Emergency Management (EM) 
September 2010
USNG: 18SUJ00449732
August 31st, 2010 Emmitsburg (EM)
Katrina Day Two: “Is there a system for doing that?”
It was five years ago that Jim Lehrer of the PBS NewsHour, interviewed the then the deputy director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Patrick Rhode, about the situation in the areas impacted by Hurricane Katrina. The coast of Mississippi was decimated, the levees around New Orleans had failed, and many people remained trapped in their homes and businesses in addition to many others who were in need of assistance.
Here are the first four questions one of the most experienced and competent newsmen in the world led off with:
1. Is there an overview way to describe what this storm has done?
2. Give us the scope for why you say that.
3. There are still people trapped and unaccounted for, is that correct?
4. Is there a system for doing that? Have you all worked out a grid system of some kind for checking out every place?
At any moment, catastrophe could once again visit jurisdictions within the USA. What would the answer be five years later to: “Is there a system for doing that? Have you all worked out a grid system of some kind for checking out every place?”
As of today, ignoring a Presidential Executive Order, OMB Circular A-16, disaster lessons observed, and mission critical needs, Headquarters Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has failed when asked to even encourage the United States Forest Service to be prepared to respond in a standards-based manner in terms of the USA standard for a common operating grid (United States National Grid (USNG)); never mind all elements within DHS itself. Not a single recommendation for states and locals.... Nothing on the DHS website. This is a failure of the highest order for many common sense reasons that have been widely known for many years. The Forest Service just today for example, saying that until they see something in writing from DHS they will not plan, train, and/or be ready to respond in an unified manner to disasters, along with the many others who logically should all be on the same map page of music. A “common language of location,” hour one of day one.
Let's look back again at five years ago. In the days that followed Mr. Lehrer's questions, the Department of Homeland Security (via FEMA) sent 27 nationalized Urban Search and Rescue teams (US&R), and multiple (perhaps eight or more) Incident Management Teams (IMTs) to the disaster area with absolutely no forethought as to maps, GPS set to.... Needless to say, and for many, many reasons, things could and should have been much better planned and executed.
It is generally understood because it is true that much has been improved within FEMA and it goes with saying that the Coast Guard has been of Leadership caliber. Plus, our excellent fire service-based US&R teams, along with many others, came back from Katrina and were sure that they too would all use a common operating grid, USNG, the next time around with search and rescue, just one of many mission activities to benefit. Plain language for maps and location.
August 29th, 2010 Emmitsburg (EM)
Remember Katrina and in the name of a loved one text the word “SWAT” to the number, 50555, and reply “yes” when asked to confirm, in order to make a $10 donation to help the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. Your donation will help provide tents, clothing, food, clean drinking water and medicine to millions of people affected by the perhaps the most catastrophic natural disaster (in terms of human disruption) of our time: The Pakistan Floods.
August 11th, 2010 Emmitsburg (EM)
PAKISTAN FLOODS - CATASTROPHE
UN agencies call for $460 million to assist Pakistani flood victims
In terms of mitigating future unrest in one of the most volatile areas on the planet, we need to competently address the urgent life/death needs of our brothers and sisters who have been very hard hit by these unprecedented floods and help build a more sustainable future.
How to help victims of the Tennessee flood
www.wecansolveit.org
Emmitsburg (EM)
With all disasters, the best way for most people to help is to contribute money to organizations like: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Emergency Management and Fire Service Higher Education Links
Enhance your opportunities for public service and employment
The College List - EMI Higher Education Project
Accredited FESHE School or Online Program - USFA
May 24th, 2010 Emmitsburg (EM)
Consequence Management of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Catastrophe
and Ongoing Tragedy
Dear senators, comedians trying to be serious, news people (real or not), state, local, and fed politicians plus average thoughtful people all around the World, stop freaking out with notions of using atomic bombs to stop the oil blowout and/or calling for BP to somehow be taken off the job.
Change dispersants? Sure. Find a new BP CEO? Absolutely (but not a near-term reality). But there really is nothing (more than what they are already doing) that the USACE or any other federal government agency can do about the oil coming up from the ocean floor and things are getting pretty stupid when "we need to bring in Google to fix the problem" is taken seriously as a recommendation and those sitting around an otherwise serious Sunday morning news show table, one would think, don't break out in uncontrollable laughter.
Right now is the time to take a deep breath and trust/listen to public servants like Admiral Allen, who like so many thousands of others, are working 100% in the public interest.
Beyond many of the safety measures that should have been in place before any blowout happened, what is the most important and plainly evident lesson observed thus far? Answer: we need to get the frell off the oil tit in fewer than ten years. This is not just a domestic USA job-rich and easier than flying to the moon notion, it is completely and renewably (+ some years of natural gas/nuclear/coal (clean) gasification) doable at great National and World gain.
May 19th, 2010 Emmitsburg (EM)
May 16th, 2010 Emmitsburg (EM)
"Stop, Think, Don't Do Something Stupid" - BP Oil Acted Stupidly
British Petroleum was wildly (stupidly) reckless. Watch this 60 Minutes report and you decide.
May 9th, 2010 Emmitsburg (EM)
Thank You Admiral Thad Allen
After years of public service and at the first of the very month he had planned to retire, U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen is once again taking a Leadership role working with many other fine public servants, and others in the commercial and non-profit sectors, to take on a technological disaster of significant proportions in the Gulf of Mexico.
While the crazies have come out of the woodwork to use the BP oil spill in as wildly strange (political) ways as possible, hypothesizing that the explosion taking the lives of 11 men and causing so much harm to so many others and the environment was intentional, the response deliberately delayed, it is military services like the U.S. Coast Guard and many others military and civilian, paid and volunteer, who have by the score stood up and answered the call.
To the crazies, most of whom have never bothered to serve anyone or anything other than themselves, you wouldn't make a zit on the good Admiral's rosy red rear.
May 8th, 2010 Washington D.C.
Americans Don't Fall For Spin During A Crisis
by Ari Shapiro
April 22nd, 2010 Emmitsburg (EM)
SharedGeo (https://www.sharedgeo.org/Plone): "...In order for a NIMS based Common Operating Picture (COP) to be successful...."
PS: This is one of those Holy Shomolie weblinks you want to click: "SharedGeo is promoting the U. S. National Grid (USNG) as that common geo-referencing system by offering for the first time an easy to use interface for obtaining printable USNG maps on several scales. By using the application’s popup feature, a user can obtain a PDF version of USNG maps that are being continuously updated to reflect new data coming into the system."
April 13th, 2010 Emmitsburg (EM)
Got Milk? http://incidentview.com/flusng.html
March 15th, 2010 Emmitsburg (EM)
Twitter Feed
@18SUJ00449732 Minnesota Structures Collaborative: http://bit.ly/czFeur #gis #gps #fire #flood To improve the availability and quality of geodata and maps
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@18SUJ00449732 The nation’s largest state based org for bringing together the em services and geospatial communities (200 members): http://bit.ly/ajgauJ
February 27th, 2010 Emmitsburg (EM)
Major 8.8-magnitude earthquake strikes offshore Chile
(MGRS: 18HYF0731)
Tsunami warning issued for entire Pacific region
Please support the Cruz Roja Chilena (Chilean Red Cross)
Earthquake information from USGS
Hope for Haiti Now: hopeforhaitinow.org
Send $10 by texting "GIVE" to 50555
Send $10 to the Red Cross for Haiti Relief - Text 90999 w/Subject: "Haiti"
February 13th, 2010 Emmitsburg (EM)
Florida's Statewide Emergency Response Plan
A Model Plan
US National Grid (USNG) references are now in the latest version of Florida´s Statewide Emergency Response Plan (SERP) on pages 10, 17, 21 and 102 (Appendix I).
The SERP document can be found here: http://www.ffca.org/i4a/pages/Index.cfm?pageID=3794
Since those USNG edits were written, additional USNG Web Tools have been created and may be found listed in the auto-reply from USNG08@gmail.com
February 1st, 2010 Emmitsburg (EM)
Mapping for Catastrophe
DSU and FEMA-IMT Came Through When It Mattered
Congratulations to the FEMA Incident Management Team (IMT) that very early on in the Haiti response worked with Delta State University (DSU) to ensure that the maps required for the job were/are available to the many who responded to and continue the work of helping Haiti down the long road of recovery.
There was solid support of others in terms of post-disaster imagery and programatic support long before this disaster hit (NGA, USGS).
A "common language of location" (MGRS/USNG).
January 25th, 2010 Emmitsburg (EM)
01/23/2010
Suggestion Box for Catastrophic Ops (and of course many already know this): When setting up the tent cities to house/feed/and keep folks clean and safe, tent cities that will be around for perhaps years, use MGRS (USNG is USA civil counterpart) system for geoaddressing the individual tents and facilities supporting the communities (medical clinics, police, fire, h2o/food/privy, etc...). Ten meter precision is perfect that work (18QYF79502156 (USNG may also be written "18Q YF 7950 2156" and is Earth unique, makes for a wonderful index for geodatabases)), empowers GPS/geospaitial for ops/recovery.
January 20th, 2010 Emmitsburg (EM)
January 17th, 2010 Emmitsburg (EM)
Updated 01/25/2010
DeLorme and ESRI Step-Up With Critically Important Geospatial Resources for Haiti Response and Recovery/Mitigation/Preparedness.
(Both working towards helping all to understand/implement: GPS/GIS/Maps/Plans/Commo all set to MGRS-WGS84 or respective civil counterpart/interoperable standards, like USNG-NAD83)
"US National Grid - the standard emergency management grid system in the USA."
January 15th, 2010 Emmitsburg (EM)
PRINT YOUR OWN MGRS MAP BOOK FOR PORT-AU-PRINCE
Many thanks to Delta State University with Support of USGS
for This Timely Product (as well as others).
This is the kind of MGRS/USNG mapping tool needed before and in the immediate aftermath of disasters (and emergencies large and small) if we are to be better at saving lives. Download (92megs) and print or re-host on your server: Port-au-Prince, Haiti 1:6000 Atlas (With Street Index, 8.5 x 11" format)
Please limit your downloads of this product to one; save bandwidth and increase speed for all those who need to have this lifesaving tool/mapbook.
January 13th, 2010 Emmitsburg (EM)
Haiti Needs Help Like Never Before
There is at least one website where users can easily zoom to USNG/MGRS coordinates and view maps in/for Haiti (including large scale street level and smaller scale area/region operations) with the common operating grid (MGRS is interop with USNG) best suited for operations large and small around the world; an absolute necessity for disasters on the scale of Haiti following this tragic earthquake.
U.S. National Grid (zoom in to even very small footprint areas and add a standard 100m grid overlay)
Users can also easily zoom and/or select MGRS/USNG grid coordinates (a geoaddress); USNG (interop w/MGRS) is displayed at the cursor location on the computer screen that works with those in the field/ground ops. Military and USAR assets from many countries will be major resources for this job, and it's a frelling big one.
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Washington Post: Thousands feared dead in Haiti quake; global rescue and relief efforts underway
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Help for Haiti - The White House
November 30th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
A Nation and World Mourns The Terrible Loss: In The Memory of The Lakewood Officers
November 28th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
National Park Service Adopts Software for Emergency Documentation & Management
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Kudos to the National Park Service for their Leadership going back years, in many places, in ways large and small!
Special Feature - 09/17/2009
Absolutely fantastic work by and from the Emergency Preparedness Committee of the Minnesota Governor’s Council on Geographic Information after discussion with experts within and outside of the state.
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Florida Disaster Engineers (FDE) has one of the most comprehensive and useful websites in the emergency services sector. A 501c3 (non-profit) entity in support of Urban Search and Rescue professionals, there are many resources for all involved in the emergency services/management enterprise, including a library with many solid resources per USNG.
October 24th, 2009
President Obama Declares National Flu Emergency
October 9th, 2009
CONGRATULATIONS TO PRESIDENT OBAMA
2009 Nobel Peace Prize
October 4th, 2009 - H1N1 Vaccine: "There's a lot of misinformation out there"
October 1st, 2009 - Earthquakes terrify and kill many in Indonesia.
"There is no place in the world that has more wake-up calls than Padang," Sieh said. But getting governments to focus on catastrophes out of immediate view is difficult. "When it comes to things that only happen every few hundreds years . . . we are not geared to think about it." (Washington Post)
September 30th, 2009 - Statement on American Samoa from FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate
September 27th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
Troops In Afghanistan Keep Nightmare At Bay
by Scott Simon
"...But even if al-Qaida now hides in the hills of Pakistan, for many of us who saw the Taliban's brutal and bloody abuse of their own people, it would seem another crime to let such murderers take power again."
September 11th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
"Sept. 11 as a day for people to do a good deed -- any good deed --"
September 1st, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
It's been a good Summer for USNG
Starting with the most recent of advances, FEMA's Leadership in the form of the it's new Administrator, Craig Fugate, has with one Tweet given the USNG standard one hell of a common sense push forward. Moreover, that it was only his third Tweet on the @CraigatFEMA handle adds emphasis, his wording spot-on: "USNG - United States National Grid www.fgdc.gov/usng, the standard, nationally consistent map grid, a great tool for all emergency managers 8:53 AM Aug 28th from web"
The United States Fire Administration (USFA) in the past couple of weeks published an outstanding Special Report: Fire Departments and Maritime Interface Area Preparedness which includes a critically important recommendation (#4) per interoperable communications (USNG), including a related Appendix B ("emphasizes established doctrine in the use of earth referenced coordinates and position reference procedures in support of the National Incident Management System (NIMS)", guidance, training in four short pages).
For those who enjoy one incrediable and amazing tool, Apple's iPhone, an App called GPS Kit is available in the App Store and does a pretty good job, including important USNG functionality. Only three complaints so far: no USNG coordinate display on-screen of the map display for current location (perhaps user toggle on/off) or distance to and coordinate display of an area of interest (without having to add waypoints); no easy search utility using a USNG geoaddress just like one uses a place name, zip code, or a street address (such an easy fix); and when one emails a waypoint location, Google Maps for some bizarre reason turns your USNG location into the dec.degree version of lat/long. One wonders what the frell Google is thinking. When someone is using an App with USNG, someone should be able to use an App with USNG. USNG will be as beneficial to Google's everyday customers doing everyday things in the future as it is becoming for the emergency services sector today, for the same reasons.
Today, when searching Bing.com on "Emergency Management", EM is the third non-sponsored result following FEMA and Wikipedia. A Google search does about the same.
So much else, Puerto Rico is showing how USNG is done for Fusion Centers and more, the State of Minnesota the latest state to adopt USNG, many other cities, regions, and states moving.
There are many others in FEMA, many others, who are working hard with partners in states and localities to add USNG and geoaddressing to the Nation's toolkit for all phases of Emergency Management.
A very good Summer.
July 17th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
A Recent Find and A Must Read Document Courtesy of Brevard County, Florida and www.FloridaDisasterEngineers.org
UNITED STATES NATIONAL GRID (USNG)
July 17th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
"The U.S. National Grid Standard has been approved as a Minnesota state standard."
July 7th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
Kelvin Cochran as U.S. Fire Administrator
An absolutely fantastic choice to run USFA in the coming years!!
In addition to being a progressive and experienced fire service leader with years of experience, Fire Chief Cochran makes one heck of a tasty gumbo!!!
Challenges for the new Administrator in the near-term, and within weeks or at the most a month or two after Cochran takes his new oath of office as Administrator, he will have a report due to Congress: "the Administrator of the United States Fire Administration shall submit to Congress a report on the feasibility of providing training in incident command for appropriate fire service personnel for fires at United States ports and in marine environments, including fires on the water and aboard vessels."
Incidents that involve responders coming from multiple jurisdictions and agencies, local, state, and federal to all coordinate/work together (using first and foremost a common language of location, the same map sheet of music).
For any of the smaller incidents of such complexity, given the map-based nature of the enterprise, does one use and/or will the USFA recommend different systems and protocols than for larger incidents or even for catastrophic ones? Is that preparedness?
What role does the U.S. Coast Guard play in maritime interface response? What would they and others like the U.S. Marine Corps and even FEMA itself recommend?
"Land SAR Responders must use U.S. National Grid."
(National Search and Rescue Committee (NSARC), 11/2007)
What are the differences between "SAR" and "fire" operations in terms of communicating the location of people, places, and things (i.e. "incident command" (& COORDINATION)) in the maritime interface environment (no street signs)?
Just six months later, a second major report to Congress (the first of the new "TRIENNIAL REPORTS"): "theAdministrator shall include information about changes made tothe National Fire Academy curriculum, including—
(1) the basis for such changes, including a review of the incorporation of lessons learned by emergency response personnelafter significant emergency events and emergency preparedness exercises performed under the National Exercise Program; and
(2) the desired training outcome of all such changes."
