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• EMR-ISAC: Infogram, Volume 21 Issue 6, February 11, 2021

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  The Emergency Management and Response Information Sharing and Analysis Center's (EMR-ISAC) InfoGram is a weekly publication of information concerning the protection of critical infrastructures relevant to members of the Emergency Services Sector. This issue includes the following articles: "IC [incident commander] to IC Network offers peer support after a line-of-duty death"; "CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] supports SLTT [state, local, territorial, and tribal] vaccine programs with updated operational guidance and National Forum on COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] Vaccine Feb. 22-24"; "Earthquake resilience technology webinar and guidance for Earthquake Awareness Month"; "Webinars: FEMA accepting spring nominations for exercise assistance"; "Five critical questions raised by water treatment facility hack"; "Scammers selling fake COVID-19 vaccination cards for just $20"; "Microsoft to add 'Nation-State Activity Alerts' to Defender"; and "SolarWinds attack reinforces importance of Principle of Least Privilege."

  Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (U.S.)

  2021-02-11
• 2018 Pacific Island Disasters: Federal Actions Helped Facilitate the Response, but FEMA Needs to Address Long-Term Recovery Challenges, Report to Congressional Committees

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  From the Highlights: "The CNMI [Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands], Guam, and Hawaii experienced an unprecedented number of natural disasters in 2018-- including typhoons, earthquakes, mudslides, and volcanic eruptions. FEMA is the lead federal agency responsible for helping states and territories prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural disasters. Due to the remoteness of Hawaii and the Pacific territories, disaster response and recovery can be challenging. Title IX of the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019 includes a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to review FEMA's response and recovery efforts for 2018 natural disasters, including those in the Pacific region. This report examines (1) how FEMA and its federal partners prepared for and responded to the 2018 disasters in the CNMI, Guam, and Hawaii; and (2) the extent to which FEMA assisted the CNMI, Guam, and Hawaii in recovering from the 2018 natural disasters."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  2021-02
• Status of Puerto Rico's Recovery and Ongoing Challenges Following Hurricanes Irma and María: FEMA, SBA, and HUD Assistance [November 13, 2020]

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  From the Summary: "Three years after Hurricanes Irma and María, Puerto Rico is still recovering from the devastation to communities, homes and property, businesses, and infrastructure that was caused by the hurricanes. At the same time, Puerto Rico has faced destruction caused by an earthquake swarm, which began in 2019 and is continuing into 2020, as well as the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. These consecutive disasters have complicated response and recovery for each incident."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Webster, Elizabeth M.; Cecire, Michael H.; Horn, Diane P. . . .

  2020-11-13
• Crisis Standards of Care: Lessons from New York City Hospitals' COVID-19 Experience. A Meeting Report

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  From the Introduction: "In the spring of 2020, hospitals in New York City suffered an unprecedented surge of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. This surge was associated with extraordinary use of critical care resources and high case fatality ratios (the number deaths divided by the number of recognized cases). During this epidemic, there were many reports of hospitals being overwhelmed. There were also reports about how conventional standards of care were unable to be maintained, forcing hospitals and healthcare workers to adjust the way in which care was provided in order to do the most good for the greatest number. 'Standard of care' is a legal concept related to 'the level at which the average, prudent provider in a given community would practice. It is how similarly qualified practitioners would have managed the patient's care under the same or similar circumstances.' The term 'crisis standards of care' (CSC) refers to 'a substantial change in usual healthcare operations and the level of care it is possible to deliver, which is made necessary by a pervasive (eg, pandemic influenza) or catastrophic (eg, earthquake, hurricane) disaster.' [...] For over a decade, there has been considerable discussion within the healthcare preparedness professional community about CSC. [...] The purpose of this project was to convene a trusted space in which critical care physicians from hospitals across New York City could discuss their experiences with CSC implementation with each other and with national experts on CSC."

  Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Center for Health Security

  Toner, Eric (Eric S.); Mukherjee, Vikramjit; Hanfling, Dan . . .

