Disasters

GreeneChip offers rapid diagnosis of 30,000 pathogens
Unlike systems that can only test blood samples, new technology can assay tissue, urine, and stool; from Marburg to urinary tract infections, Columbia University’s GreeneChip offers a fast and inexpensive testing regime
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Research shows early detection of earthquake magnitude possible
Italian researchers find string correlation between strength of primary wave and the damage resulting from the secondary wave; basic math now permits 10-15 seconds warning time for those near the epicenter; early warning could trigger emergency response mechanisms
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Radio interoperability costs reach $7 billion for states
High prices deter states and municipalities from moving forward; depressed federal spending certainly does not help; $1.5 billion needed just to upgrade state operations centers
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DHS downplays terrorism in new readiness ads
Ready.gov campaign reemphasizes preparedness but lays off fear; new ads take a lighthearted approach to encourage stockpiling food and water
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US and Thai authorities launch DART "tsunameter" buoy system
Just one of 22 scheduled for deployment, buoy is attached to underwater sensor that measures changes in water pressure; funding provided by USAID, but Thai government will handle the maintenence; linked sensor systems seen as key for tsunami preparedness
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AMTI to lead TOPOFF-4 exercises
Company defeats Northrop and Lockheed in winning the $24 million contract; planning for the ten day event will take eighteeen months; bid accepted on the strength of AMTI’s presentation, as well as on strong performance in earlier TOPOFF events
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Air Force frequency jams Denver garage door openers
Emergency band shares frequency with remote control devices; altitude at Cheyenne Mountain means thousands effected; Air Force will try to tweak transmission, otherwise Denverites will have to buy new garage door openers
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Prepared Response to protect Huntington Library
Deal makes a significant foray into the private market; Rapid Responder, company’s crisis management software, already a hit among emergency response agencies
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FSSCC warns that "work at home" may strain emergency telecommunications
Banking and securities industry is extremely reliant on the nation’s communications networks, but remote labor may bring down an already injured system
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Indian business continuity market on the rise
IBM leads the way in this tech-happy country beset with natural disasters and a lingering terrorist threat; China and Japan are said to lag behind their Asian neighbors; Malaysia and Hong King are ripe targets
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LWG releases corrosion retardant for circuit boards and equipment
Product a boon to health and communications personnel; application keeps equipment in shape until repairs can be made; salvage value of components is maintained in case the damage is irreperable
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Critics get tough on emergency preparedness drills
High cost a major factor, especially when real-life consistently befuddles even the most exercised of agencies; consultants often sell cookie-cutter drills of little value; after-action anlaysis is often more important than the program itself
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The MEDSI project offers scalable, efficient crisis management tool
Information sharing and improved coordination are key to a successful effort to mitigate and contain the consequences of a terorist act or natural disaster; MEDSI offers crisis managers a useful tool
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Japanese tsunami alert system proves itself after recent earthquake
Thousands take heed of televised warnings to head to higher ground; system relies on hundreds of seismographs and marine sensors; government officials have the power to automatically turn on home televison sets to warn citizenry
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SPRUCE system permits emergency supercomputing
Scientists need access to TeraGrid computers in order to predict dangerous weather patterns; once notified by an emergency call, computers and servers linked into the SPRUCE system preempt less-critical work
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The long view

To bolster the world’s inadequate cyber governance framework, a “Cyber WHO” is needed
A new report on cyber governance commissioned by Zurich Insurance Group highlights challenges to digital security and identifies new opportunities for business. It calls for the establishment of guiding principles to build resilience and the establishment of supranational governance bodies such as a Cyber Stability Board and a “Cyber WHO.”
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Protecting the U.S. power grid
The U.S. power grid is made up of complex and expensive system components, which are owned by utilities ranging from small municipalities to large national corporations spanning multiple states. A National Academy of Sciences report estimates that a worst-case geomagnetic storm could have an economic impact of $1 trillion to $2 trillion in the first year, which is twenty times the damage caused by a Katrina-class hurricane.
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More than 143 million Americans at risk from earthquakes
More than 143 million Americans living in the forty-eight contiguous states are exposed to potentially damaging ground shaking from earthquakes, with as many as twenty-eight million people in the highest hazard zones likely to experience strong shaking during their lifetime, according to new research. The research puts the average long-term value of building losses from earthquakes at $4.5 billion per year, with roughly 80 percent of losses attributed to California, Oregon, and Washington. By comparison, FEMA estimated in 1994 that seventy-five million Americans in thirty-nine states were at risk from earthquakes. In the highest hazard zones, the researchers identified more than 6,000 fire stations, more than 800 hospitals, and nearly 20,000 public and private schools that may be exposed to strong ground motion from earthquakes.
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A large Ventura Fault quake could trigger a tsunami
Earthquake experts had not foreseen the 2011 magnitude-9 Japan earthquake occurring where it did, so soon after the disaster, scientists in Southern California began asking themselves, “What are the big things we’re missing?” For decades, seismic experts believed the Ventura fault posed only a minor to moderate threat, but new research suggests that a magnitude-8 earthquake could occur on the fault roughly every 400 to 2,400 years. The newly discovered risk may even be more damaging than a large earthquake occurring on the San Andreas Fault, which has long been considered the state’s most dangerous. Unlike the Ventura fault, the San Andreas Fault is so far inland in Southern California, that it does not pose a tsunami risk. A large earthquake on the Ventura fault, however, could create a tsunami that would begin “in the Santa Barbara Channel area, and would affect the coastline … of Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, down through the Santa Monica area and further south.”
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Coastal communities can lower flood insurance rates by addressing sea-level rise
City leaders and property developers in Tampa Bay are urging coastal communities to prepare today for sea-level rise and future floods in order to keep flood insurance rates low in the future. FEMA, which administers the National Flood Insurance Program(NFIP), is increasing flood insurance premiums across the country, partly to offset losses from recent disasters such as hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. Cities can reduce insurance premiums for nearly all residents who carry flood coverage by improving storm-water drainage, updating building codes to reflect projected rise in sea-levels, moving homes out of potentially hazardous areas, and effectively informing residents about storm danger and evacuation routes.
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California drought highlights the state’s economic divide
As much of Southern California enters into the spring and warmer temperatures, the effects of California’s historic drought begin to manifest themselves in the daily lives of residents, highlighting the economic inequality in the ways people cope. Following Governor Jerry Brown’s (D) unprecedented water rationing regulations,wealthier Californians weigh on which day of the week no longer to water their grass, while those less fortunate are now choosing which days they skip a bath.
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GreeneChip offers rapid diagnosis of 30,000 pathogens

Research shows early detection of earthquake magnitude possible

Radio interoperability costs reach $7 billion for states

DHS downplays terrorism in new readiness ads

US and Thai authorities launch DART "tsunameter" buoy system

AMTI to lead TOPOFF-4 exercises

Air Force frequency jams Denver garage door openers

Prepared Response to protect Huntington Library

FSSCC warns that "work at home" may strain emergency telecommunications

Indian business continuity market on the rise

LWG releases corrosion retardant for circuit boards and equipment

Critics get tough on emergency preparedness drills

The MEDSI project offers scalable, efficient crisis management tool

Japanese tsunami alert system proves itself after recent earthquake

SPRUCE system permits emergency supercomputing

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The long view

To bolster the world’s inadequate cyber governance framework, a “Cyber WHO” is needed

Protecting the U.S. power grid

More than 143 million Americans at risk from earthquakes

A large Ventura Fault quake could trigger a tsunami

Coastal communities can lower flood insurance rates by addressing sea-level rise

California drought highlights the state’s economic divide