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Given the nation's strong dependency on infrastructure to provide everything from fresh drinking water, to electricity, to financial services, and given these system's increasing vulnerability to equipment failures, sabotage, and natural disasters, in May President Clinton established the Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office (CIAO), which will create a national plan to protect such services. The plan will emphasize partnerships among the public and private sectors, specifically in the areas of policy formation and information sharing.
At the same time, Clinton issued Presidential Decision Directive 63
(PDD 63), based on the 1997 recommendations of the President's
Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection. Specifically, PDD
63:
PDD 63 also encourages the establishment of an Information Sharing and Analysis Center by the private sector to cooperate with the federal government. The White Paper: The Clinton Administration's Policy on Critical Infrastructure Protection: Presidential Decision Directive 63 is available free by contacting the Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office, P.O. Box 46258, Washington, DC 20050-6258; (703) 696-9395. It can also be viewed on the office's Web site: http://www.ciao.gov/resources.html.
In its second annual report to the FEMA director, TMAC has already recommended several important changes to FEMA's Flood Hazard Mapping Program, including streamlining the flood study process, improving base maps and establishing adequate mapping standards, and producing all future maps digitally. As a result, the FEMA's Flood Hazard Mapping Program is busily implementing the Map Modernization Plan and other activities to improve communities' ability to identify flood-prone areas.
To inform interested parties of the numerous changes being implemented in this program, the FEMA Mitigation Directorate is publishing a new newsletter, Work In Progress. To obtain a free subscription, submit a request by fax or e-mail to Anne Flowers, Mapping Support Branch of the Technical Services Division, Mitigation Directorate, FEMA, 500 C Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20472; fax:(202) 646-4596; e-mail: mapmod@fema.gov.
http://www.PrepareNow.org
The Community Preparedness Website Project was undertaken to
insure that the needs and concerns of vulnerable populations are
addressed in the area of emergency preparedness and response. To
achieve this, the PrepareNow Web site attempts to integrate community-
based organizations into emergency planning and management. Vulnerable
populations include (but are not limited to) persons who are
physically or mentally disabled, limited or non-English-speaking,
geographically of culturally isolated, medically or chemically
dependent, homeless, frail/elderly or children, owners of pets or
service animals. To further the project's goal, this site supports
California Community Collaborative Groups (CCGs), which bring together
community agencies serving vulnerable populations.
The PrepareNow Web site provides a collection of disaster preparedness information in various languages; information on vulnerable populations; links to traditional emergency service providers and other disaster resources; an index of CCGs; an events calendar; direct e-mail links to Bay Area programs addressing preparedness concerns of special needs populations; sample disaster plans, guides, and checklists; and other disaster preparedness information.
http://www.scec.org
The Southern California Earthquake Center Web site is undergoing
major renovation, and several sections have been added or expanded.
Recent additions include the SCEC publication list in a searchable and
sortable format, categorized earthquake resources, SCEC news briefs,
the SCEC Quarterly Newsletter, a Core Institutions list with links
to
senior scientists and other personnel, SCEC databases and resources
on-line, education resources, and outreach stories by SCEC scientists.
The SCEC Data Center site -
http://www.scecdc.scec.org/ - offers pages
of information about seismic activity in California.
http://www.riskweb.com
RISKWeb is an electronic discussion list that allows persons
around the world to hold a "no holds barred" discussion of risk and
insurance issues. RISKWeb's primary purpose is to provide an on-line
forum for people with significant professional and/or research
interests in the field of risk management and insurance. The
disciplines participating are diverse, including academics and
professionals with backgrounds in law, economics, finance, actuarial
science, and various other social and applied sciences. The RISKWeb
site includes information on how to use RISKWeb, an archive of past
discussions, RISKWeb FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions), and links to
related sites.
http://www.glatmos.com/lightinfo/recommendations.html
And ad hoc "Lightning Safety Group" convened at the 1998 American
Meteorological Society Annual Conference to outline recommended
appropriate actions for individuals to take under various
circumstances when lightning threatens. Their guidelines are presented
at this URL.
http://www.cbo.gov/test.html
This Web site provides the text of recent Congressional Budget
Office (CBO) testimony and includes the testimony of two CBO staff
members regarding budgeting and planning for emergencies - the first
focusing on Congressional budgeting, the second on state approaches.
