InfoGram

June 5, 2003

NOTE: This InfoGram will be distributed weekly to provide members of the emergency management and response sector with information concerning the protection of their critical infrastructures. It has been prepared by NATEK Incorporated for the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate. For further information, contact the Emergency Management and Response - Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) at (301) 447-1325 or by email at emr-isac@fema.dhs.gov.

Hurricane and Wildfire Season

The 2003 hurricane and wildfire season has arrived. Because of the constantly growing number of population and infrastructure centers moving into areas susceptible to hurricanes and wildfires, these disasters have the potential to adversely affect more people and property than in previous years. This harsh reality inevitably burdens the all-hazard planners to keep local plans current and feasible. Additionally, citizens who decide to live in hurricane and wildfire prone areas must also accept responsibility for personal and family preparedness planning consistent with those of their community.

Comprehensive community-based mitigation and response planning will reduce the degradation or destruction of critical infrastructures and alleviate the risks to lives and property. Well-designed preparedness plans for hurricanes and wildfires include input from most segments of the municipality beginning with emergency managers. Effective planning for these disasters will also include: the local planning board, fire, police, emergency medical services, hospitals, public utilities, developers, architects, bankers, insurance agents, and property owners. The CIPIC suggests that the synergy gained from this diverse representation of community stakeholders will provide greater success in finding practical methods within political and economic realities.

It might be helpful to mention here that guidance on composing, implementing, and educating residents about wildfire preparedness planning can be obtained from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group. This group is a consortium of agencies including the U.S. Forest Service, the Department of Interior, the National Association of State Foresters, the U.S. Fire Administration, and the National Fire Protection Association. For more information, go to www.firewise.org.

The Eco-terrorism Threat

According to "www.earthliberationfront.com," the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) is "an international underground movement consisting of autonomous groups of people who carry out direct action according to ELF guidelines." Economic sabotage and property destruction fall within these guidelines. ELF members maintain the security of the group by operating in cells of very few individuals. Each cell is anonymous not only to the public but also to one another. "This decentralized structure helps keep activist members out of jail and free to continue conducting actions." The FBI labeled the ELF one of the nation's most dangerous terrorist organizations.

A recent Associated Press article explained that two suspected long-time ELF members have announced the formation of an even more radical organization than the ELF. The two men stated that the primary mission of the new group will be "to push for 'more direct, strategic, and severe action' against the political structure in the United States and spur the 'social revolution' needed to allay most domestic and international human and environmental problems." Clearly, people, property, and critical infrastructures are at increased risk of disruption or destruction if they clandestinely execute their criminal plans.

The ELF claims to have inflicted more than $45 million in damages to individuals, corporations, and government agencies since 1997. The CIPIC opines that the formation of another underground activist group adds to the growing evidence that violence from the American eco-terror movement is mounting and may cause greater havoc to people, communities, and possibly, their critical infrastructures.

Grant Money for Emergency Response

Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response, Michael D. Brown, last week announced $19 million in grants to expand the training of citizens to better respond to emergencies in their own communities through local Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT). "Through the CERT program, citizens are better able to respond to an emergency or disaster," said Under Secretary Brown. "This is an essential way for citizens to help secure the homeland by supporting the work of our professional first responders." Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Tom Ridge added, "DHS has provided more than $4 billion to state and local governments this year to support the efforts of first responders and help us secure the homeland." He continued: "These CERT grants are a great example of the use of funding to better prepare America's communities." The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will distribute the funds to every state and local CERT program according to the formula developed through the Patriot Act. For more information about the CERT program, see the following URL: http://www.fema.gov/nwz03/nwz03_123a.shtm.

Approximately a month ago, DHS also announced the availability of $165 million for state and local emergency management agencies for the current fiscal year as part of the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) program. The EMPG program is the only source of direct funding for state and local governments that can be used to provide basic emergency coordination and planning capabilities. This program provides each state with the flexibility to allocate funds according to threats and vulnerabilities, and to address the most urgent state and local needs in disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. The states will award funds to local governments from the money provided by FEMA. For more information about the EMPG program, see the following two URLs: http://www.fema.gov/nwz03/nwz03_epmg.shtm, and also http://www.fema.gov/nwz03/nwz03_epmg2.shtm.

Effective Emergency Management Structures

Published by the Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI), "Characteristics of Effective Emergency Management Organizational Structures" is a self-assessment manual designed to help local governments strengthen their emergency management structure. It guides municipal leaders through twenty exercises to help develop or improve a jurisdiction's organizational structure for responding to a disaster.

PERI prepared the manual especially for use by the chief administrator of a local government. It originated from research conducted by the International City/County Management Association. The research consisted of reviewing the operations of more than 300 local government emergency management agencies, and developing dozens of on-site case studies of local government emergency management operations. The outcome was the development of twenty key characteristics that were found to contribute to an effective local government emergency management organizational structure.

More information about this free manual can be obtained from PERI at (703) 352-1846 or on the web at: www.riskinstitute.org. To download the document (133 pages), use the following URL: http://www.riskinstitute.org/ptrdocs/characteristicsofeffectiveemergency.pdf.