  2020-11
• Mobilizing the Pacific Diaspora: A Key Component of Disaster Resilience

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  From the Document: "Of all the earth's regions, the Pacific is one of the most prone to natural disasters. Climate-related disasters such as floods, droughts, and tropical cyclones make the headlines, along with other natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions. These may be accompanied by crises in public health. Samoa, for example, confronted a measles epidemic in 2019, followed by the global COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic in 2020. In Fiji and Vanuatu, the pandemic was compounded by Cyclone Harold. These experiences highlight the severity of cascading disasters and the complex requirements for a humanitarian response. Today, many Pacific Island countries rely heavily on government relief and international aid when they face a disaster. Traditional sources of resilience can still play an important role, however, both within local communities and within the broader diaspora of Pacific communities in Aotearoa-New Zealand, Australia, and the US. [...] Opportunities abound to improve social justice by resetting imbalances and inequities in disadvantaged communities. Innovative solutions to lower the cost of remittances to Pacific nations is one example of a practical improvement going forward. A better understanding of Pacific cultures from within and a better recognition of the role of the Pacific diaspora and of churches in Pacific communities would also help improve development efforts and disaster response."

  East-West Center

  Alefaio, Siautu

  2020-09-04
• Guide to Expanding Mitigation: Making the Connection to Electric Power

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  From the Document: "Electric power is essential for modern society to function. In addition to powering the lights in your home and every piece of technology you use, electricity is necessary for water, transportation, and communications systems. In an emergency, having reliable electric power systems is paramount, as they keep communities connected and sustain essential services. Despite the need for a reliable supply of electricity, the electric power sector is not typically engaged when communities plan for hazards. Disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, and wildfires pose a tremendous risk to power supplies by compromising a community's electric infrastructure. Communities must consider such impacts in their hazard mitigation plan and projects to reinforce and reimagine their electric power systems now, before the next disaster. Regional power authorities, renewable energy advocacy organizations, and industry experts should be engaged during the hazard mitigation planning process to share their insights on energy efficiency, renewable energy, and resilience challenges. This 'Guide to Expanding Mitigation' shows how community officials can work with the public and private actors in the electric power sector to support hazard mitigation, especially in the planning process and project development. This guide can help community officials initiate a conversation about mitigation investments that will make electric power systems more resilient."

  United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency

  Monitz, Gary; Heide, Jack; Gutierrez, Jennifer . . .

  2020-09-04?
• Earthquake Information Products and Tools from the Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS) [September 2020]

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  From the Document: "This Fact Sheet describes post-earthquake products and tools provided by the Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS) through the U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program. The focus is on products that provide situational awareness immediately after significant earthquakes."

  Geological Survey (U.S.); United States. Department of the Interior

  2020-09
• Another Possible Cost of COVID-19: Returning Workers May Lead to Deforestation in Nepal

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  From the Document: "In rural Nepal, 10 years of conflict between government forces and Maoist fighters, followed by a series of devastating earthquakes, forced many young people to migrate to urban areas or overseas in search of employment. Farm sizes remained the same, but with remittance income coming in from migrants plus a sharp reduction in available labor at home, many farmers left some of their land uncultivated. This expansion of uncultivated land brought an important environmental benefit. After years of forest loss, surveys conducted from 1992 to 2016 found that tree cover--on both state forest land (often managed as community forests) and on private agricultural land--increased by almost 20 percent. At a time when forests are shrinking in many parts of the world due to a combination of logging, land clearing, and climate change, the 20-year trend of increasing tree cover in Nepal stands out as a model for other developing countries. Today, the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic has forced many Nepali migrants to return home. With more available labor and less remittance income, will farmers in Nepal now remove trees on their land to expand cultivation?"

  East-West Center

  Fox, Jefferson, 1951-; Yokying, Phanwin; Paudel, Naya S. . . .

  2020-08-28
• ShakeOut Earthquake Drills During COVID 2020 [video]

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  This video provides addresses the following: "2020 ShakeOut: Earthquake planning During COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019]"; "Shakeout Earthquake Drill: Earthquake Planning During COVID-19"; "CCS [Connect Consulting Services] 2020 CMS [Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services] Emergency Preparedness Toolkit"; and "School Emergency Preparedness Toolkit." The duration of the video is 1 hour, 15 minutes, and 54 seconds.