The hearings reflect Congress's ongoing efforts to minimize disaster
costs (at least at the federal level) and the testimony does provide
information and suggestions regarding how costs might be better
managed.
http://www.ndm.co.uk
Natural Disaster Management (NDM) Ltd will produce a
commemorative volume summarizing the accomplishments of the
International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction and promoting the
continuation of the goals and aims of the Decade. The main objective
of the book is to communicate - across geographical regions,
disciplines, and cultures - solutions to the multidisciplinary
problems associated with natural disasters. NDM has established this
Web site to provide readers, contributors, and supporting
organizations with: a forum to learn about plans for the book; the
ability to read extracts from articles as they are submitted; and a
one-stop guide to the internet's disaster related resources. Comments
and/or contributions are welcome and should be sent to Jon Ingleton,
Editor and Publisher of Natural Disaster Management; e-mail:
ndm_uk@msn.com; WWW:
http://www.ndm.co.uk.
http://www.y2k.gov
This federal government site provides hundreds of links to
federal agencies and sites by economic sector.
http://www.year2000.com
Y2K pioneer Peter de Jager emphasizes ingenuity in overcoming the
inevitable disruptions.
http://www.fluor-systemintegrate.com/y2kinfo.html
Engineering giant Fluor Daniel is one of the leaders in
broadening management involvement.
http://www.ljextra.com/practice/computer/ct_y2k.html
The Law Journal Extra! provides numerous references, discussions,
and alerts regarding Y2K.
http://www.gao.gov/y2kr.htm
The General Accounting Office offers a model y2K continuity and
contingency plan.
http://www.yardeni.com/cyber.html
Ed Yardeni maintains a well-documented and constantly updated
strategic analysis Y2K Web site.
http://www.millennia-bcs.com
The Cassandra Project provides information on household and
neighborhood preparedness.
http://www.corp.hp.com/publish/brma/ The Business Recovery Manager's Association site focuses on Y2K planning for business risk managers.
http://www.sba.gov/y2k/
The Small Business Administration site is full of advice and
checklists.
http://www.cio.com/forums/y2k/
This site contains discussions on Y2K by chief information
officers of large organizations.
http://www.yourdon.com/index.htm
Ed Yourdon, author of Time Bomb 2000, offers this Web site
with
links to his and other's forecasts.
http://y2k.policyworks.gov
This site provides information on the Y2K status of commercially
available products.
http://www.leonardsloan.com/about/y2k/index.htm
http://www.thesitefights.com/wepatrol/mil_bug.gif
For a less-than-serious look at the problem . . .
http://www.fema.gov/library/y2k1002.htm
This site contains the testimony of FEMA's executive associate
director of Response and Recovery, Lacy Suiter, before the Senate
Special Committee on the Y2K Technology Problem.
http://www.disaster center.com/year2000.htm
http://www.disaster center.com
The Disaster Center Year 2000 page (ready later this year) will
provide links to Web pages,
bulletin boards, forums, and information of all kinds dealing with the
problem.
Year 2000 Best Practices Manual
COG Information Technology Subcommittee
August 1998
Pub No. 98401
$45.00
Abstract: This publication is a "how to" guide to aid local
governments in dealing with Y2K problems. The manual presents
solutions and strategies that reflect an investment of more than $20
million dollars on the part of local governments and private
organizations. The 300-page appendix includes a variety of templates
and forms that can be quickly customized and included as part of an
agency's Y2K plan.
To order a copy, see: http://www.mwcog.org/ic/98401.html.
In 1997, Congress provided $30 million for predisaster mitigation, but at the same time, called for a formal needs-based analysis and cost/benefit study of the various mitigation alternatives, with the results being incorporated into a comprehensive, long-term National Pre-Disaster Mitigation Plan. That report, now available, sets out guidelines for any national mitigation agenda that might be established.
