-
Universities, businesses offer solutions for dealing with hurricanes
Three universities are busy offering solutions which better predict hurricanes and cope with the damage they cause; a Bill Gates-supported company is more ambitious: it proposes to kill hurricanes by placing giant ocean-going tubs in the paths of storms
-
-
WiMAX spreads to more U.S. markets
Clearwire announced the launch of its WiMax service in ten more U.S. markets with total population of 1.6 million; company on target for presence in 80 markets with a total of 120 million potential subscribers by the end of next year
-
-
Robots perform fire-fighting duties in London
The robots, built by defense contractor QinetiQ, have been in use for a year; London’s fire brigade has been impressed by the robots’ performance
-
-
Chinese city sealed off after outbreak of bubonic plaque
Pneumonic plague, a virulent variant of the bubonic plaque, has killed two and infected 10 in a Chinese city; authorities have sealed off the city
-
-
Anthrax attack on a U.S. metropolitan area could affect more than 1 million
No matter how well-organized and prolonged a treatment program is, it must be quickly implemented; a campaign of powerful antibiotics initiated two days after exposure would protect as many as 87 percent of exposed individuals from illness
-
-
70,000 evacuated amid Texas chemical facility fire
Fire at a chemical storage warehouse in Bryan, Texas has prompted the evacuation of about 70,000 people; officials plan for the evacuation of students at Texas A&M University in nearby College Station
-
-
Eleven questions to ask -- and answer -- about your organization's crisis plan
The H1N1 influenza virus has caused anxiety as businesses, schools, and governments contemplated the prospect of widespread quarantines and shutdowns; other disasters may have similar consequences; is your organization ready?
-
-
Nasal vaccine developed for swine flu
Maryland-based Medimmune developed a nasal vaccine for the swine flu; so far, the U.S. government has ordered 12.8 million doses of H1N1 vaccine from Medimmune for $151 million and could order millions more doses
-
-
Life-saving location device to help in rescuing trapped disaster victims
There is usually a 24-hour window when people that are injured and trapped can be saved, followed by a three-day window for those that are unhurt; by analyzing the levels of carbon dioxide and ammonia, chemical sensors could detect whether a trapped person is still alive faster than traditional methods
-
-
Europe will fast-track swine flu vaccine
Worried about the eruption of swine flu infection during the coming winter, the European drug agency is accelerating the approval process for swine flu vaccine; critics, and even WHO, worry about the potential dangers of the accelerated approval process
-
-
WHO: Swine flu sweeping world at "unprecedented speed"
WHO said Friday that the speed at which the swine flu epidemic is spreading could tip the world into deflation and delay the economic recovery
-
-
Trend: Businesses increasingly rely on SAS for security
More and more companies have gravitated toward the idea of “software as a service” (SAS) — using software that is delivered remotely instead of hosted on in-house servers; more and more companies are now offering security products as services — but is it the best approach to security?
-
-
Robo-wheels to help search-and-rescue teams
There is new help coming to search-and-rescue teams, especially those specializing in rescuing victims of avalanches: robots with wheels — each wheel with six vanes on its side that are linked to both the wheel and a central hub; the design allows the best possible traction in tough conditions and prevents the wheel from sinking or slipping
-
-
Predicting hurricanes
Researchers developed a new computer model that they hope will predict with unprecedented accuracy how many hurricanes will occur in a given season
-
-
Expert consider New Jersey's disaster preparedness
State officials and medical professionals say they are continuously preparing for such events and other disasters.
-
The long view
Trump Aims to Shut Down State Climate Policies
President Donald Trump has launched an all-out legal attack on states’ authority to set climate change policy. Climate-focused state leaders say his administration has no legal basis to unravel their efforts.