Public-Private Partnerships
The Lead
Text Messages, Drills Central To 'Be Safe America' Initiative
August 24, 2012 9:35 am | by Luke Simpson, Editor | Articles | Comments
Continuity Insights speaks with Len Pagano, President & CEO of Safe America Foundation, about the advantages of using text messages during a disaster, the lack of awareness surrounding preparedness and how business continuity professionals can use their exercising skills to promote community resilience.
Text Messages, Drills Central To 'Be Safe America' Initiative
August 24, 2012 9:35 am | by Luke Simpson, Editor | Articles | Comments
Continuity Insights speaks with Len Pagano, President & CEO of Safe America Foundation,...
Obama May Act To Stop Infrastructure Cyberattacks
August 9, 2012 10:34 pm | by KIMBERLY DOZIER & LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press | News | Comments
The Obama administration is weighing plans to use its executive power to press U.S....
The Infrastructure Resilience Imperative
March 19, 2012 11:29 pm | by Jeff Gaynor, Founder, American Resilience Consulting, LLC | Blogs | Comments
The success of enterprise, community and government continuity efforts is currently reliant on...
Text Of President Obama's Speech On Terrorism
May 23, 2013 2:57 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsPresident Barack Obama's speech on the fight against terrorism at the National Defense University, as provided by the White House:"It's an honor to return to the National Defense University. Here, at Fort McNair, Americans have served in uniform since 1791— standing guard in the early days of the Republic, and contemplating the future of warfare here in the 21st century ..."
Cuomo Proposes 3-Year Rate Freeze In LIPA Takeover
May 20, 2013 11:39 am | by MICHAEL GORMLEY,Associated Press | News | CommentsCuomo said that even if the transition from LIPA, and its currently contracted operator, National Grid, isn't done in time for the summer and fall hurricane season, Long Islanders will still be better served. Cuomo said he will end what he called the current, confusing relationship by empowering National Grid to act quickly and decisively in the event of major power outages.
UN Reports $2.5 Trillion In Disaster Losses Since 2000
May 20, 2013 11:31 am | by EDITH M. LEDERER,Associated Press | News | CommentsThe U.N. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction warned in the 246-page report that economic losses from floods, earthquakes and drought will continue to escalate unless businesses take action to reduce their exposure to disaster risks. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the report saying the review of disaster losses in 56 countries clearly demonstrates that "economic losses from disasters are out of control."
Taking Care Of Business
May 8, 2013 11:29 am | by Daniel Hahn, MA, CEM, FPEM, Santa Rosa County Emergency Management Plans Chief | Articles | CommentsGovernment has predefined duties at every level — federal, state and local. One of the major duties of government (other than collection of revenues), is public safety. Since the turn of the century, we have seen several paradigm shifts in the relationship between government and the private sector.
NYC To Add 640K People To Evacuation Zones
May 6, 2013 1:30 pm | by JENNIFER PELTZ,Associated Press | News | CommentsHurricane evacuation areas would encompass 640,000 more city residents, and the number of zones would double, under new plans. Details on the new zones won't be released until June, but the changes could mean neighborhoods around the city might newly be told to clear out ahead of future storms.
Super Bowl Blackout Was Caused By Electrical Relay
February 12, 2013 8:36 am | by KEVIN MCGILL, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe company that supplied electricity to the Super Bowl says the blackout that halted the big game was caused by a device it installed specially to prevent a power failure. The relay had been installed as part of a project begun in 2011 to upgrade the electrical system serving the Superdome.
Documents: Worries About Outage Before Super Bowl
February 5, 2013 9:49 am | by KEVIN McGILL & MICHAEL KUNZELMAN, Associated Press | News | CommentsSuperdome officials warned just months before the Super Bowl that the venue's electrical system could suffer a power outage and rushed to replace some of the equipment ahead of the big game. Tests on the electrical feeders that connect incoming power from utility lines to the stadium showed decay and "a chance of failure," state officials warned in a memo dated Oct. 15.
NFL Says It Was Ready With Backup Power System
February 5, 2013 9:44 am | by BARRY WILNER, AP Pro Football Writer | News | CommentsNFL officials were sure they'd get the Super Bowl finished on Sunday night. Commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday the Superdome had a backup power system which was about to be used during the Super Bowl's electrical outage. It wasn't needed because power started coming back at that time, he said.
Katrina's Scars Harder To See As Super Bowl Looms
January 29, 2013 11:06 am | by MICHAEL KUNZELMAN, Associated Press | News | CommentsBillions of dollars in federal money has paid for repairing and replacing tens of thousands of homes wrecked by flooding. Gone are the ubiquitous FEMA trailers that once dotted the landscape. Levees that broke and flooded 80 percent of the city have been fortified with the intent of protecting the city from another epic hurricane.
Iran Media Report New Cyberattack By Stuxnet Worm
December 26, 2012 1:13 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsTuesday's report by ISNA quotes provincial civil defense chief Ali Akbar Akhavan as saying the virus targeted a power plant and some other industries in Hormozgan province in recent months. Akhavan says Iranian computer experts were able to "successfully stop" the worm.
