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House passes 911 bill
Bill facilitates migration from today’s 911 system to a IP-based 911 system to enable the public to access 911 from anywhere, anytime, and from any device
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AT&T acquires portion of 700 MHz for $2.5 billion
The 700 MHz spectrum is being vacated by TV operators, and telcoms — but also Google — vie for a portion of the valuable band; FCC to allocate portion of band for public safety
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U.K. data decryption law takes effect
As of Monday, a controversial new British law allows authorities to demand that individuals and businesses to decrypt data sought in police investigations
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Verizon Business deploys satellite network for U.S. Postal Service
The $25 million contract calls for Verizon to deploy system to provide communications for about 5,000 Postal Service sites; prepositioned assets will help during disasters
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India-Pakistan nuclear war would cause global mass starvation
An India-Pakistan nuclear war involving 100 Hisroshima-size bombs would lead to a reduction of 1.25°C in the average temperature at the earth’s surface for several years, cutting annual grain growing season in the world by 10-20 days; hundreds of millions would starve
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Climate change burdens insurance industry
Climate changes cause ever-more-severe fires, hurricanes, floods, and other natural disasters; these disasters accounted for 88 percent of all property losses paid by insurers from 1980 through 2005; it is only going to get worse, and insurance companies had better prepare
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Largest, most comprehensive counterterrorism exercise to date
DHS will conduct its TOPOFF 4 exercise on 15-19 October; emphasis to be placed on prevention, mass decontamination, long-term recovery and remediation, and partnerships and communications with international allies
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Mexico City commemorates 1985 disaster with earthquake drill
Nearly 25,000 died in Mexico City’s earthquake 22 years ago; city commemorates with a large drill in which 3 million residents participate
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New York City to pilot comprehensive emergency notification system
NYC signs up a Houston, Texas company to deploy an emeregency notification system based on messages being sent via cell broadcast
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Mechanical mole seeks out disaster survivors under collapsed buildings
Robots already roll, walk, slither, and even “swarm” to locate or help survivors, so why not dig and burrow? University of Manchester rsearchers build a digging robot which imitates the common European mole
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IT is too important to leave to IT specialists
How and why the IT function needs to change its relationship with the business
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Verizon extends DOS service to Asia
Denial of Serivce (DOS) is a popular form of cyberattacks directed at companies; Ceirzon already offered U.S. and European companies an enhanced DoS protection service, and it now extends the service to Asia
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Attacks on Mexico's oil, natural gas infrastructure increase
Mexico has a 30,000-mile network of energy pipelines; the network is exceedingly vulnerable to attacks; a shadowy terrorist group takes advantage, injuring the country’s economy
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VMware shows new disaster recovery solution
Traditional disaster recovery programs tend to be complex and their implementation demanding; new solution aims to simplify and automate many disaster recovery-related functions
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More headlines
The long view
Proactively Planning for Community Relocation Before and After Climate Disasters
Between 1980 and mid-2023, 232 billion-dollar disasters occurred in the U.S. Gulf Coast region, with the number of disasters doubling annually since 2018. As the frequency, intensity, and destructiveness of climate change-driven disasters increase, accompanied by an increase in recovery costs, more experts are calling for a managed retreat of entire communities from disaster-prone areas to safer ground.
Number of People Affected by Tropical Cyclones Has Increased Sharply Since 2002
The number of people affected by tropical cyclones has nearly doubled from 2002 to 2019, reaching nearly 800 million people in 2019, according to a new study. More people are affected by tropical cyclones in Asia than any other region, but every affected world region saw an increase in the number of people exposed to tropical cyclones, which are expected to become more intense and possibly more frequent as the climate warms.
Coastal Populations Set to Age Sharply in the Face of Climate Migration
As climate change fuels sea level rise, younger people will migrate inland, leaving aging coastal populations — and a host of consequences — in their wake. While destination cities will work to sustainably accommodate swelling populations, aging coastal communities will confront stark new challenges.
Damaging Thunderstorm Winds Increasing in Central U.S.
Destructive winds that flow out of thunderstorms in the central United States are becoming more widespread with warming temperatures. New research shows that the central U.S. experienced a fivefold increase in the geographic area affected by damaging thunderstorm straight line winds in the past 40 years.