A whole bunch more could be said here about any interest at all in certain quarters with regards to "lessons learned by emergency response personnel after significant emergency events and emergency preparedness exercises". Lets just hope the new Leadership at USFA (Cochran and for that matter Gaines are both excellent and capable leaders) will be able to overcome the years worth of...: lessons observed but not learned.
EmergencyManagement (EM) thanks you for making us on a Google search for the term "Emergency Management", one of the top (non-sponsored) results returned, out of millions of search results/links found.
EmergencyManagement (EM) is a completely non-profit endeavor accepting absolutely no paid advertising of any kind.
Emergency Management and Disaster Response ARE Map-Based Enterprises. The USA is in very fundamental ways regarding interoperability (even when everyone can “talk” to each other on a radio or phone), in almost all of the states, challenged by most disaster operations, especially those in multi-jurisdictional settings and thoroughly unprepared for consequence management of catastrophic disaster events anywhere (technological/human-caused or natural): we do not communicate "location" in a common language.
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SharedGeo (https://www.sharedgeo.org/Plone): "...In order for a NIMS based Common Operating Picture (COP) to be successful...."
(2010)
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"USNG - United States National Grid www.fgdc.gov/usng, the standard, nationally consistent map grid, a great tool for all emergency managers 8:53 AM Aug 28th from web"
(Craig Fugate, FEMA Administrator (via Twitter @CraigatFEMA), 08/28/2009)
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"Recommendations
4. Acquire and maintain interoperable communications equipment, (voice and data) for all agencies involved in the preparedness/response plan. These efforts should also include the use of a common mapping/geospatial reference system such as the U.S. National Grid (see Appendix B) which will facilitate coordination of responding Mutual Aid and Federal assets."
(Special Report: Fire Departments and Maritime Interface Area Preparedness, 08/19/2009)
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Basic USNG functionality included in this July 2009 Apple iPhone App: GPS Kit
"3.0 - Huge map improvements: ...New coordinate systems: MGRS & USNG"
(Garafa, LLC - 07/09/2009)
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"17. Establish a standard for FEMA operational maps using the US National GridSystem - this will help improve the effectiveness and standardize and streamline operations."
(FEMA Near Term Priority Issues for Disaster Operations Directorate, 05/28/2009)
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After Action Report, Freeway Complex Fire - November 15, 2008: "...Many mutual aid resources had difficulty navigating through unfamiliar local communities. Resources lacked a reliable mapping method of locating specific fire-impacted areas...."
(Orange County Fire Authority, 04/2009)
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CROSS DISCIPLINE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE US NATIONAL GRID
"After action reviews for nearly every multijurisdictionalresponse have consistently indicated the need for a uniform grid acrossthe country to facilitate cross-discipline response operations including search and rescue, fire, EMS, and law enforcement."
(2009 National Hurricane Conference - 04/07/2009 @ 1030hrs)
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"UNITED STATES NATIONAL GRID (USNG)
"The benefit to this is that literally everyone can & should be on the same page; local FireRescue responders, dispatchers, EMS, law enforcement, DOF, EOC, outofarea strike teams, Red Cross, CERT, ham radio etc. Even citizens could be easily trained or made aware of how to use the system. USNG coordinates can be used to reference locations with or without a GPS. If users have a GPS, they can relate their present position to the map. If users are issued a coordinate, they can find it. What does not work is Street Addresses in times when Street or Address designators are gone, obscured by smoke, completely unfamiliar...."
(Brevard County, Florida, 05/29/2008)
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Now the bad news - TOPOFF 4 (04/2008)
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"...don’t even think about expecting the federal cavalry – DHS’s new OIG audit makes that much clear. And in the event of a pandemic, especially if one erupts within the next several years, the federal government is only rudimentarily prepared to respond nationally...."
(Anthony L. Kimery, HSToday, 04/2008)
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"Land SAR Responders must use U.S. National Grid."
(National Search and Rescue Committee (NSARC), 11/2007)
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"Maps were the key pieces of intelligence that were needed early on, but many crews did not have them."
(California Fires, 10/2007)
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"Katrina and Rita as representative of the lower end of potentially catastrophic events which could occur...."
(Army War College, 09/2007)
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"Recommends widespread awareness, training and education on the use of the USNG for first responders nation-wide; and...."
(GITA, 08/2007)
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Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction - 4.2 "To support homeland security and homeland defense...US National Grid (USNG) standard...."
(CJCSI, 06/2007)
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"Federal, state, and local emergency managers should consider establishing a common grid or map system for identifying locations following a disaster."
(FEMA Region VI, 06/2007)
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"As a National Guardsman and a member of an Engineer Battalion...In my opinion, a map book of the disaster area with grids and checkpoints that reflects the current operation would be more practical to produce than a bunch of custom maps. A little guidance on how to read a map and everyone is at least on the same page (map)...Without these tools in the EOC we spent most of our time on the radio giving directions...."
(Joe Trimboli, A Member of the US Army Corps of Engineers, 05/2007)
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"Como preparación para la Temporada de Huracanes del 2007, el Concepto de Operaciones de Huracanes de US&R...El alcance del ESF9 ha sido extendido para que aborde también operaciones de búsqueda en un medio acuático/de inundación, búsqueda en un área grande, búsqueda aeronáutica y la ayuda y los estándares de búsqueda de la GIS/National Grid (USNG, por sus siglas en inglés). Esta extensión se ha logrado en coordinación con agencias colaboradoras, entre las que se incluyen los Servicios de Guardacostas de los EE.UU., el Departamento del Interior/Servicios de Parques Nacionales, el Departamento de Defensa, la Fuerza Aérea de los EE.UU. y la Agencia Nacional de Inteligencia Geoespacial." (http://www.fema.gov/spanish/nwz07/fs_0507_usr.shtm)
(FEMA, 05/2007 (Not available in English.))
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"Successful Response Starts with a Map."
(National Academy of Sciences, 12/2006)
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"The US National Grid (USNG): A Simple and Powerful Geospatial Tool"
(FGDC, 11/2006)
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FA-303, Four Years Later – A Second Needs Assessment of the U.S. Fire Service "...the vast majority of departments with a map coordinate system have only a local system, which means the system they have is unlikely to be usable with global positioning systems (GPS) or familiar to, or easily used by, non-local emergency response partners, such as Urban Search and Rescue Teams, the National Guard, and state or national response forces. Moreover, interoperability of spatial-based plans, information systems, equipment, and procedures will likely be rendered impossible beyond the local community under these circumstances. This reliance almost exclusively on local systems exists across-the-board, in all sizes of communities. The U. S. National Grid (USNG-NAD83) standard, based on the grid system used by U.S. military units and National Guard forces around the world, was adopted as the system best suited for eventual national standardization. (http://www.fgdc.gov/usng/index.html)" - - - - - - "Safe Convoy Movements of Fire Service Personnel...Map grid and GPS both set to USNG-NAD83 or interoperable MGRS-WGS84." - - - - - - "The current status of plans and planning givesgrounds for significant national concern. Current catastrophic planning is unsystematicand not linked within a national planning system." - - - - - - "Lessons learned from recent hurricane seasons have taught us that standardized grid maps for search and rescue and other activities are a necessity." - - - "The NIMS Integration Center is considering the adoption of the 'National Grid' unified mapping system as a potential NIMS implementation standard. The mapping system would help saves lives, reduce the costs of the disaster, and enhance all disaster related actions." - - - "While many individuals went to heroic lengths to rescue victims, their efforts would have been far more effective if agency efforts were better coordinated. Officials from nearly every search-and-rescue agency told Committee staff that they lacked basic maps of the area. At one point, state and local officials tore maps out of telephone books, so that out-of-state search-and-rescue teams could have some sense of where they were going. However, high floodwaters in New Orleans hid street signs from view, complicating their efforts." - - - (Metro Washington DC region) COG GIS Committee - Regional GIS Base Map Development and Maintenance SOW - VI. US National Grid Implementation Strategy - - - General Honore' and "Quick Fixes" - - - - - - "Responders' lack of ability to share information between the MAC (Multi-Agency Coordination Entities) and area command posts is partially due to weak communications and interoperability standards. This is evidenced by situations where MAC and area commands may both be utilizing digital maps, but with different indexing standards. The result may be an inability to easily exchange map coordinates...." - - - - - - "...Several grid systems to identify locations, a lack of standardization that can create time-consuming confusion in time of emergency... standard grid for such applications that can eliminate this spatial confusion. Called the U.S. National Grid (USNG), this standard will permit easy depiction of positions to 10 meters or less anywhere in the United States using an alphanumeric designator about the size of a telephone number...More focused leadership by the Federal Government to promote such basic education as well as training in the uniform application of GPS at federal, State and local levels by emergency responders would pay nationwide dividends for Homeland Security." - - - "Sir, it was a train-wreck and what will we do if a disaster strikes again like this or one without warning? ...We may not have that time in an earthquake scenario or similar incident...." -
- - - - - - - - "Due to problems with navigation, a reported 6-hour drive took 12 hours." (PA-1 DMAT Strike Team, 09/2005) - - - - - - "Strike teams should never be sent out without at least some sort of physical map of an area. This is a critical safety concern." - - - JIM LEHRER: There are still people trapped and unaccounted for, is that correct?
(USFA/NFPA, 11/2006)
(USFA FA-306, 07/2006)
(DHS - Nationwide Plan Review, 06/2006)
(State of Florida, 06/2006)
(FEMA Director Paulison, 05/2006)
(US Senate Report Hurricane Katrina: A Nation Still Unprepared, 05/2006)
(Metro COG, 04/2006)
(Lieutenant General Russel L. Honore' Commander, 1st U.S. Army, 02/09/2006)
(Hicks and Associates, Inc., for The Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism and the United States Department of Homeland Security, 10/2005)
(Defense Science Board Task Force on The Future of the Global Positioning System, Prepared Spring/Summer 2005 and Released 10/2005)
(The Generals, 09/2005)
(PA-1 DMAT Strike Team, 09/2005)
PATRICK RHODE: We believe that that is correct. Unfortunately it's going to be a couple of days of going through and making these very, very difficult assessments in the most damaged areas before we can truly know what we're looking at.
JIM LEHRER: Is there a system for doing that? Have you all worked out a grid system of some kind for checking out every place?
PATRICK RHODE: That's something that we're working on right now with both the cities and the states as we go through this. We're really relying upon a combination of their intelligence and also our intelligence....
(PBS-NewsHour, 08/30/2005)
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Introducing the United States National Grid
(Mike Price, ESRI ArcUser, 07/2005)
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"...a critical deficiency in U.S. consequence management...CBIRF´s ability to respond to threats within the United States will continue to be severely hindered. There will be continued friction in Homeland Security operations...."
(USMC Chemical Biological Incident Response Force, 06/2005)
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Where Is It?
(Professional Surveyor Magazine - Tom Terry, 11/2004)
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Get on the National Grid
(Fire Chief Magazine, 08/2004)
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"I want to remind everyone of the importance of promoting the use of the U.S. NationalGrid (USNG) among our Federal, State, and local partners, particularly its importance fordisaster readiness, response, and recovery applications...."
(US Geological Survey, 10/2003)
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XMap GIS Suite, "GIS and Mapping and GPS Location Management for Public Safety," plus TopoUSA, all include USNG at the user interface.
(DeLorme, 2002)
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The US Fire Service The first ever US Fire Service Needs Assessment reported to Congress that: "The vast majority of (fire) departments with a map coordinate system have only a local system, which means the system they have is unlikely to be usable with global positioning systems (GPS) or familiar to, or easily used by, non-local emergency response partners, such as Urban Search and Rescue Teams, the National Guard, and state or national response forces. Moreover, interoperability of spatial-based information systems, equipment, and procedures will likely be rendered impossible beyond the local community under these circumstances. This reliance almost exclusively on local systems exists across-the-board, in all sizes of communities."
(USFA/NFPA, 12/2002)
(Someday, someone will ask why USNG was not mentioned here in this USFA report, given it's adoption one year earlier by FGDC (OMB Circular A-16 and Presidential Executive Order) and support from the President's Science Advisor....)
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"The study results also demonstrated how effective policy could help overcome another major barrier to implementation: a lack of standards."
(Claremont Graduate University, 07/2002)
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"...One of the three most important immediate steps that the Government could take to improve homeland security...."
(The White House (President Bush's Science Advisor), 12/2001)
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"This standard seeks to improve the current situation by identifying a single nationally consistent, humanly facile grid reference system as the preferred U.S. National Grid (USNG) and promoting its use within the NSDI. - - - - - - "...help save lives, reduce the costs ofdisaster, and enhance preparedness, response,recovery, and mitigation efforts...." - - - - - - - - - "An actual accounting of all the requests for emergency assistance thatwent without, or the delay encountered by the countless movements of personnel, food,and equipment will likely never accurately be tallied…." - - - "...the mere thought that there were no such products stagers the imagination." Jon Stewart - First Daily Show After 09/11/2001
(FGDC, 12/2001 (USNG, submitted by non-profit Public XYMapping Project in 1998, is adopted for everyday civil applications/location services + disasters.))
(FEMA, 04/2001 (as reported by the National Journal 04/2006))
(Hurricane Andrew, 10/1992)
(Hurricane Andrew, 10/1992)
"The Statue of Liberty"
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | M - Th 11p / 10c | |||
| September 11, 2001 | ||||
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Emmitsburg (EM)
None of the homeland security related needs showed marked improvement
May 2008: In the United States of America, fire, police, EMS, and Emergency Management are still inadequately staffed, inadequately trained, insufficiently equipped, and organizationally almost completely unprepared ("there was no unification") to conduct operations of the complexity demanded for even somewhat successful response to and consequence management of disaster events of a large or catastrophic nature.
Consider this cost... * $341.4 million per day.
(http://www.nationalpriorities.org/costofwar_home)
In a report released the day after the 11/2006 election, having been "delayed" for nine months, the US Fire Administration (USFA) and NFPA reported to Congress the impacts of so little investment: “none of the homeland security related needs (i.e., ability to handle any of four unusually challenging situations with local specialized equipment) showed marked improvement nor did any of the personnel needs related to those situations.” (FA-303 Four Years Later – A Second Needs Assessment of the US Fire Service 11/2006)
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"A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction...
"This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence — economic, political, even spiritual — is felt in every city, every statehouse, every office of the federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society. In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals so that security and liberty may prosper together."
(President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Farewell Address to the Nation, January 17th, 1961)
A Few of the USNG Implementation & Pilot Projects (FL, OH, NC, MS...)
USNG educational poster (1.8Mb) produced by the Skagit County (2002), WA, GIS Office
Hosted by
www.FGDC.gov/usng
Be sure to click on the image to download the Georeferencing Matrix and read all footnotes!
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Man on Emission (The Daily Show)
John McCain makes a sharp break from his party's anti-critter wing and declares himself to be global warming's worst nightmare
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The 'Last Lecture' - Randy Pausch (76 minutes)
Demonstration of map coordinate systems that conform to recommendations of the National Search and Rescue Committee (Google Maps mashup).
Florida's Incident Mapper - Uses USNG grid geoaddress or street addresses! (Powered by Google)
"Back to Basics"
One can only wonder why this presentation was up on a DOJ server for several years (no longer), but nothing related could/can be found on either FEMA or DHS websites (except for one page, in Spanish).
Jon Stewart's analysis: Obama's 'A More Perfect Union'
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | M - Th 11p / 10c | |||
| Barack's Wright Response | ||||
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Followed up by Stewart's first "Open Discussion" with Larry Wilmore!
June 24th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
Linking to a FEMA press release regarding a meeting between the new FEMA boss and the commander of NORTHCOM for a simple reason: you can seach this (EM) web site on "NORTHCOM" and know without any doubt that finally, FEMA has the leadership required to over the coming months and years add "system" to the National Incident Management system (NIMS).
June 22nd, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
New Jersey State Atlas - Leadership
Fantastic USNG Demo
What a great website for users of the Firefox browser (attempts with Windows IE to display the site correctly still not working). One can double-click anywhere on the map and four polygons will appear, one within the other, showing in descending order of precision 10km, 1km, 100m, and 10m grids. For those who need a graphic display to better understand the power/capability of being able to communicate truncated map grid coordinates, depending upon required precision for the job at hand, this site does a very nice job.
Thanks New Jersey!
June 22nd, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
United We Serve is a summer initiative that spans from June 22 until the National Day of Service and Remembrance on September 11. President Obama has called on all Americans – young and old, from every background, all across the country – to participate in our nation’s recovery and renewal by serving our communities. View President Obama’s full video message at www.serve.gov.
Fire Corps and CERT programs, AmeriCorps, Citizen Corps, Senior Corps, Peace Corps, plus many other opportunities all found on www.serve.gov.
