InfoGram 12-09: March 26, 2009

This InfoGram will be distributed weekly to provide members of the Emergency Services Sector with information concerning the protection of their critical infrastructures. 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.

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Flood Readiness

Floods are one of the most common hazards in the United States affecting specific localities or entire river basins and multiple states. Reports prepared this week by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) indicate that major flooding has begun along the Red River Basin in North Dakota and Minnesota, and also along the Missouri River in the vicinity of Bismarck, ND. State and local officials fear that the Red River could overtake all previous records. As of Thursday morning (26 March), the Red River ran at approximately 20 feet above flood stage at Fargo, ND, and may crest at 23 feet above flood stage on Saturday (28th) at that location.

According to a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Safety Fact Sheet, �every state is at risk from this hazard,� which has the potential to drain limited resources and paralyze personnel and equipment essential for the operational continuity and success of Emergency Services Sector (ESS) departments and agencies. While the emergency services in North Dakota and Minnesota are currently being tested, first responder organizations in other states have the opportunity to consider their vulnerability to flooding and adjust their disaster planning, training, and operations accordingly.

After reviewing FEMA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) flood readiness information, the Emergency Management and Response Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) assembled the following few FEMA and CDC suggestions for the consideration of ESS leaders, owners, and operators in flood-prone areas:

• Develop or revise the annex for flood operations within the organization’s emergency plans.
• Integrate organizational flood planning with those of the municipality with provisions for effective incident command.
• Guarantee the response activities of all community stakeholders are fully coordinated and approved.
• Ensure flood planning includes an alternate site from which to operate with available back-up power.
• Establish evacuation routes and contingencies for the location and movement of individuals with special needs and stranded residents.
• Determine the locations and requirements for possible sheltering, sandbagging, and emergency construction operations.
• Provide measures to safeguard local and regional medical centers.
• Arrange for primary and secondary means to communicate with all responders.
• Acquire the specific tools and equipment to maintain flood operations for extended periods.
• Rehearse flood operations to promote familiarization and to identify weaknesses for correction.

For more information about flood readiness, the EMR-ISAC offers the following websites:

• Federal Emergency Management Agency
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• U.S. Fire Administration

Terrorist Recognition Handbook

Written by a 20-year veteran of the U.S. intelligence community, this second edition of the Terrorist Recognition Handbook reflects the latest geopolitical factors affecting global terrorist incidents and regional insurgencies, according to a review by the inspector general of the U.S. Army Installation Management Command.

The Emergency Management and Response Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) observed that a new section includes an analysis of transformations within Al Qaeda, coverage of the modern insurgency, and new global and regional terrorist groups. The completely updated section on terrorist tactics reveals the latest trends and attack methods, and also has a new chapter on previously unreported suicide bombings.

With the subtitle of �A Practitioner’s Manual for Predicting and Indentifying Terrorist Activities,� this handbook is intended to be a resource �for those who realize that they need to begin their own terrorism education today.� The reviewer further indicated that �it is an invaluable training tool on how to identify an attack, how to mitigate damage from successful attacks, and how to recognize the various stages of developing terrorist plots.�

The EMR-ISAC confirmed that the Terrorist Recognition Handbook (PDF, 10 Mb, 470 pp.) is available as a free download until about 3 April.

CREATE

Established in 2004, the National Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events (CREATE) is an interdisciplinary national research center based at the University of Southern California and funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). CREATE’s mission is to improve our nation’s security through the development of advanced models and tools for the evaluation of the risks, costs, and consequences of terrorism, and to guide economically viable investments in homeland security.

The Emergency Management and Response Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) ascertained that CREATE is comprised of a team of experts from across the country, including partnerships with numerous universities and research institutions. These experts develop predictive models that gauge how and where terrorist events might occur, estimate the economic consequences of such attacks, and identify where the country’s vulnerabilities reside.

During an interview with a representative, the EMR-ISAC learned that CREATE serves national interests by imparting guidance and tools to DHS, as well as local, regional, and state decision-makers such as emergency managers. The Center specifically provides for the prioritization of countermeasures to terrorism, identifying areas where investments are likely to be most effective, computing relative risks among potential terrorist events, and estimating the societal consequences of terrorism. It also has a range of educational programs for homeland security leaders and workforce.

Contact information and additional details about CREATE can be seen at http://create.usc.edu/ or by writing to create@usc.edu.

PACER

In 2005, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) awarded Johns Hopkins University’s Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response a multiple year grant to establish the National Center of Excellence for the study of Preparedness and Catastrophic Event Response (PACER). The mission of PACER is to improve the nation’s preparedness and ability to respond in the event of a high consequence man-made or natural disaster, and to alleviate the event’s effects by developing and disseminating best scientific practices.

To accomplish its mission, the Emergency Management and Response Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC confirmed that PACER engages in multi-disciplinary, trans-institutional research to study deterrence, prevention, preparedness, and response. Its initiatives include issues such as risk assessment, decision-making, infrastructure integrity, surge capacity, and sensor networks, and to create knowledge directed toward increased national preparedness for weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and other catastrophic incidents.

When speaking to a representative, the EMR-ISAC learned that PACER is conducting seventeen different projects focused on five key areas of research: preparedness theory and practice; response networks; analysis, modeling, and simulation; science, technology, and engineering; and education. By promoting novel thinking, generating innovations, and teaching and training, the knowledge and expertise applied to this research should help public and private sector leaders to effectively deter as well as prepare for and respond to high consequence calamities.

Contact information and additional details about PACER can be seen on at http://www.pacercenter.org/ or by writing to pacer@jhmi.edu.