  Connect Consulting Services

  2020-08-12
• 2018 Pacific Disasters: Preliminary Observations on FEMA's Disaster Response and Recovery Efforts, Statement for the Record by Chris Currie, Director, Homeland Security and Justice, Statement for the Record to the Committee on Natural Resources, House of Representatives

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  From the GAO [Government Accountability Office] Highlights: "The CNMI [Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands], Guam, and Hawaii experienced an unprecedented number of natural disasters in 2018--including typhoons, earthquakes, mudslides, and volcanic eruptions. FEMA is the lead federal agency responsible for helping states and territories prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural disasters. Due to the remoteness of Hawaii and the Pacific territories, disaster response and recovery in the region can be challenging. Title IX of the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019 included a provision for GAO to review FEMA's response and recovery efforts for 2018 natural disasters, including those in the Pacific region. This statement is based on ongoing work and provides preliminary GAO observations on (1) the status of FEMA disaster assistance for the CNMI, Guam, and Hawaii as of May 2020; (2) the extent to which officials in the CNMI, Guam, and Hawaii found FEMA's response to the 2018 disasters effective; and (3) the challenges, if any, FEMA experienced implementing recovery assistance programs in these locations."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  Currie, Chris

  2020-07-08
• CRED Crunch Newsletter: COVID-19 and Other Disasters (July 2020)

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  From the Document: "The current COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic is an unprecedented event that tests the ability of health systems and governments to manage health risks. For instance, the capacity of medical services such as intensive care units had to be increased significantly in many countries to be able to cope with the sudden and rising influx of patients. This type of response is not unique for COVID-19, but can also be observed after the occurrence of other disasters, such as earthquakes. What is different is that COVID-19 affects all countries almost simultaneously, regardless of their wealth or the quality of their health system. Consequentially, richer countries are not in the position to provide international aid and support to low- and middle-income countries. On top of the disruption caused by the pandemic, there is a growing concern that COVID-19 will intersect with other health crises such as extreme climate events or other natural or technological disasters. Two types of situations can be distinguished. First, when the disaster agents are different but related, we speak of a compound disaster."

  Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters

  2020-07
• Planning for Concurrent Emergencies

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  From the Background: "Given the protracted nature of the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic, states will likely experience additional, simultaneous emergencies concurrent with additional outbreaks of the virus. Experts are forecasting an above-average season for hurricane activity across the Atlantic as well as an above normal wildfire risk for the states in the Pacific Northwest. Extreme heat may present a nationwide threat and most states are likely to experience above average temperatures for many months of this year. Earthquakes, targeted violence, and cybersecurity incidents know no season and pose persistent risk. Responding to and recovering from these disasters independently presents a significant challenge to states, notwithstanding the already staggering effects of COVID-19 on human, financial, and physical resources. Governors will need to work across the emergency management enterprise to properly prepare for a confluence of events that will strain their already burdened systems to ensure that their states are ready to protect lives and property. This memorandum provides: [1] Actions for Governors Looking to Bolster Emergency Preparedness; [2] An Overview of the Planning Considerations for Simultaneous Emergencies."

  National Governors' Association

  2020-06-01
• Ten Ways Mount St. Helens Changed Our World--The Enduring Legacy of the 1980 Eruption

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  From the Document: "Mount St. Helens was once enjoyed for its serene beauty and was considered one of America's most majestic volcanoes because of its perfect cone shape, similar to Japan's beloved Mount Fuji. Nearby residents assumed that the mountain was solid and enduring. That perception changed during the early spring of 1980. Then, on May 18, 1980, following 2 months of earthquakes and small explosions, the volcano's over-steepened north flank collapsed in a colossal landslide and triggered a near-horizontal blast, followed by a powerful vertical eruption. The high-speed, rock-filled, and gas-charged blast quickly evolved into a gravitationally driven pyroclastic flow, which leveled millions of trees, stripped them of their branches and bark, and scoured soil from bedrock. The vertical eruption that followed fed a towering plume of ash for more than 9 hours. Winds carried the ash from the volcano and deposited it hundreds of miles away. Lahars (volcanic mudflows) buried river valleys. These catastrophic events caused the worst volcanic disaster in the recorded history of the conterminous United States. The events violently transformed Mount St. Helens and left a lasting impression on the hearts and minds of people living in the Pacific Northwest and beyond."