One can very well imagine, given new national leadership for emergency management, how these excellent organizations can over the coming years contribute to a full implementation of the U.S. National Grid as the common operating grid and language of location for first responders and the public at large (often supplementing street addresses).
June 17th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
June 14th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
Speaking of Faith:
the long shadow of torture
How democracies change torture and are changed by it.
June 13th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
CrisisCamp DC
Technology + Humanitarian Relief
June 10th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
USNG: Making "Common Pictures"...Operational
June 5th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
Twitter Feed
18SUJ00449732 Fantastic!! RT @TheSecretList TheSecretList9 Days-9 Brothers. A MUST READ (The Secret List) http://www.firefighterclosecalls.com/secret.php
June 5th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
Five Days: #17 of #17 (Just above the Sig)
FEMA goes USNG! It took just five working days (May 28th Memos) for the new Leadership to act.
While such a transition will take time, there are many quality resources to make implementation simple, and low cost. There are four, perhaps eight years, of having a steady hand at the tiller in order to finally come to grips with and accomplish "one of the three most immediate important things government can do to improve homeland security".
June 4th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
Survival: How a Culture of Preparedness Can Save America and You from Disasters
LT. General Russel L. Honoré, US Army (Ret)
As has been stated before on this (EM) website, no paid advertising of any kind is solicited or accepted.
Linking to the recent book from LTG Honoré, Survival, and here, his new website, is done for several basic and understandable reasons: respect for his service; acknowledgment of his expertise; and in support of his purpose in retirement to "spend the second half of my life committed to a new mission: Creating a 'Culture of Preparedness' in America."
June 2nd, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
More Top-Notch New Leadership at FEMA - Disaster Operations
Mr. William L. Carwile, III
It is still early for this Administration, but in the thirty years that FEMA has existed, this is perhaps the best team of experienced professionals yet to Lead the career employees of the agency and tackle the substantial challenges facing the Nation, and within FEMA itself as an agency.
To get a feeling for Carwile, read his "Unified Command and the State-Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi" paper up on the Homeland Security Affairs Journal. A quick search of "the Googles" to find his US Senate testimony regarding Katrina.
It was also of a positive note that Carwile and FEMA Administrator Fugate were the first two to "Share Top Honors" (2005 Neil Frank Award) at the March, 2005, National Hurricane Conference.
June 1st, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
Five Days: #17 of #17 (Just above the Sig).
May 29th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
"Most of the Work Takes Place Before a Hurricane Hits"
Posted by Katherine Brandon
May 29th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate attended a National Weather Service press conference with NOAA. He is addressing the publics need to take first step in preparation for hurricane season. (Source: FEMA.gov)
May 29th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
Another Good After Action Report (AAR)
Texas Governor's Division of Emergency Management's 2007 Hurricane Dean AAR
The importance of "GPS Coordinates"
"The SOC should consider including the GPS coordinates of key locations (including reception centers, commandcenters, fuel points, etc.) in communications."
(One can bet there were many more similar lessons from the 2008 hurricane season.)
A Google search on "Hurricane Dean AAR" yielded this overall very solid report. Mapping/GPS issues focused upon here.
Given it is just days away from the start of the 2009 Hurricane Season, the Dean AAR once again shows in plain language the importance of map (GPS) coordinates in plans, for operations at EOCs, and by responders and disaster workers in the field. Such matters are of critical and life saving importance.
If nothing else, given Hurricane Dean ended up missing Texas and hitting Mexico, the lessons of this report are of special significance: the road signs were still in place; it was simply a potential disaster with days of warning. Given all that, an already capable/competent state emergency management enterprise reported out these (easily fixed) sources of operational friction that in times of crisis...cost lives.
Interesting to note that the first two items at the top of the first "quick fix" list were:
"Include GPS coordinates of key locations and staging areas in all responder messages" and "Encourage the personal use of GPS devices among responders." Just a few other items down the list: "Consider obtainment of a large number of 'personal vehicle' GPS devices, which can easily be programmed with addresses or coordinates of destinations and provide routing information for drivers unfamiliar with the area to which they have been directed."
One substantial weakness in the report, no reference was made to USNG being what everyone should set their maps, GPS, plans and protocols. USNG is the standards-based solution for much of the confusion, chaos, lack of unified command and control (C2), the"rabble" occurring and reported on disaster after disaster.
Having GPS, maps, plans, commo set to and using any and all of the many different coordinate systems available, including proprietary ones that won't work with GPS..., all at the same time on the same disaster makes no sense at all. Why then do we keep doing it?
U.S. National Grid-NAD83 (older units use interop MGRS-WGS84) is the standard of choice for many reasons including flexibility and ease of use by anyone, civilian, trained responder, etc.
Operation centers/plans/commo all on the same common operating grid (USNG) that the National Guard and Federal response assets use is a fundamental and powerful tool for consequence management when disaster hits. This, of course, so that the GPS coordinates will work with professionally gridded maps and communications to enhance interoperability with the state and national military assets and other responders (like USAR Teams) coming in from outside areas..., a common language of location for operations...(often in support of street addresses).
Do we want all of our responders and citizens alike to be on the same map sheet of music or don't we? If the smorgasboard of civilian maps at gas stations and stores in a disaster impacted area, most with their own unique grid reference system (local coordinate systems that won't work with GPS), if these are the maps that large proportions of disaster responders have no other alternative but to use..., is that sensible? Is unified C2 even possible? Can we afford such ops friction when there are many lives at stake? What exactly is the role of "emergency management" in such matters?
It's not like there hasn't been, from the most professional of sources, easy to accomplish and basic common sense recommendations over the years. There have been: "...Several grid systems to identify locations, a lack of standardization that can create time-consuming confusion in time of emergency... standard grid for such applications that can eliminate this spatial confusion. Called the U.S. National Grid (USNG), this standard will permit easy depiction of positions to 10 meters or less anywhere in the United States using an alphanumeric designator about the size of a telephone number...More focused leadership by the Federal Government to promote such basic education as well as training in the uniform application of GPS at federal, State and local levels by emergency responders would pay nationwide dividends for Homeland Security." (Defense Science Board Task Force on The Future of the Global Positioning System, prepared Spring/Summer 2005 and released 10/2005)
The time is now. It is after all, the beginning of yet another hurricane season and Earthquake Preparedness Month was back in April. Many things at the federal, state, and local levels are ready and many others already in motion. Still, much more is needed if we are to take seriously the magnitude and variety of threats/risks facing the USA.
For FEMA, the pump is primed and a few simple moves could provide dramatic results..., very quickly. The National Emergency Training Center (NETC) for example, has many professionals who understand these issues very well and have been ready and willing to share simple standards-based improvements, like those reported out by Texas (but + USNG), with and for the emergency services enterprise. They stand ready and willing to serve when allowed to do so. The new COTR for the Integrated Emergency Management Course (IEMC) being a prime example of one of the best qualified folks on the campus.
Time will tell.
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A demonstration of map coordinate systems that conform to coordinate recommendations of the National Search and Rescue Committee.
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Federal Geographic Data Committee
May 19th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
W. Craig Fugate is Sworn-In as FEMA's New Administrator!!
May 19th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
A failure of emergency management, a critical deficiency in consequence management
A universal common map/operating grid, National geoaddressing from one meter to one hundred thousand in precision, depending upon need, and having lots of quality maps on hand for responsders when needed..., would seem natural objectives for local, regional, state, and national emergency (lifecycle) systems.
For one 2007 wildland/interface firefight it was: "maps were the key pieces of intelligence that were needed early on, but many crews did not have them...."
One year later, in the same state, fighting yet another major wildland/interface fire it was: "many mutual aid resources had difficulty navigating through unfamiliar local communities. Resources lacked a reliable mapping method of locating specific fire-impacted areas...."
Two weeks ago, yet another major fire, and yesterday, a fairly large earthquake in the region felt for miles around. When something really, really big hits Southern California, how well will consequence management progress by the one hundred thousand plus responders coming in from outside areas? And there is little doubt that California is one of the better prepared states with one of the best of emergency management agencies/systems (state/local) in the entire USA.
One thing for certain, that Orange County Fire Authority wrote such a comprehensive and honest report about it's own response to the Freeway and Landfill Fires..., speaks very highly of that Authority, it's members, management and quite evident leadership.
One worries however, that a non-standard "remedy" to the mapping issues faced state-wide (in most states) will be sought, when for both digital mapping systems and paper maps alike, a standards-based common operating grid (U.S. National Grid) will best support both local emergencies (like firestorms, tornadoes...) and major disasters...through the catastrophic.
If in 2005, just months before Katrina hit, the United States Marine Corps Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF) said that the lack of USNG, fully implemented by civil authorities, was: "a critical deficiency in U.S. consequence management...CBIRF´s ability to respond to threats within the United States will continue to be severely hindered. There will be continued friction in Homeland Security operations...;" and quite seperatly, the State of Florida had already decided a common operating grid was required (made manifest in 2006)..., is not now clearly the time to resolve nation-wide for: "one of the three most immediate important things government can do to improve homeland security"?
A new FEMA director/administrator of such high quality as Mr. Fugate certainly brings such promise. In addition, that a technical committee of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) fully supports USNG implementation is of major importance, and we've heard tell, that a new committee at NFPA has considered FGDC's USNG standard in favorable terms..., perhaps becoming the first of NFPA geospatial standards adopted....
May 12th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
FEMA National Integration Center Leadership
Listening to Mr. Steve Saunders (ret. MG-Army) today, the Assistant Administrator of the FEMA National Integration Center, was a very reassuring experience.
This guy is a definate keeper in order to build "confidence, competence, and capability" (in our nation's preparedness systems for catastrophe)!
That lessons are only "observed" from past events until actions are taken to fix what was learned...; wow, capital "L" Leaderhip! Much more could be said, but let it suffice: finally someone real....
May 8th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
May 2009 Lessons Learned Information Sharing (LLIS) Newsletter's Featured Partnership
An Excellent Choice!
It's easy to understand why LLIS in it's May 2009 Newsletter featured the FEMA Emergency Management and Response - Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC). For instance, back in 2005 and right after Katrina, they were perhaps the first to recognize one of the most critical of deficiencies in that disaster response: "Two hurricanes in the Gulf Coast last month exposed some new lessons for the Emergency Services Sector. The experience also re-taught some old ones as well. A significant lesson repeated for "Katrina" and "Rita" responders was the need for quality maps containing a common or universal grid reference system that also works well with Global Positioning Systems (GPS)."
The U.S. National Grid (USNG) standard is a primary element of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) and a foundational aspect, one would think, to the formation of a professional level "national" incident management "system".
May 8th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) Information - CDC
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May 3rd, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
Exceptional Examples of Leadership & Public Service
Cross discipline implementation of the U.S. National Grid (USNG) is taking place in many communities and states around the United States. States like North Carolina and Mississippi, large metro areas like Memphis (TN) and Des Moines (IA), Lake County Ohio, many others in Ohio, even the Kennedy Space Center in Florida....
There are of course, many others noted on this website in the past for their contributions and implementations. The Public XY Mapping Project (Leadership that started it all), Metro Washington-Council of Governments GIS Managers’ Committee, James Lee Witt, USFA, EMI, NFPA, Fire Chief and Firehouse magazines, US&R Teams, GITA, NSGIC, Florida (SERT and Fire Marshal), Missouri, Minnesota, Kansas, Utah, Washington DC, Miami-Dade County, FL, Fairfax County, VA, the DOJ, DeLorme, ESRI..., so many others including those who created UTM and the MGRS many years ago.
It is reassuring that public servants from around the USA recognize USNG as the "smart grid" required to add "System" to what otherwise has been a somewhat feckless National Incident Management...system...(NIMs); "Integration" to the kinda somewhat integrated Emergency Management Course (iEMC) currently taught at the National Emergency Training Center, while at the same time improving daily activities and services like marking hiking trails, standards-based geoaddressing for 911 dispatch centers and emergency services..., to name but a few.
Of special note in the Federal sector, the fine work and support of the USGS, DoD, the Federal Geographic Data Committee, the U.S. Coast Guard and member agencies of the National Search and Rescue Committee (NSARC).
The .edu sector? Mississippi Delta State University's efforts have been and are simply exceptional. Through their Leadership, they have made something good come out of their Katrina experience.
As a last mention of both Leadership and exceptional public service over several decades, FEMA's Michael Buckley, appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 2000 and the recipient of the 2008 Meritorious Presidential Rank Award, has retired from Federal service. Mike's leadership with regards to USNG was critically important at a critical time.
April 26th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
Swine Flu Outbreak - http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/
April 24th, 2009 Washington Post
April 24th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
"What sets us apart from our enemies in this fight ... is how we behave. In everything we do, we must observe the standards and values that dictate that we treat noncombatants and detainees with dignity and respect. While we are warriors, we are also all human beings." (General David Petraeus, May 10,2007)
April 21st, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
April 15th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
"Map (page) 6785, we're adding sandbags at Grid: 678 851".
April 15th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
Yet another state taking a Leadership role - Kansas
U.S. National Grid Training, 05/18-19/2009, Sponsored by: Kansas Adjutant General’s Department.
The Kansas Adjutant General Deptartment is also extending an invitation to GIS professionals to join the Kansas GIS Response Team. A fantastic initiative and model activity for better preparedness and capability when disaster strikes in Kansas or they respond to help other states!
April 14th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
The New FEMA Comprehensive Preparedness Guide, CPG 101 - More Bla, Bla, Bla
Once again, the obvious stated so well in the title of an extensive report by the National Academy of Sciences called "Successful Response Starts with a Map", is all but ignored by FEMA. Just search FEMA's new CPG 101 on the word "map", or "Grid" and evaluate for yourself the value of this new Guide. Then spend an hour or so and read through the document..., it's frelling painful.
Moreover, the Guide as written will do little or nothing to improve the current status of plans and planning reported by FEMA several years ago to give "grounds for significant national concern. Current catastrophic planning is (remains) unsystematic and not linked within a national planning system."
Imagine, not even the recommendation for a common map/operating grid (USNG) for any community planning for catastrophe! While at the same time, FEMA knows that it's own US&R and so many other Fed assets will be using USNG while responding to same. Comprehensive? Integrated? Interoperable? Unified? A National framework for planning?
Thanks to zero leadership in recent years, FEMA's left hand does not know or understand what the right hand is doing.
April 5th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
Maps for Responders - Red River of the North Floods (2009)
These maps the from Governor's Council Emergency Preparedness Committee's Go Team and Clay County GIS (MN) represent the type of high quality maps (with full fine-line USNG) that responders and all others working these most recent floods need. This kind of work is a perfect example of what so much of the discussion will revolve around at the National Hurricane Conference in Austin this coming week. Fantastic work from Clay County GIS and all involved! Along with leadership from states like FL, MO, NC, MS, MN and others perhaps unknown to EM at this time, plus major cities in many areas (Sacramento, NYC, Dallas...), "the same map sheet of music" is being passed around the USA and the choir is warming up.
Here is the State of Minnesota's mapping page for the Red River event. Excellent work!
April 2nd, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
National Hurricane Conference 2009 - Leadership 2009
The Planning Committee for the 2009 Hurricane Conference, held in Austin Texas next week, have put forth an agenda that will take the entire emergency services enterprise over the coming years, especially given the new leadership coming to FEMA, to a new and much more capable level of emergency and disaster response and recovery for all types of disasters and hazards.
This 2009 conference represents true leadership that over time will manifest itself around the world.
Looking over the conference agenda, it is striking that when searching on "FIRE/EMS", 7 of the 11 results are either sessions specifically addressing/discussing the U.S. National Grid (USNG-NAD83) or listing the persons presenting USNG and/or Search and Rescue (SAR) content (including one retired state fire marshal who would make a splendid choice for USFA's new Fire Administrator).
April 2nd, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
U.S. National Grid Simplifies Mapping (By Kurt Schulz, Pathfinder Magazine)
March 27th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
Much of North Dakota declared federal disaster area
North Dakota State University's Fargo Flood Homepage is a great resource for those wanting to explore and understand "scientific (i.e. geologic and hydrologic) and historic information on flooding in the Fargo region."
In essence, and just like Grand Forks further downstream that was very hard hit in 1997, a large portion of the populated areas are in mapped flood hazard zones, including Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA = 1% annual chance meeting or exceeding identified flood elevations). And just like Grand Forks and East Grand Forks taught so many, even those who live in OR NEAR mapped flood hazard areas of any kind (X500 = 0.2% annual chance), flood insurance from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is a very good choice and you should not let an insurance agent or anyone else tell you otherwise (the common refrain heard over and over in 1997).
Remember, there is a one month waiting period before flood insurance policies become effective.
