No Ordinary Flu Comic Book
The No Ordinary Flu comic book is no ordinary attempt at promoting pandemic flu awareness. The comic book—perhaps more aptly described as a graphic novella—makes readers aware of the modern-day pandemic threat as it relates the tale of a family affected by the 1918 flu epidemic. The publication, created by Washington’s Public Health— Seattle & King County, is available for free download in 12 languages. Print copies are limited.
Preferring a Pound of Cure to an Ounce of Prevention
Why shell out money for a disaster that might never occur? Voters won’t provide the answer according to this recently released report that found voters rewarded politicians for disaster relief spending—even when unrelated to disaster damage—but remained ambivalent on prevention spending. Andrew Healy of Loyola Marymount University and Neil Malhotra of Stanford Graduate School of Business wrote Preferring a Pound of Prevention to an Ounce of Cure: Voting, Natural Disasters, and Government Response after examining data on the voting behavior, disaster incidence, and federal spending in the 3,141 U.S. counties.
What’s your Readiness Quotient (RQ)?
Get ready, get set, get your score. This online survey only takes a moment to complete and immediately provides a rating of individual readiness, the average for test taker’s zip code, and national scores—along with resources targeted to the particular preparedness deficiencies identified. The RQ site, developed by the Council for Excellence in Government, also offers national preparedness data, information on how groups and schools can use the test, and links to preparedness organizations.
Emergency Management Institute Student Papers
Student researchers now have a new outlet for their work on FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI) website. The Higher Education Project has devoted a section of its Student’s Corner to quality student papers that address real world issues facing emergency managers. Accepted papers include research, term papers, theses, dissertations, and published articles.
Why Have We Not Been Attacked Again? Competing and Complementary Hypotheses for Homeland Attack Frequency
While it might not be possible to gauge the role of anti-terrorism measures by the absence of U.S. terrorist attacks since Sept. 11, 2001, this report analyzes possible explanations for a lack of subsequent attacks. The report, funded by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and Science Applications International, aims to provide a comprehensive look at various lack-of-attack hypotheses and promote understanding of the effectiveness of U.S. counter-terrorism efforts.
Interim Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG 101)
This interim guide, Producing Emergency Plans: A Guide for All-Hazard Operation Planning for State, Local & Tribal Governments, is the first of FEMA’s efforts to update their longstanding series of state and local planning guides with a new product—the Comprehensive Preparedness Guide. Designated CPG 101, Producing Emergency Plans, is the cornerstone for the series, which will eventually tackle topics of planning for prevention, protection, response, and recovery. A team of more than 30 state, local, and tribal emergency preparedness officials created the interim guide to help public and private emergency planners develop emergency response plans. Forums and open comment periods will be held before finalizing the document.
National Emergency Communications Plan
Lack of communication among emergency response providers, especially during recent disasters and terrorist attacks, led Congress to direct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to get everyone on the same channel. The National Emergency Communication Plan is the DHS answer to that call. The report identifies needs and goals to make the nation’s emergency responder communications interoperable and continuous during disasters. Communication recommendations are outlined for all levels of government and the private sector.
Project on National Security Reform
The U.S. National Security system is short-sighted, inadequately funded, and plagued by in-fighting according to the preliminary findings of a study by the Project on National Security Reform (PNSR). The study condenses analysis and research by more than 300 national security experts from think tanks, universities, federal agencies, law firms and corporations, according to a PNSR statement. The full report can be accessed at the above link. For more about PNSR, which is funded by government, nonprofit, and private agencies, visit the website.