  Geological Survey (U.S.); United States. Department of the Interior

  2020-05
• Special Commentary: 'Disaster Diplomacy' and the US Response to COVID-19

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  From the Document: "In 1999, after decades of animosity driven by a complex history, Greek and Turkish relations positively transformed almost overnight. The catalyst for this transformation was Turkish provision of rescue personnel and other assistance to Athens, which had been struck by a devastating earthquake. Of course, those efforts would not have been transformative had the foreign ministers of both Greece and Turkey not already been considering ways to improve relations. But had it not been for the crisis, the effects of those efforts may never have been felt. This example exemplifies 'disaster diplomacy': conditions where disasters can catalyze changes in state relations. Global efforts to create similar change during the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] virus, however, have not met with much success. This failure has as much to do with the nature of the virus as it does with the nature of the response. Getting disaster diplomacy right requires alignment of ends, means, and interests. Otherwise, it risks being perceived as exploitive or ineffective."

  Army War College (U.S.). Strategic Studies Institute

  Pfaff, C. Anthony

  2020-04-15
• Interim NIOSH Training for Emergency Responders: Reducing Risks Associated with Long Work Hours

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  This is an online training from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). From the Introduction: "The intended audience for this training is emergency responders who may need to work longer than normal day shifts. This training program was developed for emergency workers who deploy to work at disaster sites caused by weather, earthquakes, epidemics, and other catastrophic events. This training gives strategies to reduce risks from fatigue due to the need to work long day shifts during the emergency response and recovery operations. Although certain parts of your deployment will be unique, others are more universal: [1] Deployment can be a very rewarding experience. [2] Deployment can mean extended and unusually long shifts. [3] During deployment, it is important to remember your own health. This online training addresses the last two points and will help you take care of yourself while deployed."

  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.); National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

  Caruso, Claire C.; Funk, Renee; Butler, Corey R. . . .

  2020-04-01?
• Can the Arab World Cope with the Coronavirus?

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  From the Document: "The coronavirus pandemic caught the Western world unprepared despite all the technology and medical advances available in those countries. What about Iran and the Arab world? How are they coping? These dictatorial states know how to control their populations and suppress both information and unrest, but appear for the most part to have no idea how to fight an invisible virus. Just as Italy is the source of much of the spread of the virus in the Western world, Iran has been the source of most of the infections in the Arab world. Almost every single case in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon originated in Iran. The Iranian regime has no idea how to contain the epidemic. The country has dealt with earthquakes, wars, and revolutions, but is finding it impossible to cope with the rapid spread of the coronavirus."

  Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies (BESA Center)

  Cohen, Edy

  2020-03-18
• Haiti's Political and Economic Conditions [Updated March 5, 2020]

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  From the Summary: "Since the fall of the Duvalier dictatorship in 1986, Haiti has struggled to overcome its centuries-long legacy of authoritarianism, disrespect for human rights, underdevelopment, and extreme poverty. Widespread corruption remains an impediment to changing that legacy. Haiti made significant progress in improving governance prior to the 2010 earthquake, but recovery since then has been slow. Democratic institutions remain weak and stability fragile. Poverty remains massive and deep, and economic disparity is wide. Due to its proximity to the United States and its chronically unstable political environment and fragile economy, Haiti has been an ongoing policy issue for the United States. Many in the U.S. Congress view Haiti's increasing instability with concern and have shown a commitment to improving conditions in the country through continued support for U.S. foreign aid."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Taft-Morales, Maureen

  2020-03-05
• Seismicity of the Earth 1900-2018

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  From the Document: "This map illustrates 119 years of global seismicity in the context of global plate tectonics and the Earth's physiography. Primarily designed for use by earth scientists, engineers and educators, this map provides a comprehensive overview of strong (moment magnitude [M] 5.5 and larger) earthquakes since 1900. The map clearly identifies the locations of the 'great' earthquakes (M 8.0 and larger) and the aftershock or rupture area (in green fill), if known, of the M 8.3 or larger earthquakes. The circular earthquake symbols are scaled to be proportional to the moment magnitude and therefore to the area of faulting, thus providing a better understanding of the relative sizes and distribution of earthquakes in the magnitude range 5.5 to 9.5. Plotting the known rupture or aftershock areas (which are closely related) of the largest earthquakes also provides a better appreciation of the faulting extent of some of the most famous and damaging instrumentally recorded earthquakes in modern history."