Ice dams are a huge complicating factor that can overwhelm our human efforts of building levees and topping them with sandbags.
Historically, North Dakota is one of the higher per capita states for recieving federal disaster dollars and it looks like much of the state has today, again, been declared by the President a federal disaster area.
For anyone who has spent much time working disasters in the region, you come away in awe of the people, their courage, humor, and compassion. Even as they face these times of crisis, the character of the people remains as strong as North Dakota winters are cold. Very best wishes to all in the declared counties and hopes for minimal damages.
Note: It looks like for Fargo, a little bit before midnight last night, the Red River of the North was at the all-time high recorded level at the Fargo river gauge. Hang in there Fargo!
March 26th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
Forecasters predict major Red River flooding
Volunteer efforts are fantastic, as are those of the many different government and non-profit agencies involved. In one of the flattest places in the USA, just a foot or two can mean the difference between wet and dry. This is where the mitigation efforts (structure elevation or relocation) over the past decade plus will pay off in the many millions of dollars saved, but still, many others not flooded by the 1997 event are now at risk.
March 21st, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
Edina Engineering Technician Makes Breakthrough On Map Scale, Gains National Attention
March 16th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
Leadership in Minnesota Short and sweet.
Plus, one of the best collections of USNG information available on the Web.
For the I-35 Bridge Collapse, many in the State of Minnesota performed fantastic GIS mapping work/support, including excellent examples of USNG applied to maps for moderate footprint size events (where careful examination of every square meter was critically important).
March 12th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
What If? Lots of questions here.
What if it turns out that in the intervening years between Hurricane Katrina and 2008's Hurricane Ike, FEMA-HQ totally ignored Presidential Executive Orders and countless lessons learned over the years, then spent hundreds of thousands of dollars (or more on former agency employees...turned contractors) to develop some sort of new national "FEMA SAR Grid" (not a standard of any kind, won't work with GPS...)? What if those same FEMA elements then distributed their unique maps to Hurricane Ike responders, FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Teams, but they were returned...with requests to remake them with full USNG overlay? What does it say in 2009 about our nation's "what if" preparedness for a catastrophic earthquake in Saint Louis, Seattle or Los Angeles?
March 8th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
Searching for FEMA
(18SUJ24880600)
Who knows how or why things changed here in March of FY 2009, but for the first time in years, a search of FEMA's website on "USNG" actually returned results, in fact, four of them. All four of the links point to FY 2005 and FY 2006 Homeland Security Grant Program Guidance documents, two of which (in .pdf) include very good USNG content.
March 6th, 2009 Firehouse.com
Indiana Firefighter Gets One on One Brief With Obama
March 4th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
President Obama Picks Fugate to Lead FEMA
EmergencyManagement's (EM) pick for Emergency Management Professional of the Year in 2006, Craig Fugate, has been named by President Obama to lead FEMA over the coming years.
There are very few people in the U.S. who have the combination of skills and experience as Mr. Fugate. He will have his hands full though, lots to do, but given his years working in Florida and building perhaps the best emergency management program of any state..., this is a very good choice.
While he will be a long way from his home in Florida, his willingness to serve in such a precarious (fall-guy) sort of job (whenever a large disaster strikes) is much appreciated.
Knowing of his appreciation for such things, here is a little heads-up for a bit of sanity on his days off located only one hour South of Washington DC, near Fredericksburg, VA - an eleven mile stretch of Rappahannock River from the putin at Kelly's Ford (USNG: 18S TH 5741 6242) on down to the takeout at the Rappahannock River Campground, USNG: 18S TH 6754 5559 (boat livery, shuttles, camping..., www.canoecamp.com).
Just minutes out of DC, Violettes Lock on the Potomac River is a nice short paddle and there is no need for a shuttle (low to med water levels) (Putin/Takeout: 18S TJ 9856 2682). For both rivers, an amazing boat that can carry camping gear and still turn around and play the rapids just like little kayaks, the Malibu Two.
Very best of luck to Mr. Fugate and FEMA.
March 4th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
Preparedness for Earthquake Season
While often times a year or more is spent planning for special events, and even hurricanes can provide a few days advance notice, there are many other human caused or natural hazards where all response and recovery assets will need to be on “the same map sheet of music” (to borrow from former FEMA director James Lee Witt’s Feb. 2002 White Paper), day one, hour one and beyond if we are to best serve the public.
The February 2009 Lessons Learned Information Sharing (LLIS.gov) Newsletter had an interesting section in it called: Mass Gatherings - Keeping Plans Updated.
One of the four links provided in the Newsletter as an example of mass gathering plans and guidelines was FEMA’s March 2005 Job Aids Manual for Special Events Contingency Planning.
Like any (mutual aid) emergency/disaster plan, guideline, or framework, one can perform a “reality threshold check,” by searching the document on just two keywords, “map” and “grid,” to get an estimation of how things will likely work out on the ground during an operation.
This particular job aids manual passed the “reality threshold check” with mostly flying colors.
As basic as it sounds, it was good to see that the Special Events Contingency Planning document included this critical need: “A universal map/grid referencing system for the entire event footprint should be developed in advance for all attendees and event staff (including public safety personnel) to allow for the rapid identification of event-specific facilities and other locations in an emergency.”
Why? A common, simple to use, plain “language of location.” Interoperability of commo, plans and systems. A map centric/driven unity of effort, coordination, and cooperation between thousands of participants from a variety of agencies and organizations.
The manual did not, however, identify the correct standard recommended for use as the “universal map/grid referencing system,” the United States National Grid (USNG-NAD83). USNG is the civil counterpart for the Military Grid Reference System (MGRS-WGS84).
Moreover, we all know that special events due to their size and critical vulnerabilities are at special risks for nuclear, chemical and/or biological attack. “To minimize operational friction during military support to civil authorities, USMC Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF) based at Indian Head, MD requires the ability to use and exchange standardized map coordinates. The lack of a similar, standardized procedure by state, local, and many Federal Agencies is a critical deficiency in U.S. consequence management. Standardized map coordinates must be equivalent to Military Grid Reference System (MGRS) when referenced to North American Datum 1983 (NAD 83) or World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS 84), U.S. National Grid.” (06/02/2005, RRL_240_Grid Coords Policy Req.pdf)
(Caption: Map with USNG overlay produced by Miami-Dade County Department of Emergency Management & Homeland Security for Super Bowl XLI, February 4, 2007, at Dolphin Stadium.)
The FEMA special events job aids manual did include these critically important references to maps and mapping:
- Medical teams must be able to locate individuals in need of attention easily. You should agree on the use of a common reference map or grid system.
- Have medical teams been provided with maps of the venue?
- (Medical aid posts require that they should) Be clearly marked on maps of the venue layout. (and) Be in a position known by security and other event personnel.
- Providing fire officials with an event footprint grid map with a description of the possible hazards reduces the response time and allows the responding agency to be prepared.
- The best way to avoid problems in these areas is to map the event grounds and identify the areas that could be used as hiding places.
- To enable security personnel to perform their duties effectively, you must brief them appropriately prior to the event. This briefing should provide security personnel with: Details of the venue footprint and grid map, including entrances, exits, medical aid posts, and any potential hazards.
- If an incident occurs that is beyond the capability of the local authorities, a community may have to request the assistance of State or Federal assets through designated State and local agencies. Event planners should be prepared to discuss the event and the locations of all of the risks with the State and Federal authorities,
as needed. Providing an event footprint and grid map to State or Federal responders will help them locate areas in the event, especially if smoke or debris makes locating areas difficult. Research your support and your capabilities at every level.
While the job aids manual does not specifically address geospatial technologies, it only makes sense that technologies which support such operations like GPS, GIS, and Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), also all be set to the same thing, the U.S. National Grid.
As departments, agencies, and others purchase geospatial technology systems, whether vehicle mounted, human portable (safety officers, etc.), in dispatch, the back office, or as new firefighter locator systems being developed also begin to be fielded by a variety of vendors…, be sure all are set at the user interface to USNG.
While DHS, FEMA, and USFA, like all member agencies of the National Search and Rescue Committee (NSARC), endorse the USNG standard, NIMS still lacks specific standards-based operating guidelines and facilitating structures required for human participants in any such "national," "system," to easily and precisely exchange (interoperable) map coordinates, even when the participants are using digital systems.
This remains a critical deficiency.
February 9th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
Victorian Bushfire Appeal 2009 - Australian Red Cross
February 8th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
FEMA. In or out of DHS?
No matter what is eventually decided by this new Obama Administration about what to do with FEMA, it should be remembered that over the past eight years FEMA has been very nearly drowned in the bathtub more than once.
Perhaps now it would be best to remove all of FEMA (preparedness, mitigation, response, recovery) from DHS and make it an independent and full-time component of the President's new National Security Council (NSC).
This especially in recognition of the substantial threats and risks facing our country, and the substantial needs remaining for critical components of our "national" response capabilities like the U.S. fire service.
In any case, there is still much that needs to be done and how we organize, equip, and train needs to go well beyond today's defenitions for and levels of preparedness..., towards a true "system"..., all participants (including the general public). That is the leadership required, and structurally, perhaps NSC would put FEMA where it needs to be in order to ensure better coordination from all federal agencies, including DHS, for all phases of the Emergency Management Lifecycle.
FEMA is still a very troubled agency. This short article by Mickey McCarter (Homeland Security Today) describes the FEMA Headquarters Employees Union's (AFGE Local 4060) top ten recommendations for the Obama Administration.
It's a bleak picture.
PS, and this is just one example of how even the basics are still left undone, NIMS has still to live up to it's own principles of unified efforts and plain language in terms of maps/communications/coordination. NIMS still lacks specific standards-based operating guidelines and facilitating structures required for human participants in any such "national," "system," to easily AND precisely exchange (interoperable) map coordinates, EVEN WHEN THE PARTICIPANTS COMMUNICATING/COORDINATING ARE USING DIGITIAL SYSTEMS. This remains a critical failing. Moreover, FEMA management has largely failed to promote simple solutions for such failings or to strenuously encourage other standards-based solutions for improving the accuracy of the map coordinates being exchanged.
Simply incredible.
February 8th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
At least 108 killed in deadliest-ever Australian wildfires
January 17th, 2009 Emmitsburg (EM)
This Miracle Brought to You by America’s Unions
By: emptywheel Friday January 16, 2009 5:34 am
USA's Current Map/Mapping Infrastructure Remains: "...a critical deficiency in U.S. consequence management...."
We need to be better prepared for all-hazards at all times. Maps are critically important tools for everday commerce and in times of crisis.
(PS> Thanks to that city's past and current leadership, plus a cadre of skilled city workers, Washington DC's offical paper street map of the city, Mayor Fenty's picture on the back..., INCLUDES a full fine-line USNG grid overlay!.)
November, 30th 2008 Washington Post Report Sounds Alarm Over Bioterror November 27th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM) Mumbai Under Attack The eyes of the world are turned towards India this sad morning as the news of this tragic event develops. Even as fires still race through the Oberoi and Taj Mahal Hotels and the last of the terrorists are being subdued, one can see again in the faces of the responding police, fire, and military personnel a steadfast determination. Heartfelt condolences to all who have been impacted by the attack, including to the people and Nation of India. October, 15th 2008 Washington Post Torture's Smoking Guns September, 25th 2008 ABC News September, 22nd 2008 Emmitsburg (EM) The Disaster Response and Recovery System We Don't Yet Have That "we are so very unprepared" is a simple statement that in one form or another has often been repeated on this website over the years. Why? It is the simple truth. The Post went on to say that: "The report also faults the Federal Emergency Management Agency for not fully assessing the capacities of relief groups and for not clearly documenting the roles that each should play in a disaster." This Administration's "New FEMA" and it's "New Vision" have serious deficiencies that time after time are pushed off to the next Administration. Nearly every single aspect of a thoughtfully comprehensive emergency management enterprise, truly National in scope, with catastrophic events principally in mind..., for the next Administration to solve; an Administration who will have it's hands tied by wars, an enormous National debt, and a collapsing economy. Adding to the focus of this most recent Washington Post article and GAO report, just take a few minutes and explore
subjects like a National Mutual Aid System (NMAS). You will quickly learn that we don't have one in the USA. Not even close. Neither “EMAC” or "NIMS" are a NMAS, even if combined, they "simply" are not. Who will pick up the pieces when dren hits the fan? The sheer magnitude of failure here goes beyond the comprehensible. It goes beyond FEMA and NIMS not understanding nor addressing common sense basics like a common operating grid (USNG), the International Phonetic Alphabet..., it goes to simply not understanding why the federal government would spin off it's own “interstate” responsibilities...to a bunch of well intended private "non-profit" corporation folks who have no real responsibility or accountability, just connections..., who will never be held responsible for any of their output one way or another. Thus we continue the “rabble”..., pretending, propaganda, till the next big one hits...then blame the new "Brownie" when all is frelled..., again; repeat the commissions, hearings, reports, more "new vision".... This is truly amazing, call or write the FEMA NIMS-NIC (FEMA-NIMS@dhs.gov or 202-646-3850) to see what answer you get when you ask them if they recommend the USNG standard/common map (operating) grid (a point referencing system in support of street addresses where applicable) and the International Phonetic Alphabet for unified/interoperable communications/operations in response to a catastrophic disaster event. As of 09/22/2008 the answer was at best confused, amateurish (no understanding that both are simple "plain language" and much more, used by so many around the world for decades for that very reason). September, 15th 2008 Emmitsburg (EM) FEMA's "No Ice For You" Policy...Put On Ice (Kinda) The following FEMA management decision from earlier this year just before hurricane season has gone very predictably bad, very quickly, in response operations for Hurricane Ike: "'...We’re not in the ice business anymore,' Paulison said, and that it is not a 'life-saving commodity' for most people. 'It takes a tremendous amount of resources, and it really doesn't accomplish much, other than making people feel good because they have a bag of ice,' Paulison added. 'Ice is more of a comfort thing....'" Such a decree would never work "without substantial re-thinking and an even more substantial investment into the 'system' we don't yet have." FEMA's belief that it could deliver ice, but only to disaster victims with "special needs" in times of disaster, times when everyone feels they have "special needs" (and very many do), was not very well considered nor wisely implemented. Not only did emergency managers in Mississippi and other states protest FEMA's "New Vision" with regards to ice soon after it was announced, but back in June, Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., called the decision "dumb." When President Bush quite evidently countermanded that policy in his remarks to the Nation from the White House the very day Hurricane Ike came ashore..., promising ice deliveries for diaster victims, guess who then would not have been fully prepared to have the promised ice for all...ready to go...for a population center the size of Houston, TX? FEMA? Never mind the lack of an integrated fed/state/local plan, a robust map-driven system and plan (everyone on ths same page of music) for distribution of supplies of all kinds once FEMA trucks arrived in the general disaster areas to both pre-planned (if only there had been such a plan) "special populations" (knowing their 10 meter precision USNG grid geoaddresses in addition to street addresses) and other disaster victims (a weakness in FEMA's "New Vision" long recognized, but left unresolved). Imagine the life-critical needs following a catastrophic earthquake, pandemic, or WMD attack in a city the size of Houston! We are so very unprepared. Here we are three years after Katrina, the Emergency Management Lifecycle in full force again: FEMA blaming the states; states blaming locals; states and locals blaming FEMA. How much has changed? "Your doin a heck of a job Paulie...son"! Below are a few excerpts from today's Washington Post article regarding Hurricane Ike: September, 15th 2008 NPR The vast majority of the population affected by Hurricane Ike were NOT in evacuation areas and were urged to "hunker-down" in their homes so that those who were, could evacuate safely. - - - - FEMA, Politicians Blame each other as Responders go without Food, Water September, 14th 2008 Emmitsburg (EM) Ice Deliveries on Galveston Island for All Comers President Bush reversed FEMA Director Paulison's "no ice for you" mandate from earlier this year, ice is being delivered to all those on Galveston Island who can make it to the distribution point. September, 14th 2008 Emmitsburg (EM) Search and Rescue for Ike the Top Priority This morning, President Bush says in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike that search and rescue is the number one priority. What now? Such an enterprise is inherently a map-driven one. Responders require thousands of street level (large scale) maps and mapping systems with a common reference system (standard) to organize and track search efforts, and for all involved, to be able to quickly and precisely describe the locations of people, places, and things in a common language, even if there are no street signs and regardless of political boundaries. What now? Yes, in Texas on this response to Ike the job will eventually get done, but did they (FEMA and TX) learn any of the lessons from past disasters? Yes, the responders and other disaster workers will of course do their very best, but will only the USAR Teams (according to their 2006 ops plan), National Guard and other military like the Coast Guard be on a common map grid (the US National Grid)? Mr. Bush, while your FEMA through either incompetence or intransigence (likely both) was unable to put a single USNG (standard) grid overlay on any of the maps for Katrina (most maps had no grid overlay at all)..., your FEMA agency GPS were set to any of the many reference systems under the sun, including three lat/longs, this a full four years after your agency recommended USNG use for all, what now? Even back in 2005, an average person with little or no training could have easily created USNG maps for any location in the USA, in minutes, using a $99 dollar TopoUSA mapping program...but your FEMA with it's millions of dollars left it's USAR teams and thousands of others without quality maps, many with no maps at all? What now? It is worth repeating that in the thousands upon thousands of map-driven communications during this event, like all before: "General information type maps with no UTM grid (e.g. USNG/MGRS), in an disaster environment without street signs, few recognizable landmarks with no response specific data were (are) very nearly useless… An actual accounting of all the requests for emergency
