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Michigan professor offers polymerase assay for fifty pathogens
Portable, polymerase-based, hand-held device relies on a DNA biochip; flexibility a major selling point; field testing to be done by university spin-off AquaBioChip
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DC to include pets in disaster recovery planning
District among the first to respond to president’s post-Katrina order; experience shows pet-owners more likely to evacuate if assured of furry friend’s safety; Human Society lends a paw
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War technology lends a hand on Mt. Hood
When T-Mobile’s pinging proves inadequate in finding missing climbers, Iomax brings in precision phone locating kit originally designed to stop IEDs; Aracar supplies rescue UAVs with Afghanistan experience
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China announces new emergency operations command center
At a cost of hundreds of million of yuan, the new Beijing-based center will coordinate national response planning; satellites will provide constant data feeds; reorganization intended to bring order to a decentralized emergency bureaucracy; 2008 Olympics have Chinese spending freely on security
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Half of U.S. multinationals suffered a "showstopper" crisis in last 3 years
Whether the reason is globalization, natural disasters, or terorist act, nearly half of U.S. multinational corporations have suffered a major crisis during the past three years; companies not subjected to a showstopping event are confident in their business coniuity preparations; companies which suffered are less sure
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Enterra's leader recognized
The leader of a company developing business reilience and continuity soutions makes Esquire magazine’s 2006 “best and brightest”
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DoD orders $80 million in EFJohnson radios
Multiple contracts show strong demand for EFJ’s Project 25-compliant radios; DoD does its part for communications interoperability
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DHS survey finds high rates of municipal interoperability
Almost two-thirds use compatible radios for some purpose, though day-to-day use lags; survey is the first to use a refined definition of interoperability; Chertoff points to study as proof that municipalities can change
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HHS to take charge of bioterror and epidemic response
Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act expected to be signed soon; DHS loses control of National Disaster Medical System; new biomedical research lab to be built; government plans a disease detection network
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Hybrid cars pose special risk to first responders
High voltage a major problem; Toyota responds by offering training seminars for firefighters and other emergency personnel
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Super Thermal teams up with Colorado State for DHS grant
Team hopes for a $1 million grant for further development of cooling and breathing apparatus; system designed with biological and chemical emergencies in mind; cryogenic air a key component
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Frost and Sullivan offers report on WMD detection market
Business is booming, particularly in the federal sector; some end users, however, are shying away from the sometimes unreliable technology; research firm suggests industry needs better PR
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DHS inspector general turns up the heat
Arrest and conviction rates for post-Katrina contracting fraud are skryrocketing, even as total complaints decrease; impressive new zealousness strikes fear into the unethical, but the lawyers are happy; DHS has more than 2,500 open cases pending
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NYC unveils new $50 million emergency operations center
New Brooklyn location facility boasts state of the art technology held within environmentally friendly walls; EOC will serve as the hub for the Citywide Incient Management System; full back-up generation a critical feature
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GreeneChip offers rapid diagnosis of 30,000 pathogens
Unlike systems that can only test blood samples, new technology can assay tissue, urine, and stool; from Marburg to urinary tract infections, Columbia University’s GreeneChip offers a fast and inexpensive testing regime
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The long view
Why Do Disasters Still Happen, Despite Early Warnings? Because Systems Are Built to Wait for Certainty
Uncertainty cannot be eliminated. The challenge is to decide how much uncertainty is acceptable when lives and livelihoods are at stake. Systems designed to wait for certainty are more likely to deliver warnings that arrive too late to feel like warnings at all. If resilience to future climate risks is to be sustainable, warning systems must be designed to learn, adapt, and act earlier on credible risk.