  Geological Survey (U.S.)

  Hayes, Gavin P.; Smoczyk, Gregory; Villaseñor, Antonio . . .

  2020-02-07?
• China's 'Counterpart Assistance' Approach to Coronavirus: Lessons from the Wenchuan Earthquake Response

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  From the Document: "In early 2020, a new type of coronavirus epidemic (COVID-19) emerged suddenly and spread steadily from China's Wuhan City, Hubei Province, disrupting China's social order. The epicenter of the epidemic, Hubei Province lacked medical personnel and epidemic prevention supplies; assistance was urgently needed. This note identifies the Chinese government's 'counterpart aid' strategy in response to the epidemic and explores the strategy's utility, drawing on earlier experiences with disaster response. Our analysis is based on an earlier research paper examining Wenchuan earthquake relief."

  Center for Global Development

  Zhang, Xiaobo, 1966-; Xu, Lihe

  2020-02
• House Committee on Natural Resources Report on Puerto Rico's Earthquakes

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  From the Overview: "On December 28, 2019, Puerto Rico experienced the first earthquake in what would be a series of tremors, including 12 earthquakes of greater than 5.0 magnitude on the Richter Scale. This includes a 6.4-magnitude earthquake in early January that led to a confirmed fatality and island-wide power cuts. This activity is ongoing and additional aftershocks and earthquakes may continue hitting the island even after the publication of this report."

  United States. Congress. House. Committee on Natural Resources

  Grijalva, Raul M.

  2020-02
• Potential Duration of the Aftershocks of the 2020 Southwestern Puerto Rico Earthquake

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  From the Abstract: "Aftershocks (earthquakes clustered spatially and chronologically near the occurrence of a causative earthquake) are ongoing in southwestern Puerto Rico after a series of earthquakes, which include a magnitude 6.4 earthquake that occurred near Barrio Indios, Guayanilla, on January 7, 2020, and affected the surrounding area. This report estimates the expected duration of these aftershocks by incorporating observations of aftershocks as of January 17, 2020, into a well-established statistical model of how earthquake sequences behave. Aftershocks will persist for years to decades, although with decreasing frequency, and earthquakes will likely be felt on a daily basis for up to several months. [...] The aftershocks discussed in this report would be located in the same general area as the aftershocks that have already occurred. Our results do not imply a change in the risk of earthquakes in other parts of Puerto Rico."

  Geological Survey (U.S.); United States. Department of the Interior

  Michael, A. J. (Andrew Jay); van der Elst, Nicholas J.; Hardebeck, Jeanne

  2020
• Role of the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Forest Service in Preparing for and Responding to Natural Hazard Events, As Well as the Current Status of Mapping and Monitoring Systems, Hearing Before the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, One Hundred Fifteenth Congress, Second Session, January 30, 2018

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  This is the January 30, 2018 hearing on "Role of the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Forest Service in Preparing for and Responding to Natural Hazard Events, As Well as the Current Status of Mapping and Monitoring Systems," held before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. From the Opening Statement of Lisa Murkowski: "Our focus this morning is on volcanoes, earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, and avalanches--natural hazards that many Americans experience on a somewhat regular basis and the measures being taken to minimize risks from those hazards. [...] The good news is that our federal, state, and local partners are developing the tools and maps needed to better understand these natural hazards, in an effort to give more advanced warning to communities in danger. Those include seismic monitors for earthquakes, elevation mapping to mark out slopes vulnerable to landslides, cameras on volcanoes, sensors along rivers and coasts, and tidal monitors to help detect tsunamis. Some operations are, of course, more advanced than others. [...] This morning, we will learn about the need for better monitoring and mapping to provide as much of a warning of natural hazards events as possible and to reduce impacts to life and property." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: David Applegate, Glenn Casamassa, Pat Branson, David K. Norman, Michael West, and Karen Berry.

