“This resource page allows you to search and explore our collection of nearly 7000 EFOP papers dating from 1986 to present. You can begin by selecting the search link below or you can browse some of the more recent papers by general topic. Most EFO Papers published since FY98 are now available to download or read online. You’ll see links in our online catalog citations to these papers when they are available in digits.”lecting the search link below or you can browse some of the more recent papers by general topic. Most EFO Papers published since FY98 are now available to download or read online. You’ll see links in our online catalog citations to these papers when they are available in digits.”

Topics covered range from Emergency Management, through all aspects of Fire Safety, to Organizational Effectiveness and Strategic Planning.

“To determine where the need is the greatest, planners require accurate information about the extent and location of the damage.

Airplanes and helicopters can capture detailed images. However, to be useful, these images must be pieced together and matched to scale, and even sunlight angle. In such cases, satellite images are preferable, because capture wide regions at one time.”

Particularly moving are the high-resolution slides (with explanatory notes) of the coast of Sendai before and after the tsunami.

The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) is a specialised agency within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental organisation of industrialised countries, based in Paris, France.

Did you know that four US Government agencies are responsible for earthquake risk reduction? USGS, NSF, FEMA and NIST all work together under the coordinating umbrella of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program. An excellent historical overview of the NEHRP is available here.

Meanwhile, USGS is, as always, the best source for one-stop information shopping on earthquakes and geological hazards. Here’s an example:

PAGER update for the major quake off the coast of Japan.

FEMA Administrator Fugate at CSIS

At CSIS on February 17, FEMA administrator Craig Fugate described FEMA’s role as one of support and coordination. In a session of the CSIS-LSU Series on Disaster Management and Emergency Response moderated by director Rick “Ozzie” Nelson of CSIS’s Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Program, Administrator Fugate presented three key messages:

• the public is part of the solution;
• the private sector is a valuable resource; and
• FEMA is authorized to support governors or a lead federal agency.

When responding to disasters, administrator Fugate described a hierarchy of needs: (1) physical access, (2) safety, and (3) search and rescue. Too much time, he said, is wasted on assessment rather than response. On security, he said, calling out the National Guard has an important psychological impact, showing decisive action and preserving the fragile peace.

There are three places I would look immediately for these reports. The first is on the open web. Many of the individual Corps of Engineers districts have their own websites, with linked documents. This is relatively easy if the information you are seeking is geographically-specific, such as New Orleans or Portland, OR. Searching USA.gov has also been made easier by recent improvements.

For University of Richmond users, our subscription to the Homeland Security Digital Library (accessible either on-campus or by using VPN) allows us to search a number of these documents easily. I did an Advanced Search, using the words “Army Corps of Engineers” in the Publisher field, and found many interesting items.

Finally, for reports ABOUT the Corps of Engineers, it always pays to look at my favorite government research agency, the Congressional Research Service. Open CRS doesn’t allow for many tweaks to a search, so choose your search terms carefully.

*I believe it was this one: “Federal Reports Show Levee Safety Issues in Northwest”. NPR very helpfully links to the full list of USACE reports referenced in the story.

I love the humility of this quote, which is on the front page of their report:

Arago’s Admonition:
“Never, no matter what may be the progress of science, will honest scientific men who have regards for their reputations venture to predict the weather.”

Looking for a good definition of “Business Continuity” for your paper? What is the difference between an EOC and an ECC? What is a Drop Ship? This searchable, browsable glossary of brief, practitioner-focused definitions is a useful tool, especially in a field full of acronyms, initialisms and abbreviations.

Having said that, however, the list and definitions are not comprehensive. A great, under-utilized resource is the “Acronyms, Initialisms & Abbreviations Dictionary“, available to the U of R community through Boatwright Library. Oxford Reference also has a number of good definitions within the Oxford Reference Online suite of dictionaries, encyclopedias and handbooks. As an added bonus, these are scholarly and updated frequently.

Federal Evacuation Policy: Issues for Congress

April 29, 2010

Download Locations

• Open CRS (User submitted)

Summary

When government officials become aware of an impending disaster, they may take steps to protect citizens before the incident occurs. Evacuation of the geographic area that may be affected is one option to ensure public safety. If implemented properly, evacuation can be an effective strategy for saving lives. Evacuations and decisions to evacuate, however, can also entail complex factors and elevated risks. Decisions to evacuate may require officials to balance potentially costly, hazardous, or unnecessary evacuations against the possibility of loss of life due to a delayed order to evacuate. Some observers of evacuations, notably those from New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, claim evacuations pose unique challenges to certain segments of society. From their perspective, special-needs populations, the transit-dependent, and individuals with pets faced particular hardships associated with the storm. This, they claim, is because some evacuation plans, and the way in which they were carried out, appeared to inadequately address their unique circumstances or needs. In responding to these challenges, then-Senator Obama introduced S. 1685 in the 109th Congress, which would have directed the Secretary of Homeland Security to ensure that each state provided detailed and comprehensive information regarding its pre-disaster and post-disaster plans for the evacuation of individuals with special needs in emergencies. President Barack Obama indicated during his campaign that he would continue to pursue similar evacuation polices. Another facet of evacuation is sheltering displaced individuals. For short-term sheltering, federally provided resources include food, water, cots, and essential toiletries. When displaced individuals need long-term sheltering, federal policy provides financial assistance for alternative accommodations such as apartments, motels and hotels, recreational vehicles, and modular units. While federal law provides for certain aspects of civilian emergency evacuation, evacuation policy generally is established and enforced by state and local officials. In recent years, Members of Congress have focused, in part, on policy options that addressed issues of equity during evacuations as well as attempts to integrate federal, state, and local evacuation efforts more fully. This report discusses federal evacuation policy and analyzes potential lessons learned from the evacuations of individuals in response to the Gulf Coast hurricanes of 2005. Several issue areas that might arise concerning potential lawmaking and oversight on evacuation policy are also highlighted. This report will be updated as significant legislative or administrative changes occur.

Some other reports that might be of interest:

Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response: The – Open CRS …

In response to concerns over the adequacy of firefighter staffing, the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Act–popularly called the “SAFER …
opencrs.com/document/RL33375/

Pandemic Influenza: An Analysis of State Preparedness and Response …

File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat – Quick View
by SA Lister – 2007 – Cited by 2 – Related articles
preparedness, see CRS Report RL31719, An Overview of the U.S. Public Health System in …. analyze state pandemic preparedness and response plans. …
opencrs.com/document/RL34190/2007-09-24/download/1006/

Oil Spills in US Coastal Waters – Open CRS – CRS Reports for the …

During the past two decades, while U.S. oil imports and consumption have steadily risen, oil spill incidents and the volume of oil spilled have not followed …
opencrs.com/document/RL33705/