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Bangladesh in SMS cyclone alert system trial
Thousands of people in Bangladesh die each year as a result of cyclones; the government is testing am SMS disaster warning system
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Corporate security chiefs say insiders are greatest threat to data
Survey finds that 80 percent of CSIO are more concerned about employees and contractors than they are about external hackers
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Swine flu tally past 52,000
The United States remains the most infected country with 21,449 cases; biggest jump in cases was recorded in Canada
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Schneier: Science fiction writers can help, or hurt, homeland security
If you begin with the assumption that 9/11 was a failure of imagination, then who better than science fiction writers to inject a little imagination into counterterrorism planning? Bruce Schneier says the science fiction writers may contribute to fresh thinking about security — but that an over-reliance on risk analysis and scenario brainstorming can be detrimental
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DHS announces $1.8 billion in federal preparedness grants
Grants to states and localities aim to protect, prevent, respond, and recover from potential calamities this fiscal year
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Hosted model suitable for disaster recovery plans
Business continuity was once complex and costly; new services offer continuity and disaster recovery services which are less expensive, more technologically rich
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Locating VoIP callers in emergencies
Callers who use VoIP to call 999 (the U.K. equivalent of the U.S. 911) run the risk of making it difficult, if not impossible, for the police, paramedics, and fire crews to attend emergencies promptly; a system is being developed to locate Internet phones
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WHO declares H1N1 swine flu an official pandemic
Declaration will activate a slew of government pre-orders for pandemic vaccine, which will take precedence over recent orders for H1N1 vaccine; countries that do not have pre-orders will also face delays
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Scientists reveal swine flu origins
Oxford University researchers use computational methods to reconstruct the origins and timescale of this new pandemic; the latest swine flu strain has been circulating among pigs, possibly among multiple continents, for many years prior to its transmission to humans
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Motorola: Cellphones could offer a unified disaster alerts broadcasts
Motorola envisages using cellphones for emergency alerts even if most of a cellphone network is down; a new generation of cellphones that can rapidly form a peer-to-peer network when an emergency alert is broadcast
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U.K. security services acted properly with the information they had
Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee: “we cannot criticize the judgments made by MI5 and the police based on the information that they had and their priorities at the time”
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U.K. hospitals missing true scope of swine flu infection
An expert says the extent of swine flu infection in the United Kingdom is being underestimated because hospitals are failing to test patients with respiratory illnesses for the virus
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Flying car's proof-of-concept testing now complete
Terrafugia says its Transition flying car has completed the proof-of-concept testing; company now to build a beta test prototype; the company is taking reservations, and deliveries are expected in 2011
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New flood warning system developed
Researchers from the United Kingdom and China develop a software-based flood warning system which takes into account both climate change and corresponding hydrological effects
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Dutch researchers develop new virus detector
A prototype of a new system can detect within minutes if an individual is infected with a virus; the system carry out measurements many times faster than standard techniques, and it is also portable
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The long view
The Surprising Reasons Floods and Other Disasters Are Deadlier at Night
It’s not just that it’s dark and people are asleep. Urban sprawl, confirmation bias, and other factors can play a role.
Why Flash Flood Warnings Will Continue to Go Unheeded
Experts say local education and community support are key to conveying risk.