News
New NYC Evacuation Zones Include Almost 3M People
June 18, 2013 4:26 pm | CommentsNearly 3 million New Yorkers' homes are now in evacuation zones that cover more than a third of the city's population, under new maps released Tuesday. In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, officials said last month, the number of zones would double and encompass about 600,000 more residents.
RIMS Supports NYC Council's Fight For TRIA Extension
June 17, 2013 10:51 pm | by RIMS | CommentsWith the deadline for the extension of TRIA approaching, RIMS, the risk management society™, submitted testimony and leant its support to New York City Council’s Committee on State and Federal Legislation’s effort to bring attention to the importance of a long term extension of TRIA.
U.S.: No Wide Data Breaches At Firms In Cyberattack
June 17, 2013 10:40 pm | CommentsFederal prosecutors in New Jersey have provided new details on how an international cybercrime ring broken up this week accessed some customer accounts at more than a dozen leading financial institutions and payroll services. According to an amended complaint filed Thursday, the hackers used a number of unlawful means to obtain customer log-in information.
Hoboken, NJ Embraces Electric Grid Pilot Program
June 16, 2013 6:21 pm | CommentsThe city of Hoboken has agreed to be the guinea pig for a federal and state program to fortify its electrical system against storms like Superstorm Sandy. Mayor Dawn Zimmer announced the agreement Thursday with the federal Department of Energy, state Board of Public Utilities, PSE&G and Sandia National Laboratories.
DRP Consultores Mexico & ICOR Form Training Partnership
June 16, 2013 6:15 pm | CommentsThe international Consortium for Organizational Resilience (ICOR), an international non-profit professional development and credentialing organization has partnered with DRP Consultores, a consulting firm that helps companies to develop Business Continuity Plans (BCP) and Disaster Recovery Plans (DRP).
Internet-Beaming Balloons Could Keep Cities Connected After Disasters
June 16, 2013 5:56 pm | by MARTHA MENDOZA & NICK PERRY,Associated Press | CommentsGoogle is launching Internet-beaming antennas into the stratosphere aboard giant, jellyfish-shaped balloons with the lofty goal of getting the entire planet online. Eighteen months in the works, the top-secret project was announced Saturday in New Zealand, where up to 50 volunteer households are already beginning to receive the Internet via translucent helium balloons that sail by on the wind 12 miles above Earth.
Global Warming Debate Focuses On Resilience Rather Than Avoidance
June 16, 2013 5:41 pm | by SETH BORENSTEIN,AP Science Writer | CommentsAfter years of losing the fight against rising global emissions of heat-trapping gases, governments around the world are emphasizing what a U.N. Foundation scientific report calls "managing the unavoidable." In 2012, weather disasters — not necessarily all tied to climate change — caused $110 billion in damage to the United States, which was the second highest total since 1980.
FEMA Denies Aid To Texas For Blast
June 12, 2013 4:53 pm | by RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI,Associated Press | CommentsThe Federal Emergency Management Agency is refusing to provide additional money to help rebuild the small Texas town where a deadly fertilizer plant explosion leveled numerous homes and a school, and killed 15 people. The decision likely means less money to pay for public repairs to roads, sewer lines, pipes and a school that was destroyed.
SunGard Availability Services Introduces Weather Alert System
June 12, 2013 4:20 pm | CommentsSunGard Availability Services released its new Weather Alert System, which informs Recovery Services customers of severe storms and natural disasters and allows them to declare an alert with one simple click. SunGard Availability Services is leveraging real-time data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and using big data analytics to keep its customers abreast of threatening storms and other natural disasters.
Tropical Storm Andrea Zipping Up The East Coast
June 7, 2013 4:27 pm | by EMERY P. DALESIO & MICHAEL BIESECKER,Associated Press | CommentsAfter bringing rains, heavy winds and even tornadoes to parts of Florida, TropicalStorm Andrea moved quickly across south Georgia and was leaving the Carolinas waterlogged on Friday while sparing the area any serious damage.
Hospital Struggles To Open After Sandy
June 7, 2013 4:11 pm | by FRANK ELTMAN,Associated Press | CommentsOfficials at the last hospital still closed because of damage from Superstorm Sandy are no longer predicting when they will be able to reopen. The Long Beach Medical Center, located on a waterfront channel just east of New York City, suffered heavy flooding damage in the October storm, requiring at least $56 million in repairs, hospital officials said.
WSN Releases Risk Management Solutions Through ArcGIS Online
June 7, 2013 4:07 pm | CommentsEsri announces that Wall Street Network (WSN) has released the first of a dozen risk management solutions, based on ArcGIS Online, called XtremeGIS. XtremeGIS provides access to information including global tropical cyclone event and forecast data from AccuWeather, satellite imagery from i-cubed, and WSN's knowledge management software.
SunGard Availability Services Announces Managed Oracle Services
June 7, 2013 3:53 pm | CommentsSunGard Availability Services has announced support for virtualized platforms for its SunGard Managed Oracle Services. Virtualized platforms allow companies to make the transition from capital intensive, traditional dedicated infrastructure, leveraging scale and pay-as-you-go multi-tenant models.
Council Airs Proposals To Handle Storms Better
June 7, 2013 3:45 pm | by JENNIFER PELTZ,Associated Press | CommentsAfter months of mulling New York City's response to Superstorm Sandy, lawmakers proposed Wednesday to require backup generators for traffic lights, a system to track everyone in shelters for people with medical problems and other changes in emergency response.
Flooded Alaska Town Looking To Dispose Of Bad Meat
June 3, 2013 4:32 pm | CommentsOfficials in Galena, Alaska, faced a unique concern after the remote village was hit by flooding and power outages — that spoiled meat at residents' homes would start attracting bears. The road to the community's dump is washed out, so officials have come up with a plan to fly the bad meat to the disposal site by helicopter.
