Three Cheers for three retail giants - WalMart, Home Depot, and Lowe's, all of which stepped forward to provide urgently needed building materials and the mountains of other supplies required to help restore order in the aftermath of Hurricanes and Rita.
The Tennessee Valley Authority is basically a huge and highly successful mega-corporation that has to deal with private-sector funding and operational realities while also adhering to federal, state, and local rules and regulations.
When and how do operating procedures become standard? Why are incident action plans so important? And what is the definition of an "expanding" incident? Anyone who cannot answer these questions will not meet the NIMS criteria for ICS-300.
When unexpected disaster strikes, many citizens head for the high ground. But they will not get there if state & local leaders have not agreed, ahead of time, on the policies to be implemented, the routes to be followed, & the safety rules to be enforced.
A commonly used agricultural compound, ammonium nitrate (AN), was the principal ingredient in the homemade "weapon" used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. After years of debate and delay, AN is finally coming under much tighter government control.
Reverence, respect, professional expertise, and detailed planning - all are among the essential tools needed by state and local planners to successfully deal with the aftermath of a major disaster causing a large number of deaths and injuries.
U.S. ports and harbors are among the most vulnerable as well as most important targets for would-be terrorists. Protection of the U.S. maritime system is therefore now the primary mission of the Coast Guard's already overtaxed Captains of the Port.
The care and feeding of thousands of sudden evacuees is a massive responsibility. Even more daunting in some respects is the need to adhere to the numerous guidelines mandated by FEMA, state & local governments, & unforeseeable practical realities.
The HHS-sponsored Metropolitan Medical Response System is frequently overlooked by state and local decision makers faced with the daunting task of coping with a biological "incident" or event. The MMRS guidelines provide some if not all of the answers.
The TSA-vetted Registered Traveler program is designed to reduce waiting time at U.S. airports and for that reason should be well received by frequent flyers. Is there a hidden flaw in the program, though? Read here to find out.
