseph J. Mangano August 14, 2013

Similarities can be drawn between two nuclear disasters that occurred 27 years apart, in different countries. Dealing with a nuclear disaster in the United States or elsewhere still requires having accurate information – which must be delivered in time to help emergency responders deal with potentially major consequences. As long

Hackers & Federal Agencies: Broken Connections

Rodrigo (Roddy) Moscoso July 31, 2013

Recent leaks about government surveillance programs that track U.S. and U.K. phone calls and internet communications have raised major concerns over the privacy of personal communications. There may be even greater difficulties, though, if current ties between the federal government and the U.S. “hacker” community are weakened or, perhaps, severed

Subject Matter Experts & the Theory of Relativity

Sheri Donahue July 30, 2013

Subject matter experts play a key role in protecting both real and virtual space. Although they may not consider themselves to be “experts,” many private sector stakeholders play a critical part in protecting the nation by sharing their specialized knowledge with the law enforcement community.

Incident Gridlock – Overwhelming a City

Glen Rudner July 24, 2013

The U.S. Federal Highway Administration concluded in 2007 that there is a weakness in the infrastructure’s ability to handle the movement of people following a natural or manmade disaster. The 2013 Boston Marathon bombings serve as a prime example of how transportation facilities and government agencies manage complex incidents that

A Major Step Forward: Private Sector Resilience Coordination

Joseph W. Trindal July 24, 2013

Emergency operation centers are no longer the exclusive property of government agencies. Various states are now incorporating centers that specifically focus on the private sector stakeholders the Business Emergency Management Operations Center in Washington, D.C., is one of the latest additions to a growing trend.

When Cyber Space Meets the Real World

Markus Rauschecker July 17, 2013

Emergency managers should not neglect their basic emergency management principles when faced with a cyber incident. Although information technology (IT) professionals have the technical expertise, emergency managers maintain responsibility for coordinating the response to cyber incidents. Therefore, by working together, emergency managers and IT professionals can provide a more effective

Seeing National Preparedness Through the Public Health Lens

Raphael M. Barishansky July 17, 2013

Lee caused less damage and fewer fatalities, but vigorously reinforced the lethal lessons learned from Irene less than two months ago – namely, that: (a) There is absolutely no substitute for advance planning; (b) Planning must be as totally comprehensive, in every way, as is humanly possible; and (c)That saving

A Roadmap for Improving Cyber Preparedness

Monica Giovachino and Sarah Tidman July 10, 2013

The U.S. information security and technology communities are no longer solely responsible for protecting critical infrastructure from cyber threats – emergency managers also play an increasingly important role in that task. Increasing the overall level of cyber preparedness therefore requires closer coordination, information sharing, and effective planning, as well as

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 – in collaboration with the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and the Food Safety &

Governmental Laboratories: Protecting the Public’s Health

Chris Mangal June 25, 2013

The Annual Meeting of the Association of Public Health Laboratories hosted more than 500 participants who share the common goal of improving public health efforts and laboratory preparedness. Through workshops and online resources, people from multiple disciplines can learn more about the role of public health laboratories in detecting and

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 “food insecure,” according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 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

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