Planning for Seismic Rehabilitation: Societal Issues
To help people and institutions deal with disruptions that might be caused by seismic rehabilitation, FEMA has also issued Planning for Seismic Rehabilitation: Societal Issues, which is intended to provide users of the NEHRP Guidelines for the Seismic Rehabilitation of Buildings and its Commentary with an understanding of the social and public policy issues that accompany such efforts. The volume not only identifies the wide range of potential human and social problems, but also points out that careful planning can markedly reduce these problems. To that end, the book offers a four-step decision process to determine if rehabilitation efforts are needed, as well as an "escalation ladder" to help users understand the degree of conflict inherent in and the implications of choosing specific strategies.
Copies of either document can be obtained free from the FEMA Publications Distribution Facility, P.O. Box 2012, Jessup, MD 20794-2012; (800) 480-2520.
"The Contribution of Economic Information to Environmental Decision Making." Funding Agency: National Science Foundation, $149,666, 24 months. Principal Investigators: Leonard A. Shabman and Kurt Stephenson, Department of Economics, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0401; (703) 231-6301; fax: (703) 231-7417.
"Millennial Tsunami Catalog and International Web Site." Funding agency: National Science Foundation, $104,764. Principal Investigators: James F. Lander, Lowell S. Whiteside, and Karen Fay O'Laughlin, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, Campus Box 216, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0261; (303) 497-6446.
"User Costs in Seismic Risk Management for Urban Infrastructure Systems." Funding agency: National Science Foundation, $199,372, 24 months. Principal Investigators: Stephanie E. Chang, Donald Ballantyne, and Adam Rose, EQE International, Inc., 1411 4th Avenue, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98101; (206) 623-7232 or 442-0674; fax: (206) 470-4145; e-mail: sec@eqe.com or dbballan@eqe.mhs.compuserve.com.
"Is It a Real Risk or a False Alarm?" Funding agency: National Science Foundation, $44,732, 12 months. Principal Investigator: Allan C. Mazur, Maxwell Graduate School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Social Science Program, 113 Maxwell Hall, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244-1090; (315) 443-2275.
"U.S.-Japan Cooperative Science: The 1700 Cascadia Earthquake and its Probable Tsunami in Japan." Funding agency: National Science Foundation, $43,000, 24 months. Principal Investigator: Brian F. Atwater, Department of Geological Sciences, AJ-20, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195; (206) 553-2927 or (206) 543-1912; e-mail: atwater@u.washington.edu.
"Earthquake Hazard Reduction of Woodframe Construction." Funding agency: National Science Foundation. $5.5 million, 36 months. Principle Investigator: John Hall, c/o California Universities for Research in Earthquake Engineering, 1301 South 46th Street, Richmond, CA 94804; fax: (510) 231-5664; e-mail: curee@nisee.ce.berkeley.edu.
Conference documents are available on the World Wide Web at http://www.oas.org/EN/prog/nhp/home.html. The conference will take place in Spanish and English. To sign up for the conference, see: http://mail.speccomm.com:81/guest/RemoteListSummary/OAS_edplan. For help or specific questions you can also contact: OAS_edplan-owner@emforum.org. Persons can also obtain information about the conference or register by contacting the Natural Hazards Project, Unit of Sustainable Development and Environment, Organization of American States, 1889 F Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20006; e-mail: natural-hazards-project@oas.org; tel: (202) 458-6295; fax: (202) 458- 3560.
The other broadcasts are:
In addition to satellite broadcasts, these EENET programs and other selected programs will be carried via the Internet. Internet access addresses for each will be listed on the EENET Web site: http://www.fema.gov/emi/eenet.htm or can be obtained by calling the EENET Office (800) 500-5164 or (301) 447-1068).
For the most current listing of programs and satellite information, consult FEMA's Web site at http://www.fema.gov/emi/eenet.htm or the ASCE Web site at http://www.asce.org/confconted/cal2.html. Viewers should check these sites prior to each broadcast to confirm satellite information.
Psychological and Public Health Responses to Environmental Accidents. Sponsors: Jefferson County [Colorado] Department of Health and Environment, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and others. Aurora, Colorado: October 23-24, 1998. Contact: Jefferson County Department of Health and Environment, Conference Planning, Attn: Kim Porter, 1801 19th Street, Golden, CO 80401; (303) 271-5716; fax: (303) 271-5702.