  United States. Government Publishing Office

  2020
• Ground Failure Triggered by Shaking During the November 30, 2018, Magnitude 7.1 Anchorage, Alaska, Earthquake

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  From the Introduction: "The magnitude (M) 7.1 Anchorage, Alaska, earthquake occurred at 8:29 a.m. local time on November 30, 2018, about 12 kilometers (km) north of Anchorage. The focal depth of about 47 km and the normal focal mechanism indicate that the earthquake occurred in the subducting slab of the Pacific Plate. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) ShakeMap (Worden and Wald, 2016) of this event (fig. 1) shows severe (intensity VIII) shaking near the epicenter; this caused significant damage in the urban and infrastructure center of Alaska and was felt throughout the Anchorage and Matanuska-Susitna Valley areas. The USGS Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response (PAGER; Wald and others, 2010) system gave an 'orange' alert within an hour of the origin time, indicating estimated economic losses in the range of $100 million to $1 billion with few fatalities. No fatalities were reported following the 2018 Anchorage earthquake, but considerable damages to roads, railway alignments, and homes were observed throughout the epicentral region. The 2018 Anchorage earthquake was one of the most damaging earthquakes in the United States in the past decade."

  Geological Survey (U.S.); United States. Department of the Interior

  Jibson, Randall W.; Witter, Robert C.; Allstadt, Kate . . .

  2020
• Tropical Cyclone Harold and COVID-19: Lessons from the 2010 Haiti Earthquake

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  From the Document: "The international aid response of the United Nations to TC [tropical cyclone] Harold is being coordinated by UNICEF [United Nations Children's Fund], whose staff are meeting with Vanuatu government officials. UNICEF is providing technical support for critical water and sanitation needs, as well as health, nutrition, and shelter response plans in Vanuatu and Fiji. However, due to the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] threat, the Government of Vanuatu is not allowing foreigners to enter the country, and is mandating that all humanitarian cargo undergo strict health protocols before being offloaded. While the COVID-19 pandemic has devastated some nations, causing thousands of deaths, many of the tropical Pacific islands, including Tonga and Vanuatu, have been completely spared; as of 14 April, neither has any known cases of the disease. Other islands have had only a few; Fiji has just 16 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of 14 April."

  Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies

  Allen, Ethan

  2020?
• Curriculum Recommendations for Disaster Health Professionals: Disaster Behavioral Health, Second Edition

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  From the Introduction: "A wide variety of extreme events produce psychological, social, and biological sequelae labeled with terms such as stress, trauma, grief, and bereavement. These consequences are experienced by individuals, families, workplaces, schools, communities, and nations. They result from causal factors that are natural, human-generated, or both. While all disasters are extreme events, not all extreme events would be considered disasters. [...] This document focuses on the general topic of disasters and other extreme events. For the purposes of this document, disasters are considered: 1) extreme events in which needs of the impacted population and/or area exceeds the local response and recovery resources, and external resources must be utilized (e.g., pandemics, hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes); and 2) events in which local resources may be fully utilized and not be exceeded (e.g., mass violence, terrorism, industrial accidents, chemical spills), but result in adverse psychological and behavioral responses for affected individuals and communities that are similar to other disasters in which resources are exceeded. More disaster behavioral health training for healthcare professionals, including behavioral health personnel, is being conducted today than ever before. Despite this, few healthcare professionals receive education on the unique psychological and behavioral impacts of disaster events during formal training programs. The vast majority of training occurs after degree conferral and is frequently experiential. Specific training in disaster behavioral health for most healthcare professionals is rare."

  National Center for Disaster Medicine & Public Health (U.S.); Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress

  Flynn, Brian W., Ed.D.; Vance, Mary C.; Morganstein, Joshua C.