assistance that went without, or the delay encountered by the countless movements of personnel, food, and equipment will likely never accurately be tallied…." (Hurricane Andrew, from James Lee Witt's USNG White Paper) With paper maps and even the advances in geospatial technologies these many years since Hurricane Andrew, responders will always need to be able to successfully "communicate" the location of people, places, and things (in a common language)! Did FEMA conform to standards that DHS “endorsed” years ago (FEMA in April 2001, bringing up a host of questions per "what the frell happened," and both DHS Secretaries Ridge/Chertoff thereafter)? How did FEMA perform in these early hours and days of the Hurricane Ike disaster response, having had so much time to prepare? We can only wait and see. Does FEMA even now, not understand the necessity of the USNG standard, especially given all the new technologies that at the user interface need to all be set to the same thing? "Mapping displays will conform, both visually and with respect to reported locations of individuals and map features, to the USNG standard for geoaddressing (“United States National Grid”). This standard, endorsed since 2001 by the Department of Homeland Security, can facilitate consistent communications between all branches of criminal justice as well as emergency responders, and is much more precise than the latitude/longitude designations that have been historically used." (Department of Justice, 08/2007) Mr. Bush, what now? In response to catastrophic disasters, do you want FEMA and all federal assets to at least be using the common map grid (standard) adopted by your Executive branch in 12/2001, or are you leaving every single item of national consequence to the next Administration? Your White House Science Advisor called USNG in testimony to the US Senate in 12/2001, with the then FEMA director (Albaugh) sitting at his side, "one of the three most important immediate steps that the Government could take to improve homeland security..."; and given there are thousands of different local and state map reference systems, would you not have encouraged your FEMA management to at least suggest USNG to states and locals? (Never mind there are so many other private and commercial advantages to USNG!) If not, why not? Mr. President, have you searched the FEMA website lately on “USNG”? Perhaps you should. What now? September, 13th 2008 Emmitsburg (EM) Serious but not catastrophic Details are developing as Hurricane Ike makes it's way north and out of Texas, at least three deaths and certainly there are now entire new groups of locals who will evacuate the next time when encouraged to do so, but it appears things could have been much worst given the size of the storm. Still, it is early and a more complete idea of the storms impacts will not be complete until later today through several days from now as a number disparate groups make their own evaluations and damage assessments, each with their own unique way of reporting the extent of damages and their locations..., often not sharing their information with others. President Bush evidently missed the memo from his FEMA chief Paulison, FEMA and the federal government is no longer in the ice delivery business. Bush's statement this morning, promising ice from the federal government, is perhaps focusing Paulison's new vision, reversing the "no ice for you" edict.... It is also worth noting, that Mr. Paulison in his MSNBC interview from the Mother of all (made for television) Floors at FEMA-HQ this morning, gave as an indication of the federal, state, and local government's level of "preparedness" the example of FEMA having tasked the Army Corps of Engineers within the past couple of days to survey critical facilities in the Houston area, identifying their emergency power generator needs and have generators on-hand were Ike to come ashore and disrupt power. Because of that very recent activity, FEMA and the Corps were in process this morning of moving the appropriate size of generators to those pre-identified locations. This is a success? Given two years of no significant disasters in the USA, it took until just a couple of days before Ike for such planning to have been done..., and seemingly the local and state governments were not involved in the least...had not already planned for and provided such information to FEMA..., two frelling years ago? Perhaps updating it last week? Or, for hecks sake, had their own generators ready to go using their own state and local resources? OMG, what a rabble!! After spending several billion dollars over recent years (without a cohesive plan for doing so, just given away without critical standards or measurable outcomes), Emergency Management in the United States of America is still broken in many places, disorganized, and thoroughly unprepared for true catastrophe, especially events without warning! - - - Rembering Katrina September, 12th 2008 Emmitsburg (EM) Hurricane Ike - Urgent Warnings From Past Disasters It took one year after Hurricane Katrina for the FEMA Region (VI) that works with both Texas and Louisiana to learn, one more full year for them to tell anyone (if only the few), that "Federal, state, and local emergency managers should consider establishing a common grid or map system for identifying locations following a disaster." Is "following" a disaster the best time for doing this? Without doubt, and like all disasters, "an actual accounting of all the requests for emergency assistance thatwent without, or the delay encountered by the countless movements of personnel, food, and equipment will likely never accurately be tallied...." (Moreover, hurricanes give days worth of warning, and are not the best hazard for measuring "preparedness" of a Nation's emergency management/services!) It turns out Ike decided to hit a very vulnerable portion of the Gulf Coast. We hope and pray the loss of life and damages of all sorts will be be as minimal as they can be given the circumstances. While at least many of the coastal areas evacuated, and it could be the typical cable TV news hype, but the circumstances do not look very good here at 1700hrs EDT. According to DHS's Chertoff, "our nation is facing by any measure a potentially catastrophic hurricane." One thing for certain, FEMA Region VI, USAR Teams, DoD, FEMA logistics, the State of Texas, plus the many entities in and around Galveston and Houston... are very likely NOT on the same map sheet of music (Re. 4.2). The military forces will, along with all responders, be left again with the operational friction of a rabble response for which FEMA management are largely responsible. Will the FEMA expert on fake news conferences declare the Ike event "catastrophic" an hour or two before the eye of the storm comes ashore? The reality on the ground with Ike is much more likely to in fact be "catastrophic." In any case, FEMA will probably not participate with much of the rest of the federal government (like DoD) to get all response and recovery assets on the same common operating/map grid (USNG). FEMA will, with a high degree of likelihood, ignore the Catastrophic SAR protocols of the NSARC. Let's see what FEMA Region VI can do, based out of Texas and having failed on the Space Shuttle Columbia job and Katrina disaster alike to even encourage the USNG common ops grid/reference standard, let's see what they can do to at least "consider establishing a common grid or map system for identifying locations following a disaster." Will USNG at least be considered, even though far too late to be most effective,
and even though the egos of FEMA HQ will, as they did in Florida a month ago..., probably just say to all, "we don't want to talk about it"? Mediocrity having become the FEMA measure of success, the job eventually getting done, but no willingness to imagine something much more effective. - - - - Nowhere in FEMA's entire new (01/2008) National Response Framework can the word "map" be found, not one single time. The National Academies, National Research Council, in December of 2006, delivered the landmark study entitled: "Successful Response Starts with a Map." The "New FEMA" evidently knew better than the National Academy of Sciences. September, 11th 2008 Emmitsburg (EM) Hurricane Ike - Urgent Warnings From Weather Service: "ALL NEIGHBORHOODS...AND POSSIBLY ENTIRE COASTAL COMMUNITIES...WILL BE INUNDATED DURING THE PERIOD OF PEAK STORM TIDE. PERSONSNOT HEEDING EVACUATION ORDERS IN SINGLE FAMILY ONE OR TWO STORYHOMES WILL FACE CERTAIN DEATH. MANY RESIDENCES OF AVERAGECONSTRUCTION DIRECTLY ON THE COAST WILL BE DESTROYED. WIDESPREADAND DEVASTATING PERSONAL PROPERTY DAMAGE IS LIKELY ELSEWHERE.VEHICLES LEFT BEHIND WILL LIKELY BE SWEPT AWAY. NUMEROUS ROADSWILL BE SWAMPED...SOME MAY BE WASHED AWAY BY THE WATER. ENTIREFLOOD PRONE COASTAL COMMUNITIES WILL BE CUTOFF. WATER LEVELS MAYEXCEED 9 FEET FOR MORE THAN A MILE INLAND. COASTAL RESIDENTS INMULTI-STORY FACILITIES RISK BEING CUTOFF. CONDITIONS WILL BEWORSENED BY BATTERING WAVES. SUCH WAVES WILL EXACERBATE PROPERTYDAMAGE...WITH MASSIVE DESTRUCTION OF HOMES...INCLUDING THOSE OFBLOCK CONSTRUCTION. DAMAGE FROM BEACH EROSION COULD TAKE YEARS TOREPAIR." Galveston, Galveston Bay and other areas,...GET OUT NOW! DON'T CHANCE IT!! September, 9th 2008 Emmitsburg (EM) Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) It's not good and Spencer Hsu from the Washington Post reported that "the government received in total three D's, eight C's and seven B's in areas such as sustaining support of foreign scientists and governments, integrating programs to prevent nuclear terrorism and strengthening multilateral law enforcement efforts...." The WMD Report Card, from what can be found in the Washington Post story, does not appear to deal with capabilities by government to in an integrated and interoperable fashion deal with the consequence management of the very real hazards from which, according to the report card, "we are still dangerously vulnerable"; EM maintains such an analysis would require one simple word: "rabble!" September, 7th 2008 Emmitsburg (EM) Then Along Came Ike Ike brings with it today, the opportunity for the USA to provide much needed assistance to and greatly improve our relationship with Cuba. While a humanitarian crisis builds in Haiti due to both Hanna and Ike, and Haitians are our neighbors, the Red Cross is running out of money and needing to borrow. And as Ike moves out into the Gulf of Mexico later today and tomorrow, keep your fingers crossed that the forecast continues to bend it's landfall along the Texas coast and further South of Galveston; midway between there and Corpus Cristi is fairly sparsely populated...hopefully prepared with homes and businesses built and insured to withstand a hit from any hurricane. Sooner than later, we really need to get the Federal government away from responding to most hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, and floods so that it can concentrate on planning and preparedness for the truly catastrophic events. On that fact, EM is in agreement with Heritage's James Jay Carafano, Ph.D. We need to in actuality put the real responsibility for all phases of the emergency management lifecycle for emergencies and disasters where it rightly belongs, the state and local authorities. This is the only way they will become as prepared and capable as they will need to be when catastrophic does occur, Katrina being on the low-end of the scale. Instead of just saying as much, pretending as we do today that local mitigation and preparedness efforts are sufficient, the farcical notion that we in fact have a National Mutual Aid System, an over reliance on the Fed to especially pay the bills and pick up the pieces for all the state and local mistakes in terms of poorly planned, regulated, and constructed development in unsustainable areas..., until all this is truly their baby, their responsibility in more than words..., we won't see improvement. A unified response without even so much as the common map reference (USNG) in most states (universal language for "location"), only DoD, USGS, our USAR Teams, but not FEMA? We pretend now, having experienced but just a taste of catastrophic in a generation, and the media pretends right along with the chiefs, the govenors, and fed officials who proclaim year after year, "all is well, all is well, we are ready." In reality and across the board, fire, police, EMS, and EM are still inadequately staffed, inadequately trained, insufficiently equipped, and organizationally...confused; a federally paid for "recovery" made up of billions of dollars through contractors, companies owned by those who designed the "system" before leaving government only to return to the feeding trough they engineered with a never ending flow.... Lastly, and back to the here and now, let's see if the Great State of Texas can live up to that name, notably it's Governor Rick Perry, perhaps he can resist from turning disaster response into a red state, blue state calculation like he did with his asinine performance heaped with spin last week following Gustav. September, 2nd 2008 Emmitsburg (EM) Evaluating FEMA - Hurricane Gustav Senator John McCain on the Bush White House, clenching his fists in the West Wing and exclaiming to Woodward: "Everything is f---ing spin." (The War Within: A Secret White House History, 2006-2008) Propaganda is not fitting of any government agency (should be illegal) in this good ol' US-of-A. Making unfounded claims seems to have been over recent years, FEMA's most serious and reoccurring problem: comparing all tornadoes, floods, and wildfires to Katrina, even Gustav to Katrina. Certainly FEMA shouldn't hold fake news conferences and should not call disasters "catastrophic" when they clearly are not. Don't say the agency is busy working wildfires when FEMA has very little to do with same (other than paying the bills), nor compare tornadoes and floods to anything but tornadoes and floods.... Public agencies should let their own good works do their talking for them. Reduce the armies of PIO spinners and dedicate those resources to something useful. With Gustav, except for the one "catastrophic" and a far too many Katrina comparisons...much better left to others, but thankfully no fake news conferences (as far as is known), there were mostly good works by all, and in certain preparation measures, evacuation being principle, clearly improvements. While a nervous and tragically experienced population wanting to evacuate certainly helps, there is no doubt that plans for the buses, trains, traffic flow patterns and so much more was, even with gaffs, excellent work, and, is what should have been in place during the Reagan-Bush-Clinton-earlyBush years at the very least. While "an electronic system to automate registration of bus, train and plane evacuees failed, forcing FEMA to reconcile paper records," the National Emergency Family Registry Locator system is also, exactly the kind of innovation that will enhance future disaster operations. Very good work. GPS tracked logistics, sure, great and frelling finally, it's about time.
But what the frell is your NIMS logistics system doing using a non-standard spatial reference system at the user interface to request and input locations (dec.degree version of lat/long)? NIMS is supposed to be a "standard" others are supposed to follow, why would it choose something that contradicts another FGDC standard (USNG) that makes sense to follow, common sense, never mind the multi-agency guidance (including DHS) given to those working in a disaster area of operations from the National Search and Rescue Committee, the geospatial referencing matrix for catastrophic disaster operations? (BTW, is not after a disaster hits the wrong time to get all aspects of a disaster operation organized...using the same map sheet of music?) Gustav did not require much of a disaster response in terms of SAR and many other tens of thousands coming from around the USA to coordinate map-driven operations, so this piece will let the rest of this website speak to those issues. There were several FEMA specific issues related to lessons learned from Katrina that we won't touch on here, for now. There were, however, several critical items reported in the press that merit brief discussion. They include but also go beyond FEMA responsiblity...only to land again in the laps of (state/local): buses, barges (ships), hospital and nursing home evacuations (not in that order). Let's start with nursing homes and hospitals. Remembering those related experiences from Katrina can shiver the soul, especially in consideration of how primary such considerations should have been for one and all levels of government then..., and now! This is simply amazing: "Another example of improvements in Paulison's FEMA came late Saturday night when federal and state officials realized that several New Orleans hospitals and nursing homes made a last-minute decision to evacuate their ill and frail patients. The nursing homes didn't have a plan, Paulison said." "Example of improvements"? A tardy decision to evacuate and they "didn't have a plan"? How many millions were spent to call up dozens of aircraft at the last minute to do what should have been a principle element of the overall plan to begin with, and any hospital or nursing home not willing to play, not allowed to stay (in business) in such a high hazard zone. Buses: remember the pictures of flooded out buses. How on earth could this have happened for Gustav: "After a contractor delivered only 150 to 200 of the 700 buses planned for evacuations, local officials found school buses to cover the gap and FEMA sent some buses in as well...." Barges/ships: as was reported on CNN as Gustav swept ashore with not quite sustained hurricane force winds in NOLA, at least one barge and two decommissioned Navy ships in the process of being scrapped broke loose from their moorings and were banging up against levees. These were deemed as lessons learned. Given the breach of levees caused by such large barge objects in 2005, what the frell are they doing anywhere in the area in 2008 where there were days worth of warning to move them? Moreover, perhaps there are better places to locate ship scrapping yards! Do ya think? Somewhere far away in a city that is neither below sea level nor protected by levees. A few more points: it is a given that a mandatory evacuation order was needed for Gustav, however, it is very dangerous for a mayor in a city like NOLA to tell his citizens afterwards that they can now expect to survive just such a category three hurricane, that the levees have been "proven" to hold for just such a storm. Especially now, given so many more will be prone to not evacuate the next time around since they had a harder time in Baton Rouge than they would have had if they had stayed in NOLA. Gustav came ashore as a category two, and even so, if Gustav were to come into shore at a different angle, or just twenty or thirty miles further to the East, especially at the angle it did, that very storm very likely would have told a dramatically different story for NOLA. It is also irresponsible for a governor to tell citizens that levees protect property, but not lives (especially when any public official does not add that only flood insurance can even partially protect such properties). In the end, Gustav was, as predicted, a moderately large disaster. With regards to the levees, many watching on TV were on the edges of their seats hoping they would hold for hours on end. The best hopes and wishes of a Nation are with all those affected by the storm and happy they did hold. Gustav? There will be many other such disasters in the future, perhaps even later this week. We are still in large part vastly more unprepared than we need to or should be for all such disasters, and critically, the catastrophic (thoroughly unprepared). It most certainly is NOT FEMA director Paulison's "job to prove to the country that this is not the FEMA that floundered and failed when Katrina was the catastrophe on everyone's mind." That should be the very last thing on his mind. He should be getting beyond such emotional and ego driven things and focus only on FEMA's mission. Let the good works of the agency speak for themselves, as this week with Gustav in many ways it has done; so very many ways...left untested. Director Paulison Addendum: although it is likely too late, Paulison should develop a better respect for his own employees who have done their best, often without success, attempting to make him and his pack of cronies (with their "new vision") more successful..., better able serve the country. This is what any public servant is prone to do, Administration after Administration, the same for this president and others who came before and will come after. - - - The following articles were used in part as sources for the above: As with all disasters, the best way for most people to help is to contribute money to organizations like the American Red Cross. September, 1st 2008 Emmitsburg (EM) New Federal Emergency Management Agency family member locator system People who sign up with the National Emergency Family Registry Locator can let up to seven people access their information, including ways to contact them. A special section is set aside specifically for missing children too. People can sign up at FEMA's Web site or by calling toll-free at 1-800-588-9822. September, 1st 2008 (1315hrs UTC) Emmitsburg (EM) No "response" necessary; Gustav comes ashore pretty much where predicted four days ago Cudos to NOAA's weather service and DoD (Hurricane Hunters) for their excellent hurricane forecasts. It just does not get any more precise, Gustav, weakened to a Category 2 storm (0815hrs CDT) with a hurricane force wind radius of 40 miles, is just now coming ashore through
An excellent PowerPoint presentation (4.5megs)....