Infographic: How Sandy Compares To 2011's Disasters
December 3, 2012 3:07 pm | by Luke Simpson, Editor | News | CommentsA visual compilation showing how Superstorm Sandy compares with last year's Japan earthquake and Thailand floods in terms of damage and loss of lives. The Japan earthquake and resulting tsunami still ranks as the most costly disaster in history.
NYC Debates Ambitious Storm Surge Protection Proposals
November 26, 2012 5:00 pm | by JEFF DONN, Associated Press | News | CommentsBy century's end, researchers forecast up to four feet higher seas, producing storm flooding akin to Sandy's as often as several times each decade. Even at current sea levels, Sandy's floodwaters filled subways, other tunnels and streets in parts of Manhattan. Without other measures, rebuilding will simply augment the future destruction.
Opengear Announces Wireless Remote Infrastructure Management Gateway
November 19, 2012 12:18 pm | News | CommentsOpengear announced that its ACM5500 family of Remote Infrastructure Management (RIM) Gateways has been extended to include a new member with an integrated wireless access point. The ACM5504-5-G-W-I offers integrated cellular, wired and wireless access, allowing IT managers a range of connectivity options to easily manage critical infrastructure at local and remote sites.
FEMA Announces 2012 Community Resilience Innovation Challenge
October 4, 2012 5:34 pm | News | Comments“The best resiliency ideas originate in our states and communities -- not from Washington, DC,” said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. “The goal of this program is to empower communities to collaborate and develop innovative ways to effectively respond to disasters.”
Vt. Governor: FEMA Funding Will Remain Uncertain
September 14, 2012 11:27 am | by DAVE GRAM, Associated Press | News | CommentsVermont will forge ahead with plans to replace its main psychiatric hospital and renovate an office complex flooded by Tropical Storm Irene as questions linger about how much help can be expected from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Gov. Peter Shumlin said Wednesday.
How To Step Up In The Face Of Disaster
September 13, 2012 4:09 pm | by Luke Simpson, Editor | Videos | CommentsAfter a close call with an EF3 tornado, two women with no experience in emergency management dedicated their lives to improving community-powered disaster recovery. The web tools they developed are now being used to empower local officials and residents to more efficiently coordinate disaster response.
Draft Order Seeks To Improve US Digital Defenses
September 11, 2012 11:10 am | by RICHARD LARDNER, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Obama administration is preparing an executive order with new rules to protect U.S. computer systems, after Congress failed earlier this summer to pass a cybersecurity bill. The provisions include voluntary standards for companies, a special council run by the Homeland Security Department and new regulations covering especially vital systems.
East Coast Earthquake Created A 'New Normal'
August 24, 2012 10:13 am | by BEN NUCKOLS & STEVE SZKOTAK, Associated Press | News | CommentsEarthquake drills are now as ubiquitous as fire drills at Louisa County schools in central Virginia, where 4,600 students were attending classes when the 5.8-magnitude quake struck nearby on Aug. 23, 2011. Miraculously, no one was seriously hurt.
Egyptian Capital Hit By Rash Of Blackouts
August 9, 2012 10:44 pm | by SARAH EL DEEB, Associated Press | News | CommentsSome hospitals which were unprepared for the outages have reported medicines going bad in storage. Shop owners are also complaining that perishables are rotting in fridges and private generators have become a necessity.
Senate May Go On Break Without Passing Cyber Bill
August 3, 2012 12:09 pm | by RICHARD LARDNER, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe U.S. Senate could leave town this week for a monthlong break without passing legislation to protect the country's electrical grid, water supplies and other critical industries from cyberattack and electronic espionage.
Lightning Eliminators & Consultants
August 3, 2012 10:21 am | News | CommentsLighning Eliminators helps companies around the world reduce their costs and increase reliability using a unique and highly effective approach to lightning protection.
Electricity Grids Fail Across Half Of India, Creates World's Biggest Blackout
July 31, 2012 9:42 am | by RAVI NESSMAN, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe massive failure has raised serious concerns about India's outdated infrastructure and the government's inability to meet its huge appetite for energy as the country aspires to become a regional economic superpower.
DHS Protective Security Advisors: Creating Resiliency Through Outreach & Security Assessments
July 30, 2012 5:40 pm | by Luke Simpson, Editor | Articles | CommentsContinuity Insights speaks with Ed Gleason, Regional Director with the Department of Homeland Security's Protective Security Advisor program, about the security products and services available to private businesses, the "very real" cyber threat, critical infrastructure and the shift from "protection" to "resiliency."
Security, Infrastrucure Issues Surface In London As Olympics Near
July 13, 2012 10:03 am | by DANICA KIRKA, Associated Press | News | CommentsWith the Olympics just two weeks away, embarrassing logistical problems about security, staff, phones and traffic made the mood Thursday in London as gloomy as the weather.
A Business Continuity Initiative Model For Public-Private Partnerships
May 20, 2012 9:16 pm | by Daniel Hahn, MA, CEM, FPEM, Santa Rosa County Florida Emergency Management Plans Chief | Blogs | CommentsTwo counties in the Panhandle of Florida recently came together to promote business continuity initiatives to all the small businesses in a two county area. So how do you organize a two county initiative across jurisdictional boundaries without upsetting anyone’s apple cart? You check your egos at the door.