  2020
• After Action Report: Activities, Observations and Findings from DHS S&T Participation in the Shaken Fury 2019 Response and Recovery Exercise

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  From the Introduction: "As part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) National Exercise Program (NEP), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) conducts exercises designed to assess and validate capabilities, improve coordination and identify areas for improvement and strengths. As part of this mission, FEMA hosted Shaken Fury 2019. Within the scope of that exercise, DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) collaborated with FEMA, Central United States Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC), the Department of Defense (DoD) and state and local agencies to develop, deploy and assess technologies that would improve response to and recovery from this type of incident. This After Action Report (AAR) provides leadership, program staff and other stakeholders with a thorough understanding of the actions associated with each DHS S&T Shaken Fury activity, the outcomes and the impact of each activity. This document was developed to provide actionable insights based on the DHS S&T activities and inform near- and long-term decisions regarding future DHS S&T projects and investments. This AAR is composed of two parts. The first part provides an overview of Shaken Fury and the suite of exercises that were conducted under the Shaken Fury umbrella. It also provides a description of associated objectives, scenarios and resources. The second part of this document provides a detailed description of the technology development, experimentation and demonstration initiatives carried out by DHS S&T as part of Shaken Fury 2019. The second part also contains the key findings from each DHS S&T initiative."

  United States. Department of Homeland Security. Science and Technology Directorate

  2019-12
• Post-Disaster Building Safety Evaluation Guidance: Report on the Current State of Practice, Including Recommendations Related to Structural and Nonstructural Safety and Habitability

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  From the Executive Summary: "Section 1241(a) of the 'Disaster Recovery Reform Act' (DRRA) of 2018 requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to publish a report providing guidance on the best practices for post-disaster evaluation of buildings for both structural safety and habitability. This 'Guide' summarizes and references best practice guideline documents, identifies recommended improvements and needs, and provides interim recommendations for issues without best practice guidance. The following incident types are covered: earthquakes; hurricanes; floods; tornadoes; tsunamis; landslides and other land instabilities; volcanoes; snow, hail, and ice storms; fire; and explosions. This 'Guide' can be a reference for any post-incident evaluation process and is not limited by the scale or official declaration of a disaster."

  United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency; National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (U.S.)

  2019-11
• EMR-ISAC: InfoGram, Volume 19 Issue 37, October 10, 2019

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  The Emergency Management and Response Information Sharing and Analysis Center's (EMR-ISAC) InfoGram is a weekly publication of information concerning the protection of critical infrastructures relevant to members of the Emergency Services Sector. This issue includes the following articles: "2019 Tech to Protect Challenge needs your help"; "CISA releases updated National Emergency Communications Plan"; "FirstNet apps catalog'; "Great ShakeOut 2019: practice your earthquake drills"; "FDA issues cybersecurity warning on medical devices"; "Google Password Checkup searches web for leaked passwords"; "FBI says don't pay the ransom"; "Most malspam contains malicious URLs, not file attachments"; and "Ransomware attacks leave U.S. hospitals turning away patients".

  Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (U.S.)

  2019-10-10
• 2019 Disaster Relief Act: USGS Recovery Activities

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  From the Document: "The Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019 (H.R. 2157) was signed by the President on June 6, 2019. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) received $98.5 million for repair and replacement of facilities and equipment, collection of high-resolution elevation data in affected areas, and scientific assessments to support recovery and rebuilding decisions for declared disasters in 2018 from the Kīlauea volcano eruption, Hurricanes Florence and Michael, the Anchorage earthquake, and California wildfires."

  Geological Survey (U.S.)

  2019-10
• National Household Survey

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  From the Webpage: "The National Household Survey (NHS) tracks progress in personal disaster preparedness through investigation of the American public's preparedness actions, attitudes, and motivations. FEMA administers the survey in English and Spanish via landline and mobile telephone to a random sampling of approximately 5,000 adult respondents. The survey includes a nationally representative sample as well hazard-specific oversamples which may include earthquake, flood, wildfire, hurricane, winter storm, extreme heat, tornado, and urban event. FEMA delays publishing the data until approximately the release of the summary results for the subsequent NHS iteration. For example, FEMA published the 2017 data package at approximately the same time as the publication of the 2018 NHS Summary."

  United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency

  2019-09-04