Well organized group hits more than ten locations killing or seriously injuring hundreds
By Dan Froomkin
Frustration Grows in Texas
(Houston Chronicle)
Ike - 0210hrs (CDT) Galveston landfall @ Category 2
"...Moreover, different agencies used different maps, making communication that much harder. The NOPD used its own zone map. The Fire Department used a map with different zones, and Wildlife and Fisheries used a state map. 'There was no unification,' he said. 'Those were hard lessons learned'...."
(Times-Picayune (New Orleans))
Even though the National Search and Rescue Committee recommended a "catastrophic" SAR spatial reference "matrix," it is doubtful that even if the effects of this storm are at some point declared "catastrophic," with all their radios now working better (most everyone can talk to whomever, whenever...), that somehow all of a sudden the dozens of different non-interoperable spatial reference systems being used will be able to meld into one single standard (USNG) "language of location." The FEMA political "experts" have danced around this for years now..., and they will fail again. It is a given however, in this political year, all will be declared a great success no matter what.
"WILL FACE CERTAIN DEATH"
Former 9/11 Commissioners Release New WMD Terror Report Card
Officials Quick to Praise Emergency Response (Washington Post)
Paulison Works to Change FEMA Image (Associated Press)
NOLA may not experience sustained hurricane force winds, it's all up to the levees now
Terrabonne Bay (USNG: 15R YN 37 31). 
After three years of good hard work, FEMA, state, and local officials have shown that they can, given the several days worth of warning such accurate work from NOAA brings, evacuate a city with 300,000 citizens along with a surrounding metro area of 800,000 (some say 2 million if MS, LA and TX are totaled). Fresh images in the minds of those citizens from 2005 perhaps the most important factor of all. (For comparison purposes: Washington DC, 600,000 and metro 5.3 million; Los Angeles, 3,850,000 and metro 17,755,000; Anchorage, AK, 279,000 and metro 359,000 (the entire state of AK 683,000.)
The storm itself has weakened, and will now quickly turn into a tropical storm..., good news on a number of fronts to include we won't have to endure looking at too many CNN reporters standing in the wind waiting to be hit by debris, or on the "Made for Television" (Mezzanine) floor of FEMA-HQ in Washington DC, so many people trying so valiantly to look busy staring at computer screens (reading web sites like this;-), pointing at maps, but more so, hopefully as the morning progresses the flooding will be kept to a minimum as well casualties and damages.
It's all up to the levees now, so many of them should never been built to give unsustainable development a false sense of "protection." The Governor of Louisiana does little to help things when he repeats to his citizens the illogical statement that levees will protect property, but not lives....
As with all disasters, the best way for most people to help is to contribute money to organizations like the American Red Cross.
August, 31st 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
Why has FEMA ignored the National Search and Rescue Committee?
Take a look at the NSARC's georeferencing matrix, developed from lessons learned Hurricane Katrina, then search FEMA's web site for anything about "USNG"!
Wouldn't any emergency management agency want all responders, not just SAR, plus the local populace to all be on the same map sheet of music? Former FEMA director James Lee Witt thought so back in 02/2002..., what happened?
August, 31st 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
Gustav - Mandatory Evacuations Ordered (and Heeded!!)
The projected track of Gustav for now is very, very close to being "the mother of all storms" for New Orleans, the major population center in the area. As with Katrina, NOLA could also be spared the worst effects of the storm by just a handfull of miles with a current projected landfall 75 klicks west of NOLA (15R YP 82 17) in the vicinity of Dulac (15R YN 21 51), in Terrebonne Parish. That's not to say the impacts of Gustav won't still be quite serious in NOLA..., they most certainly will (and if (when, i.e. West Bank!) the levees fail again, much worst still), but for those on the shores of Lake Barre..., destruction up through Houma, LA (15R YN 20 76), plus most everything between it and NOLA.
Hopefully Gustav, which is not nearly as large in area of hurricane force winds as Katrina, will weaken and track just another couple dozen miles further to the West (the largest surge/flood and wind forces further away from NOLA). In any case, local, state and the federal agencies involved have in respects to evacuations performed much better thus far, a public that listened and heeded the call ( still..., much room for improvement).
Senator Lieberman (chair of the Sen. homeland security committee) is on the news this morning, demonstrating his ignorance by telling the American people that we are "a thousand times better prepared than before Katrina," a pure fantasy. For smaller disasters through the low-end of catastrophic...when there are days worth of warnings, yes, we are certainly better prepared in some states....
Danger: Gustav, which will likely be a moderately large disaster, holds peril beyond the damages the storm itself will actually cause. We should not become complacent again like so many times before, thinking we are in fact "a thousand times better prepared" for all threats, anywhere! The exact same types of things we've heard already...many times, for one, they were said in the years following Hurricane Andrew about leaning forward, new vision, etc...! In truth, we tend to only prepare for the latest of disasters..., proclaim great success, then get caught again with our pants all the way down around our ankles when the next larger one hits...and there are scales of magnitude larger than Katrina in our future.
In particular, there are many thousands of complications and delays (related to "location") never to be accounted for or reported on disaster operations, because so many disater workers have become so accustomed to the enterprise-wide disorganization and frequently encountered chaos..., thinking it as "being the norm," attributing same to "that's just what comes with a disaster..., we can't do any better...."
Yes we can, and in states like Florida, Missouri, Mississippi, Washington DC, North Carolina, Ohio..., Skagit County, Washington yes they have in various ways and levels of USNG implementation...(a multi-year process that requires leadership).
August, 29th 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
Now (Gustav) vs. Then (Katrina)
Confused, or simple propaganda
If R. David Paulison, the FEMA director of Preparedness for the three years leading up to Katrina, promoted because of that work to become FEMA's Director for the past three years, if he is insisting to the American public that the difference now (Gustav) vs. then, before Katrina, is that back then "supplies were not pre-positioned until after landfall. Urban search and rescue teams were not dispatched until after landfall...," yet one of his FEMA bosses back then, almost three years ago to the day, told the PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on Katrina day two that: (PATRICK RHODE) "We are looking at massive amounts of commodities, disaster assistance teams, we're looking at urban search and rescue teams, all of which were pre-deployed ahead of this pending cat. 5 hurricane when it was pending...."
Propaganda, "New Vision", fake news conferences, more propaganda, more "New Vision"....
Hopefully, Gustav will be a soft hit in a fairly unpopulated area (15R YN 10 10) along the coast and all will proclaim the success of a "New Vision." Even if a hard hit into more densly populated areas (16R BT 86 07), hopefully the hard work with regards to evacuations (that should have been done decades ago) will payoff.
We are as a Nation still very much unprepared for true catastrophe in so many ways, "maps" included (and perhaps the easiest to solve for...), speedy location-based coordination needed more than ever to deal with consequence managment of principle threats/risks/concerns like biological attack.... (Mr. Paulison,) are we even close to being prepared for that?
- - -
"...a critical deficiency in U.S. consequence management...CBIRF´s ability to respond to threats within the United States will continue to be severely hindered. There will be continued friction in Homeland Security operations...."
(USMC Chemical Biological Incident Response Force, 06/2005)
August, 28th 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
Here comes Gustav - FEMA has again failed to prepare itself and others when it comes to maps
- - -
JIM LEHRER (Katrina, Day Two): "Is there a system for doing that? Have you all worked out a grid system of some kind for checking out every place?"
PATRICK RHODE (FEMA Deputy Director): "That's something that we're working on right now with both the cities and the states as we go through this. We're really relying upon a combination of their intelligence and also our intelligence...."
- - -
As captured in an excellent work from the National Journal , read this article by Jessica Sperlongano regarding the 2001 vision for FEMA to "...help save lives, reduce the costs of disaster, and enhance preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation efforts..." on disasters just like Katrina, and just how well that worked out, or didn't...; do so, read Jessica's article, then take a moment and listen to NPR WESAT's excellent report from Dan Charles on the US National Grid, "New Kind of Map Could Help Emergency Response," before reading even the next paragraph further down on this website.
The current FEMA management in the nearly three years since Katrina, the very people in FEMA who quite literally were in charge of "Preparedness" during the three years leading up to Katrina, still have failed to professionally address maps, mapping, and a common operating grid (USNG) in preparation for this hurricane season or any other disaster that might strike without warning. Moreover, they have exhibited absolutely zero leadership with regards to this critical element of a successful disaster response.
Just search FEMA's website on "USNG"!
Still all these years and lessons learned (plus the US Senate's Katrina report lessons learned and recommendation) later, nothing. Not a frelling thing. Read through the list of items listed in the section below, they are in time order from the most recent going back to Hurricane Andrew. Then ask yourself, does FEMA have any vision at all, never mind a "New Vision"?
Ignore the FEMA propaganda in the coming days, just imagine yourself working on the ground and attempting to communicate/coordinate with tens of thousands of others...but there only a small handfull of the maps required (day one, hour one and for weeks to come), most of these without a common operating grid (USNG). Like Katrina, the wildfires last year and this year in California, a good many will have no maps at all.
Frelling rabble.
Any of the communities who will be impacted by Gustav as well other disasters to come, and our prayers are for the best of possible outcomes, they can at least be thankful that there are others right now, tonight, from several other federal, state, and .edu entities, working hard to fill the void that FEMA has thus far refused to fill; first of all, to be sure that thousands of USNG gridded maps and map books are ready for responders coming from anywhere...to anywhere. Will there be enough such products for Gustav? Will digital mapping displays conform, both visually and with respect to reported locations of individuals and map features, to the USNG standard for geoaddressing? Will thousands of non-military responders understand how and why to use them as professionals? How to communicate in a common standards-based language...? It remains to be seen how things will go (thank heavens USNG is the civil counterpart to MGRS so that interoperability with the National Guard is a given, and veterans, responding in civilian capacities, are already far down the path in terms of awareness and training).
One thing is for sure and completely beyond dispute, FEMA has already failed in these critically important regards before Gustav has even come ashore.
- - -
Addendum - August 29th, 2008
Sources with direct knowledge of conference calls between FEMA and the State of Florida, report that in the past weeks (Hurricane Fay response) Florida state officials reinforced with FEMA the fact that they had adopted the US National Grid state-wide shortly after Katrina, and wanted FEMA assets to be on the same map sheet of music for the Fay response and recovery. Evidently, FEMA (HQ in Washington DC), simply just did not want to talk about it....
FEMA seems to be at odds with not only the state of Florida, but continues to disregard common sense, the Department of Defense, the National Search and Rescue Committee and so many others.
August 23rd, 2008 Associated Press
New Orleans repeating deadly levee mistakes
August 21st, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
"We don't want you to remember our sons in the tragedy of that day. We don't want to remember them that way...that was one small moment in their lives. We want to remember them for what they'd done that day.
THEY'D HELD THE LINES."
Catherine Renno
Memorial donations in honor of The Iron 44 can be made to the
Wildland Firefighter Foundation
Thank you Ken and Shari Downhill, Northwest Timber Fallers, for your exceptionally moving photo tribute to The Iron 44.
August 13th, 2008 Grand Junction Free Press
Former Star Wars program director to speak in GJ today
By Sharon Sullivan, Grand Junction CO
"Some would say Robert Bowman is a patriot in more ways than one....”
August 10th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
What the frell are we waiting for?
Imagine, our swords into wind turbines!
With Mr. Graeme Attey’s design (congratulations Austrailia), and the others that can compete, what could an one time investment of $230 billion dollars (less than half of what we spend each year on DoD) do for the US Census 2010 projected 115 million households in the USA? (i.e. $2,000 each for residential wind/solar generation on a majority of those structures, figuring the economies of scale coming from an organized National program for rapid wind/solar generation technology deployment)? How many jobs alone? (Plus a huge reduction in our (USA's) largest in the world national carbon footprint!)
"The Challenge to Repower America"
On July 17th, Al Gore challenged America to produce 100 percent of our electricity from energy sources with zero carbon emissions - and to do so within 10 years. Wind is just one of many options that can make that necessity a reality! Solar power technologies have made huge gains, but when will America have real Leadership and a thoughtful National energy strategy to take advantage of the gains to reward all of the American people (for once)?
Widescale Biodiesel Production (University of New Hampshire)
To think that we have the knowledge to completely eliminate our entire demand for oil (foreign, and domestic) in a carbon neutral way within ten years... and still drive big trucks! It's a reality, for another "roughly $308 billion" investment, and at the same time building millions of quality sustainable jobs all across the USA, we could also change our world (turning all of the trillions of dollars in savings into building a better USA and planet)!!
What are the alternatives? More war for oil? Big oil and electric companies that continue to strangle our economy, pollute our planet, so that their short-sighted gains in wealth can be realized with their existing infrastructure while average people can no longer afford to heat their homes or drive to work...? The best we can get from some of our politicians is a frelling simpleton "off-shore drilling for oil" energy plan? What ARE the alternatives?
Job security?
If global warming continues to accelerate and our energy crisis combined with our economic and National debt crises are left to the same corrupt bunch who have been running things over the past decade, it will mean much more work for emergency managers with much less available in terms of resources.
August 6th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
Another Tragic Day for the US Fire Service
Nine Die in California Wildland Fire Helicopter Crash, Four Seriously Injured
For a cause still to be determined, a large S-61N Fire King type 1 helitaker, owned and operated by Carson Helicopters Inc., crashed and burned at approximately 1930hrs on August 5th shortly after take-off from Helispot 44 on a shuttle flight of firefighters from a remote area in Northern California's Trinity Alps Wilderness (10T DL 7751 2749). The accident reportedly took the lives of two firefighter pilots and seven firefighters. One other firefighter pilot and three firefighters were seriously injured in the incident and flown to hospitals.
August 6th, 2008 Washington Post
I.O.U.S.A. - Indebted Ever After
Scared by National Deficit? You Should Be, Filmmakers Say.
August 4th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
Border Patrol Contractor Screws Up the Virtual Fence Project
Additional Cost to Taxpayer: Many Millions, Another Five Years for First Phase of Project Completion
It took just a few seconds to find the answer to why a Border Patrol dispatcher on a cable television program last night, was seen using the new DHS - Boeing pilot project for a Virtual Fence along the Arizona/Mexico border, and, giving a radio call to agents in the field describing the location of a detected intrusion...using one of the three versions of latitude and longitude! Moreover (and not surprisingly), the message traffic was NOT a "good copy" and took additional time for the location to be properly resolved by the agents on the ground (ie. operational friction).
Come on DHS and Boeing!! The Border Patrol has agents on the ground that are very experienced using maps and radios...and to see/hear any of the lat/longs for their kind of work is just so very foolish! Did you not even ask them what they needed?
A quick search on Google for "US Border Patrol Virtual Fence" brought back the answer, the number one result, detailed in yet another excellent Washington Post article by Spencer Hsu: 'Virtual Fence' Along Border To Be Delayed
As it turns out, nobody asked the Border Patrol agents on the ground what they wanted, needed, and/or what would be most effective to get their critically important job done.