Regional Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan Workshop. Sponsor: Metro Regional Services. Portland, Oregon: October 30, 1998. Contact: Susan Lorain, Metro Regional Services, 600 N.E. Grand Avenue, Portland, OR 97232; (503) 797-1725 or 1742; fax: (503) 797-1909; WWW: http://www.metro-region.org, or http://www.metro-region.org/drc/nathaz/nathaz.html.
Earthquake Reconnaissance Training Workshops. Sponsor: Earthquake
Engineering Research Institute (EERI).
St. Louis, Missouri: November 3, 1998
Los Angeles, California: November 10, 1998
Contact: EERI, 499 14th Street, Suite 320, Oakland, CA 94612-1934;
(510) 451-0905; fax: (510) 451-5411; e-mail:
eeri@eeri.org; WWW:
http://www.eeri.org.
El Nino Followup and Prospects for La Nina - a Special PPP (Public/ Private Partnership) 2000 Seminar. Washington, D.C.: November 18, 1998. Contact: the Institute for Business and Home Safety, 175 Federal Street, Suite 500, Boston, MA 02110-2222; (617) 292-2003; fax: (617) 292-2022; WWW: http://www.ibhs.org. For information on other upcoming PPP 2000 seminars, see Disaster Research #268.
"Estimating Seismic Ground Motion," presented by Bruce Bolt, Professor Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley. Structural Engineers Association of Illinois (SEAOI) and Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) Great Lakes Chapter joint dinner meeting. Chicago, Illinois: December 1, 1998. Contact: Sherry Huttenga, (312) 372-4198.
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 1999 Annual Meeting. Anaheim, California: January 24, 1999. Includes symposium on "Science and Policy: Meeting the Challenges of Reducing Earthquake Losses." Contact: AAAS Meetings Office, 1200 New York Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20005; (202) 326-6450; fax: (202) 289-4021; e-mail: confinfo@aaas.org; WWW: http://www.aaas.org/.
Virginia Emergency Management Conference - 1999 Focus: Severe Weather. Williamsburg, Virginia: March 17-19, 1999. Contact: (757) 491-2800; e-mail: comcon@erols.com; WWW: http://www.vdes.state.va.us.
National Conference on Public Health and Disasters. Sponsor: UCLA Center for Public Health and Disaster Relief. Los Angeles, California: April 11-14, 1999. Contact: Center for Public Health and Disaster Relief, UCLA School of Public Health, Box 951772, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772; (310) 794-6646; fax: (310) 794-1805; e-mail: locn@ucla.edu; WWW: http://www.ph.ucla.edu/cphdr/.
Canadian Geophysical Union (CGU) Annual Scientific Meeting. Banff, Alberta, Canada: May 9-13, 1999. Contact: D. Eaton, CGU Secretariat, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B7; (519) 661-3190; fax: (519) 661-3198; e-mail: deaton@julian.uwo.ca; WWW: http://www.gp.uwo.ca/cgu/frame.html.
American Geophysical Union 1999 Spring Meeting. Boston, Massachusetts: May 31-June 4, 1999. Abstracts due February 18, 1999 (postal, express mail); February 25, 1999 (World Wide Web). Contact: AGU Meetings Department, 2000 Florida Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20009; (800) 966-2481 or (202) 462-6900; fax: (202) 328-0566; e-mail: meetinginfo@agu.org; WWW: http://www.agu.org.
Eastern Snow Conference 56th Annual Meeting: Monitoring Snow and Ice - Methods and Techniques for Operational Applications and Climate Change Studies. Sponsors: New Brunswick Department of Environment and others. New Brunswick, Canada: June 2-4, 1999. Abstracts due January 15, 1999. Contact: D. Hall, Code 974, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771; (301) 614-5771; fax: (301) 614-5808; e-mail: dhall@glacier.gsfc.nasa.gov; WWW: http://www.tor.ec.gc.ca/CRSYS/esc/.
Water 99 Joint Congress - 25th Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium and 2nd International Conference on Water Resources and Environment Research. Sponsors: Department of Natural Resources, Queensland, Australia; World Meteorological Organization, UNESCO, and others. Brisbane, Australia: July 8-9. 1999. Contact: Water 99 Joint Congress, P.O. Box 1280 Milton, Queensland 4064, Australia; tel: (+61 7) 3369 0477; fax: (+61 7) 3369 1512; e-mail: hyd99@im.com.au.
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