"...Problems included Boeing's use of inappropriate commercial software, designed for use by police dispatchers, to integrate data related to illicit border-crossings. Boeing has already been paid $20.6 million for the pilot project, and in December, the DHS gave the firm another $65 million to replace the software with military-style, battle management software...."
All this sounds so very familiar, again, and again, and again. Never mind police/fire dispatch software used around the USA will not suffice for homeland security roles, even the basics. Most, while quite capable of doing so, are not set to input/display at the user interface a simple (standard) grid coordinate (USNG)!
Frelling Rabble.
August 4th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
A very important book Editorial Review (www.Amazon.com)
The Wrecking Crew
In his previous book, Thomas Frank explained why working America votes for politicians who reserve their favors for the rich. Now, in The Wrecking Crew, Frank examines the blundering and corrupt Washington those politicians have given us.
Casting back to the early days of the conservative revolution, Frank describes the rise of a ruling coalition dedicated to dismantling government. But rather than cutting down the big government they claim to hate, conservatives have simply sold it off, deregulating some industries, defunding others, but always turning public policy into a private-sector bidding war. Washington itself has been remade into a golden landscape of super-wealthy suburbs and gleaming lobbyist headquarters—the wages of government-by-entrepreneurship practiced so outrageously by figures such as Jack Abramoff.
It is no coincidence, Frank argues, that the same politicians who guffaw at the idea of effective government have installed a regime in which incompetence is the rule. Nor will the country easily shake off the consequences of deliberate misgovernment through the usual election remedies. Obsessed with achieving a lasting victory, conservatives have taken pains to enshrine the free market as the permanent creed of state.
Stamped with Thomas Frank’s audacity, analytic brilliance, and wit, The Wrecking Crew is his most revelatory work yet—and his most important.
July 29th, 2008 Washington Post
Strategy Against Al-Qaeda Faulted
Report Says Effort Is Not a 'War'
July 22nd, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
Hello Dolly
There is little doubt that Texas, FEMA, or the Nation can easily deal with a storm like Dolly. Let's hope there are no casualties, few losses of property, and that Dolly will bring important rain to the areas needing it most after she comes ashore and sweeps across the land.
Are we ready for the catastrophic? Clearly no, not even close, that is being put off to the next Administration..., like so much else.
July 17th, 2008 Washington Post
U.S. Summers to Get Hotter and Deadlier Due to Climate Change
"Climate change will have a 'substantial' impact on human health in the coming decades, making wildfires and hurricanes more likely, cooking up more smog, and making summer heat waves longer, hotter and deadlier, according to a new report today from the Environmental Protection Agency...."
- - - -
Gore: Carbon-free electricity in 10 years doable
July 14th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
Ever wonder what a Bush/Chertoff "I value the independent and innovative advice I receive from these trusted counselors" US homeland security advisory council member does with his time?
Guess the story behind the link above, which some could view as an almost complete preoccupation with corruption, could also explain why the council seemingly has no time to recommend things like..., a common frelling map grid.
July 14th, 2008 The Washington Post
"Fear and anxiety were exploited by zealots and fools."
----
July 12th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
Surprise! More California Wildland Interface Fires
This past week in California, almost 20,000 firefighters (and soldiers) from many different states came under a kinda unified command of CAL FIRE (few if any maps/equipment/commo/training set to USNG/MGRS, the "standard" map grid were catastrophe to strike).
It is very unlikely if the "Maps were the key pieces of intelligence that were needed early on, but many crews did not have them"
(California Fires, 10/2007) issues from the previous year had even been addressed, let alone solved.
Most amazing of all, US Fire Administrator Cade sent three or four of his staff as "disaster tourists" to California and it is doubtful if any of them, like Cade, even understand why having more than enough quality maps with a "common map grid" day one, hour one (GPS set to same), is even important!
July 12th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
The Supreme Court and hard work of many good public servants at EPA and other Federal agencies ignored by Bush political appointees and their minions; EPA testimony squashed by Cheney; White House refuses to read the e-mail!
Like so much else, the only progress in the USA towards addressing our engery crisis and the related and most dangerous threat faced by the entire planet, Global Warming, comes from individuals, cities, and states; Federal leadership left to the next Administration! (PS: never mind the FEMA propaganda, a MODERN EMERGENCY RESPONSE SYSTEM will also have to wait!)
(F-16 "bail out" graphic created from a fantastic U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Bennie J. Davis III. Endorsement by either Davis or the Air Force of this website (EM) and/or it's content is neither inferred nor implied by use of the graphic.)
July 9th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
"I expect today’s hearing will also generate a sense of outrage."
July 4th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
NIOSH Director, Supporter of 9/11 WTC Workers, Reportedly Fired by Administration
POLITICO's David Rogers reported last night that the White House is seeking a new NIOSH director, this with only 7 (long) months to go in office.
One can only guess at the reasons such a fine public servant, Dr. John Howard, is being let go, but surely his support for documentation and follow-up medical care for those who worked WTC are most suspect. So much so, that this propaganda-driven Administration falsely believes it is providing itself cover and concealment by offering Rogers a "short term assignment as senior adviser related to NIOSH’s work related to the World Trade Center."
July 4th, 2008 Philadelphia Inquirer Chris Satullo: A not-so-glorious Fourth
"We took the coward's way."
July 3rd, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM) Benedict Oilmen
Simply treasonous blunt-force corruption, profiteering, and ineptitude.
June 21st, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: Observations on DHS’s Preparedness for Catastrophic Disasters
GAO Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Management, Investigations, and Oversight, Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives (06/11/2008)
"Achieving interoperable communications and creating effective mechanisms for sharing information are long-term projects that require Federal leadership ... the SAFECOM program has had a limited impact on improving communications interoperability among federal, state, and local agencies. The program’s limited effectiveness can be linked to poor program management practices, such as the lack of a plan for improving interoperability across all levels of government, and inadequate performance measures to fully gauge the effectiveness of its tools and assistance. We recommended, among other things, that DHS develop and implement a program plan for SAFECOM that includes goals focused on improving interoperability among all levels of government."
We are so totally frelled! So much more so than SAFECOM's failings posted above from GAO's prepared testimony. How fraught with error and bulked up with wordiness are NIMS and the NRF..., while as GAO reports there are still no real plans (for interoperable communications), nothing to even bring the Fed together, never mind the states and locals.
Rabble. Paulison's Rabble.
One wonders if GAO understands the concept of a "common map grid" and why that is so very important, the starting place, when it comes to preparedness for catastrophic disasters? Did GAO bother to search either US Fire Service Needs Assessment reports (2002/2006) on the word "interoperability"? Think communications, operations, a plain and common language for location. (Plus, have they considered in the least, real lessons learned again, and again, the critical need for quality (USNG gridded) maps from day one, hour one?)
June 20th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
In Gulf Port, Il, only 28 resident's had flood insurance
Others say they were told levee would hold; many dropped insurance
Floods are terrible disasters, the home is often left somewhat intact but still damaged, soaked..., belongings ruined by foul water, mold, and mildew; homeowners left with smelly, dirty, terrible realities. However, anyone who says that FEMA encouraged homeowners to drop their flood insurance because of levee "protection" is not only flat-out wrong, but somehow the wires have been crossed in that object sitting atop their shoulders.
In this case, FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) deserve much credit for the work they do in terms of flood hazard insurance, mitigation, floodplain mapping, and advertising over and over about just how much more likely it is that homes will flood rather than burn over the life of the average 30-year mortgage..., (though it should be remembered, many, many more are injured or die from fire each and every year). No credible/competent FEMA employee would ever encourage someone to drop their flood insurance because a community has levee "protection" certified up to the one percent annual chance flood. Rather, they would much more likely have STRONGLY encouraged the continuance of a NOW LESS EXPENSIVE non-Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) flood insurance policy, knowing full well that history has taught us over the years..., that levees are an imperfect form of flood protection.
Are there incompetent, inexperienced, and hobbyist FEMA employees out there? Of course there are, just like any organization, somehow goof balls slip through using resumes that have been padded, friends and family, etc.... In fact, there is in the public record, for example, a few such non-career ding-dongs who recommended to the State of Louisiana during the year following Katrina that the state should not improve it's preparedness for the next time around in terms of mapping, interoperability, successfully communicating location, by understanding and fully implementing the (spatial reference standard) for a common operating grid (USNG). Something like that however, is the exception and not the rule. It is highly doubtful that there is any public record anywhere of any FEMA employee, part-time or career, in anyway encouraging people to drop their flood insurance policies.
Credit where credit is due: In fact, it has been the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and FEMA Mitigation over the years, working with many others like ASFPM..., that have educated, stressed, and encouraged a lessening or elimination of residential and commercial construction in floodplains against major forces pulling things the other direction; plus construction practices that have greatly lessened losses for those that do build or retrofit in flood hazared areas. FEMA has always encouraged the purchase of flood insurance. Taking the good with some of the pre-FIRM older construction bad, and while not perfect, the NFIP overall has been a very successful national mitigation effort for a substantial natural hazard risk. One of, if not the most successful of it's kind..., anywhere in the world..., ever. 
(The 02/1994 map that launched a concentrated effort by NFIP to improve it's address/location file for all insured properties.)
Still, more needs to be done. The vast majority of the more than 100 recommendations made by the "Galloway report" (SHARING THE CHALLENGE: Floodplain Management into the 21st Century) following the 1993 floods, have been all but ignored by this Administration the the previous one as well. Even more wetlands destroyed, shoddy levees finished in 1999 for parts of New Orleans (the ones that failed, the older ones stood-up), as even more levees have been built to "protect" tens of thousands of new homes and the largest (3-mile long) strip-mall in the USA..., placed into flood prone areas near St. Louis.... Politicians and others must not give in to the easier path of short-term "recovery", followed by money-grubbing development, without long-term sustainability through stringent enforcement of required retrofit/elevation/relocation of flood prone properties. Sustainable use and regulation of floodplains is the only course to over time reduce the number of sad news stories about terrible losses; homes less often washed away whenever the water rises.
FEMA, under the leadership of former director James Lee Witt, moved entire communities up onto the bluffs of the Mississippi River following the 1993 floods and bought out many others, offering additional money in disaster aid to help flood victims purchase flood insurance in preparation for the next time around (that evidently many dropped as soon as they had to pay for the coverage themselves). Where funding has permitted, FEMA, states, and many communities alike have targeted repetitive loss structures for nearly two decades buyout assistance....
Flooding in the USA, like fire, is a huge problem. Here is an over-simplified view, just as there are builder associations that work and lobby against sprinklers in new residential construction to protect from fire, there are some builders and others who want to build where and how they will, as profitable to their short-term interests as possible; land owners who want to sell off their flood prone lands to development; some near-sighted local communities wanting tax revenue and a variety of other reasons who do not properly enforce their own floodplain regulations; home owners who will not take take responsibility upon themselves to purchase flood insurance; others who do anything they can to be sure the FEMA flood maps show their water-front property as outside of the "regulated" floodplain (so that they can perhaps sell their homes to others claiming they are not prone to flooding). Lastly, there is another separate group and unfortunate concentration of low-income folks our society has for decades trapped in homes that are in flood prone areas. It is this last group that needs the help of government to develop sustainability through insurance, elevation, buy-outs, and relocations. These are the only homeowners who should be allowed to participate in hopefully carefully administered programs like Louisiana's "Road Home" (and in NOLA, their “Road Home” may well be much less-than-sustainable or carefully administered, given the many physical and political factors challenging that dangerously located city; and the environmental degradation making things all the worse).
To the credit of many, like Tulsa, OK, for instance, there are many communities and states that before and after 1993 have had a long-held tradition of sustainable and thoughtful floodplain management.
A destructive cycle of simply blaming FEMA for flooding that has been experienced in the past, flooding that will surely be experienced again, does not protect nor serve citizens well and harms any community's long-term interests. It simply makes for news stories that sound just like so many other flood disaster news stories heard again and again over the years: "we were told we didn't need flood insurance."
If you live in an area "protected" by a levee, you most certainly need flood insurance, highly recommended for many other areas as well.
June 18th, 2008 Washington Post
"...There is no longer any doubt as to whether the current administration has committed war crimes. The only question that remains to be answered is whether those who ordered the use of torture will be held to account...." (Major General Anthony Taguba (Ret.))
June 18th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
One Year Later - The Loss Still Unacceptable
Mourning 9 Heroes
The Post and Courier's reporting (www.Charleston.net)..., one of a kind.
"'Charleston 9' to be Remembered on Anniversary of Tragedy"
FireHouse.com's Comprehensive Coverage
Firefighters Need to Know
www.EveryoneGoesHome.com
June 17th, 2008 Washington Post
Former Navy general counsel, The Honorable Alberto J. Mora: "our Nation's policy decision to use so-called 'harsh' interrogation techniques during the War on Terror was a mistake of massive proportions. . . . This interrogation policy -- which may aptly be labeled a 'policy of cruelty' -- violated our founding values, our constitutional system and the fabric of our laws, our over-arching foreign policy interests, and our national security."
June 17th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
SHARING THE CHALLENGE: Floodplain Management into the 21st Century
and the SAST Report
From the aftermath of the The Midwest Floods of 1993, the White House-based reports SHARING THE CHALLENGE: Floodplain Management into the 21st Century, and the SAST Report, stand to this day as principle studies for "Floodplain Management into the 21st Century" and should be required reading for many who regulate and/or live in flood prone areas.
Moreover, there is no such thing as a "one hundred year" or "five hundred year" flood or floodplain. Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMS) portray the one percent and a 0.2 percent annual chance flood/floodplain (ie. in any given year met or exceeded). Many people play the lottery faithfully, spending hundreds of dollars in any given year gambling on many millions to one chances of winning..., but won't spend a few hundred dollars to buy flood insurance.... Go figure, somehow "one in a hundred," or "one in five hundred" odds seem for many to be so difficult to comprehend!
Take a read of this very good letter to the Editor of the Press-Register, FEMA Developing Technology for Accurate Flood Mapping, from one of FEMA's best leaders, DAVID MAURSTAD, the Assistant Administrator of Mitigation. All accurate, and though written a year ago (given floods like fires are persistent problems with common failures in terms of inspection, local regulation/enforcement), completely applicable to the current flooding in the Midwest.
June 15th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
For Iowa, The Long Road Home
These terrible Iowa floods, plus other states in the Midwest, looking at how this Administration and Congress have operated over recent years, it looks as if homeowners in Iowa may be eligible for on average a $59,000 dollar GRANT, up to as much as $150,000. 
The FEMA propaganda team has been busy putting out comparisons to Katrina in terms of "Response," let's see how well they do in terms of "Recovery," Mitigation, and Preparedness for the next time around..., and there will be a next time around.
June 13th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole ~ Somewhere over the Rainbow
June 13th, 2008 NY Times
In Eastern Iowa, the City That ‘Would Never Flood’ Goes 12 Feet Under
- - - -
This GazetteOnline.com story back in March said it all. One can only wonder how many in Cedar Rapids heeded the direct and clear warnings three months ago to BUY FLOOD INSURANCE (there is an one-month period before the policy becomes effective)!! "...Homeowners are four times more likely to receive a loss from flooding than fire...."
June 12th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
Floods and tornadoes bring misery to the Midwest
Today's tragedy in Iowa including Boy Scouts killed, other Scouts responding like the future leaders this country needs..., in all of the states hit by disaster in recent weeks, the strength of Americans coming together to do the best they can in times of crisis shown again, no matter their race, creed, immigration status or color, Americans all, all stacking sandbags.
The true grit of a great Nation. Flag pins optional.
FEMA, State, and local agencies, as they did for the 1993 and 1995 Midwest floods, all doing a good job.
June 12th, 2008 CNN
June 11th, 2008 Salon
How Karl Rove played politics while people drowned
Nothing we (EM) have read over the past several years, has made so many of the pieces fall into place in terms of understanding how things could have possibly gone so wrong. Were there still a Constitution in the USA that anyone paid any real attention to, and/or Justice (eg. "law", had the White House kept their emails as the "law" required "...between March of 2003 and October of 2005...."), a good number of people would soon be behind bars..., for life.
June 5th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
SENATORS LIEBERMAN, COLLINS CALL ON DHS TO IMPLEMENT MODERN EMERGENCY RESPONSE SYSTEM
How about a "common map grid"...one set of street names, one universal map grid overlay and reference system for equipment, ops, plans (like evacuations), mitigation..., anywhere in the USA (or World)?
After all Senator Lieberman, was it not your Committee who over the past weeks, listened to testimony that the risk of nuclear attack "on U.S. cities has grown in the past five years because of the spread of nuclear technology and the growth of a global terrorist movement"?
May 28th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
Plus, another recommended read for those concerned with "Washington’s Culture of Deception"!
May 23rd, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
Hurricane Season 2008 - Chertoff and Paulison, "Emergency Response Super Stars"
Have Yet to "Get serious. Be prepared."
The FEMA Administrator, R. David Paulison, evidently has had himself (along with his boss) crowned as "emergency response super stars" in the same breath as they encourage others to "get serious, be prepared." They and others are also putting on a display of "the joint activities being planned this year and their efforts to improve coordination when helping communities to prepare for, respond to and recover from hurricanes...FEMA released the new National Response Framework that will help coordinate activities at every level of government, as well as with the private sector. FEMA has improved its ability to deliver assistance...." (A National Response Framework that does not use the word "map" one single time, despite recommendations from DoD and others!)
How bizarre is it as they "get serious" about this, the last hurricane season for which they, Paulison and Chertoff, will keep their "emergency response super stars" crowns, that a search on their respective agency websites for "USNG", or "US National Grid", returns nothing at all? No information like "lets use a common map grid" is returned, nothing! This in the light of lessons learned (in their case, observed), while at the same time the Coast Guard and National Guard, along with US&R Teams and others will all be on the same map sheet of music (USNG) for a catastrophic hit (all-hazards) this 2008 season. With notable exceptions, it seems many parts of FEMA will super respond like in days of old (Katrina, SS Columbia...), encourage states and locals to do nothing in terms of geospatial/map preparedness..., basically what they did in 2005: just show up with no quality maps in any number whatsoever, no universal language for location, have GPS set to whatever, and/or telephone book maps and other hobbyist products with no reference grid overlay (or just as useless, a non-standard grid); still many unaware of why any of that even matters!
Thank heavens, in a surreal sense, when looking at what was said the year before Katrina, that the "emergency response super star" in charge of Federal "Preparedness" for several years leading up to Katrina is in charge of FEMA now, getting serious...being prepared! He surely understands just what he is doing, what he has done, someone so good, so experienced, such a "response super star" that he did not even need to listen to his own employees (or little 'ol DoD and many others), or even read his own agency reports to say in 2004 that: "'FEMA was not very well organized (in 1992) to handle that type of emergency,' Paulison said. 'FEMA took too long.' Now, as a FEMA official himself, he says the federal agency is 'ten times better prepared' for such an event."
Contrast that with this seemingly complaining analysis to Congress from former FEMA director James Lee Witt (also in 2004): "I am extremely concerned that the ability of our nation to prepare for and respond to disasters has been sharply eroded. I hear from emergency managers, local and state leaders, and first responders nearly every day that the FEMA they knew and worked well with has now disappeared."
It's not like Witt was not willing to pay proper respect, even congratulating the "leadership coming from the White House," as he did two years earlier, before the Bush Administration, with the same care they took to plan for the war in Iraq..., started to reorganize, then reorganize again, tearing things apart, stomping them into smaller pieces..., begining to drown capabilities and programs..., even great progress that had been made on a common map grid standard (USNG)... in the frelling bathtub..., thus, making things "ten times better prepared."
"There was no unification," he said. "Those were hard lessons learned."
May 13th, 2008 Slate
A Few Good Soldiers
More members of the military turn against the terror trials.
By Emily Bazelon and Dahlia Lithwick
May 10th, 2008 Washington Post
May 4th, 2008 Washington Post
Bush's War on Terror
"Our battle with al-Qaeda is a long one," he said. "It isn't our battle only. Our tragedy -- and what makes things worse -- is that al-Qaeda is united. And our coalition is divided, even though we have a common enemy." "Relatives of the 17 sailors who died on the Cole said they are furious at Yemen for releasing the plotters. But they expressed equal disdain for their own government...'I was just flat told that he wouldn't meet with us...I'm sorry, but it's just like the lives of American servicemen aren't that important.'"
May 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
Terrible Tragedies Define "Catastrophic"
Myanmar (Burma) - Tragic Cyclone and Devastating "Response"
and
China - Huge 7.9-Magnitude Earthquake in Sichuan Province
Right now, sending a financial donation is the best any of us can help our brothers and sisters in both Myanmar and China! Give whatever you can to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
- - -
Time to Act on Myanmar's Crimes Against Humanity (Daniel Schorr)
April 26th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
When?
DHS Secretary Chertoff was asked by one of the USA's excellent fire chiefs at the annual Congressional Fire Service Institute event, something along the lines of: "When is DHS going to finally (fully) implement USNG?"
US Fire Administrator Cade, along with members of Congress were also in the room.
Mr. Chertoff, when pressed ("Katrina was certainly a lesson observed...NIMS...") for an answer, beyond the "isn't Google already doing that?" he gave at first, reportedly turned to Mr. Cade and said "this sounds like a good idea, we'll check into it." (Seemingly neither recognized or understood why Sec. Chertoff himself and Sec. Ridge before him had placed their signatures on the DHS grants guidance documents that "strongly recommended (Grantees) to review" USNG; or that for Fed agencies, the USNG standard is by Presidential Exec Order...mandatory.)
Mr. Chertoff, Mr. Cade, respectfully, please consider this as awareness training: this is a critically important issue ("one of the three"). USNG is the solution for the no "common language of location" problem that causes substantial operational friction in emergency and disaster operations large and small.
Coulda, woulda, shoulda: "Clinton convoy escort...Officer down, South Houston Aqueduct, Grid: 0546 2826" Instead of THIS!
Goodness gracious, DHS sent all of it's assets and those of all other federal agencies (excepting DoD) to a Katrina disasterground with a "NIMS" but without a common map grid! Let's frelling repeat that, almost four years after the FGDC adopted USNG, DHS sent all of it's assets to work Katrina without a common map grid. Of course, the states and locals were all over the place in terms of maps and mapping as well. (Neither MS or LA were/are unique in this lack of preparedness.)
When Mr. Chertoff, when are you going to pay serious attention to a serious problem that is so relatively easy to (geo)address?
DHS (SAFECOM) took the term "interoperability" and turned it on it's ear, narrowing the meaning to basically radios and being able to speak to one another when needed, ignoring what was being said and how (in a common language). NIMS was also supposed to have addressed the common language ideal, but failed, beyond the "no 10-codes" mantra. Basic stuff, like using the correct International Phonetic Alphabet never mentioned, the notion of a common map grid, a universal language for location (often in support of street addressing) not mentioned in NIMS v1, kinda inferred post-Katrina in a muddled fashion for NIMS v2, mostly stating the problems but still not specifying the already adopted solution (standard), USNG (2001).... Goodness gracious, who's running this circus? NIMS is how thick a document with how many (mostly BS) training courses required for all, fed, state, local..., but no stipulation of a common operating grid?
Imagine, Messieurs Chertoff and Cade, all those frelling dollars spent on spatial (location-based) technologies, maps, plans..., but so few of them set/used at the human interface using the standard (in support of street addressing) for such a critical element of information: location! (See 1.3 - Applicability)
The term "common operational picture" has also been misapplied by many. A common ops picture for most applications in the USA today is really only a sometimes "common picture," when multiple entities are looking at the same map/image view, often including mission relevant content (overlays/themes)..., then attempting to operate in a unified manner. In reality, such a "picture" remains just that, a simple picture moderately useful (better than nothing) by the few who share the same view.
Former FEMA director James Lee Witt understood this (so did the White House) back in 2001/2002. USNG is where "common operational" gets added to the "picture" (the same sheet of music: all paper maps products at scales of approximately 1:1,000,000 and larger, plus USNG coordinate readout at the user interface for digital systems).
By the time Katrina hit in 2005, the State of Florida had already decided to adopt and implement a common operating grid. One of the reasons was told by a professional GISer who works for the state emergency management office, how a commercial imagery provider had shot/printed/provided at no cost..., hundreds of large format rectified air photos of the impacted areas..., thinking they would be of use to the disaster responders working the largest of that (2004) season's four hurricanes. The APs/maps were basically useless without a reference system overlay (of any kind) and never used.
Messieurs Chertoff and Cade, don't focus on GIS or technology (while important) without first understanding/solving for the basics: it's not solely about the GIS techy, your frelling computer displays in command centers in DC tracking ice shipments, or JFOs with the oh so useful declared county maps by the hundreds..., it's much more about EOCs and CPs, responders and disaster workers in the field, on the ground, all needing (USNG gridded) large format paper maps, hopefully GPS and vehicle mounted nav/info systems..., all set to the same thing at the (trained) user interface (USNG) day one, hour one (updated frequently with ops info, enter GIS)! Moreover, it's about having Leadership at high enough levels to make the difference necessary.
Nice thing, even when maps or map images (rectified "pictures") are different but cover the same geographies, USNG-NAD83 makes them "common" and "operational" (interoperable). Wouldn't it be nice if someday, all of those gas station maps, phonebook maps, ADC/Thomas/McNally maps..., all used a common map grid? One set of street names, one map grid? (Given they tend to be the only maps available on the ground...hour one, day one.... Today each and everyone has either a different grid reference system, or none at all.)
What happens on large or catastrophic disasters given our current status of "preparedness"?
"When is DHS going to finally (fully) implement USNG?"
April 21st, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
Two things that are good, one not nearly
- - - -
‘We have had lessons learned' - by Anthony L. Kimery (HSToday) Great article from Mr. Kimery in this review of the TOPOFF 4,
"Conducting and Coordinating" - Messaging - Unified
Now the bad news: FEMA's “After Action Quick Look Report"
Actually, a very well done "Quick Look" report on TOPOFF 4. It's readable, with many good observations including: "Participants reported delays in receiving “tear-line” versions of reports...Problems were observed that affected coordination within Unified Commands. Examples include the existence of multiple Unified Commands, command structures that did not follow the National Incident Management System (NIMS), and inexperienced personnel...Departments and agencies (D/As) at all levels of government lacked critical information at times....There was difficulty conducting and coordinating multiple missions at the incident sites...Decision-makers had difficulty interpreting plume and consequence prediction models, and using this information to support decision-making and public messaging...The Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC) had difficulty coordinating its activities with state officials in Oregon as is called for in its SOP...The private sector had difficulty effectively integrating into some aspects of the response...Public Information Officers (PIOs) at all levels of government had difficulty obtaining substantive information on response activities."
Wonder if a common map grid would help?
April 18th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
FEMA "Leadership"
October 2007, DHS first department-wide employee survey - The "Human Capital" employees of FEMA answer:
"How satisfied are you with the policies and practices of your senior leaders?"
Positive 30.7, Neutral 27.3, Negative 42.0
"In the past year I have seen improvement in the following area: Leadership."
Positive 33.9, Neutral 26.2, Negative 39.9
One wonders what the numbers look like from FEMA employees who remain that have seven years or more of service in the agency, witnesses to the troubled fire chief epoch in the history of such a troubled agency, especially given the size of FEMA has doubled since Katrina and folks who are new to the job tend to be (only) slightly more positive.... As it is, seven of ten Negative or frelling Neutral; reckon that's a "return on investment!"
But then again, everything just might (not) be coming up roses.... Imagine, a group of employees so dedicated by their sense of mission, service to others, and ability to work with each other to not just identify problems but also develop solutions..., yet so unconvinced those in charge of their frelling "human capital" can take advantage of such excellence.
In this spin, notice the outright disinformation: "10. With the exception of personal job satisfaction, aren't the positive survey results relatively low? In general, overall results are consistent with results for all of DHS."
What crap, "with the exception of personal job satisfaction," FEMA throughout the entire survey was consistently at the bottom of the responses along with TSA, Border, Immigration and most interestingly of all, the Secretary's Office! Moreover, components like TSA, Border, Immigration with their large numbers of employees and respondents have a substantial statistical impact on the "consistent with results for all of DHS" way of thinking..., and the FEMA spin ministry knows it (or should). To make such a comparison is complete garbage. It would make more sense to compare the FEMA results with the Coast Guard scores. Heavens forbid.
PS: Speaking of the Coast Guard, they will be using USNG for the next catastrophic disaster operation (having listened to and supported "Pathfinders").
April 18th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
Two Sides of the Same Iraq War Research - Related to Emergency Management?
"It was not an NDU study, nor was it a Pentagon study."
Many believe that if anything has been learned over especially the past decade of "news" coverage in the USA, the run up to war in Iraq for example, it's that you can't rely upon practically anything the media puts on the air or in print. NPR and Public Television seem to have become the last remaining portals where for the most part, issues are put into proper context, quoted correctly...(add Jon Stewart's The Daily Show, the only commercial interest...and it's not even "real" news!).
The Small Wars Journal today posted a perfect example regarding the Iraq War, and while neither what the media reported nor Joseph Collins' "fair summary of my personal research" is very reassuring, the media has something of a responsibility to be accurate and timely in what they report.
Related, have we really become a society of dimwits ruled by propaganda ministers that put out spin, taken up by select media/reporter buds who agree to reprint rather than report...so that they are first in line...all others take up the same message and repeat as if "news"? At least some are honest/competent enough to notice a similar reality: "Reading some of the news reports on the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) new report, “FEMA’s Preparedness for the Next Catastrophic Disaster,” which the OIG released Thursday, I found myself unable to keep from shaking my head and frowning in disbelief...."
April 15th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
FEMA's Green Success!
An infrequent look at FEMA's Homepage found this fantastic press release posted several days ago: "the first commercial building in Frederick County to be certified "green" by the U.S. Green Building Council"!! Absolutely fantastic and congratulations to the agency (in this case) leadership and all involved.
April 10th, 2008 Washington Post
White House torture advisers - History will not judge this kindly
April 9th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
FEMA wins 2008 Jefferson Muzzle Award from free-speech group
DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff: "I think it was one of the dumbest and most inappropriate things I’ve seen since I’ve been in government....”
"Nonetheless, grave damage had been done to the Agency’s credibility, and perhaps even more broadly to the news media’s level of confidence in official government dispatches and releases," according to the Jefferson Center. "While this event did not entail efforts to restrict or suppress information of the type that usually occasions a Muzzle, FEMA’s incredible and unique attempt to substitute false or fabricated speech for free speech surely merits a 2008 Jefferson Muzzle."
The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression is a unique organization, located in Charlottesville, Virginia, the Center enjoys close ties to the University of Virginia, but is an autonomous, not-for-profit entity devoted solely to the defense of free expression in all its forms. Convinced that an informed citizenry is the strongest defense of free expression, the Thomas Jefferson Center has made education the cornerstone of all its programs.
The Center's director Robert M. O’Neil said that “this year, perhaps more than any other, the incidents on which the Muzzles are based range from the imperious to the ridiculous."
One could easily conclude that FEMA was able to manage both, and then make matters worse still by baking a layered dishonesty cake, lying about why it had conducted the faux news conference in the first place with excuses that were "outlandish on so many levels, we don't know where to begin."
Yet another layer of the cake...and the icing...from a FEMA management culture that takes no responsibility for anyting, including this event, rather, they quickly blamed their "career people" ("...It wasn't intentional, but he (Johnson) was set up," Paulison said, "and he walked in there, and he didn't know everyone in the room...." "Those are career people. They should have stepped up and said something, they really should have. But their bosses said 'Do this,' and they did it -- some reluctantly, but there's no excuses for that," Paulison said...). Paulison two months later, after things had quieted down, stepped up and gave two of those supposed "career people" promotions.
"Identified in the photo are staff members that Johnson works closely with on a daily basis."
As is the norm with this Bush Administration, Medals of Freedom for all (except for General Shinseki)! Instead of "fire these people and the people who hired them, and then explain to the new people that the best way for a disaster relief agency to get good publicity is to do a good job helping disaster victims" (Bob Schieffer, CBS Face The Nation), FEMA's good ship propaganda continues to sail onward across the flat planet earth (winning awards).
Which Way to the National Grid,
National Journal April 29, 2006
Note: the FEMA PIO statement (Walker) per latitude/longitude is by his own agency's report (first US Fire Service Needs Assessment, excerpt posted below on this web site for years) an outright and intentional misrepresentation of truth (fact)! Divided by the three versions of lat/long, fewer than two percent of US fire departments would use lat/long in an emergency to guide other non-local responders to a specific location. It would also be very interesting to see in the four years before Katrina the FEMA maps, if any, that can be shown to have ever used USNG! Where are they? Who made them? When? For what purposes?
April 8th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
A challenged agency?
Several weeks ago, the FEMA director/administrator sat in front of Congress and testified that his agency paid taxpayer dollars to bring in contractors to tell FEMA what was wrong with itself, why it was “a challenged agency.” Evidently, paying large dollars to a company was somehow preferable to bringing together a group of it's own agency professionals. Such an approach, speaking with it's own troops (something Paulison simply will not do), using those who know the agency better than anyone else from the outside ever could, evidently would not have worked. Or, perhaps that sort of approach would have worked even better, but resulted in things the current FEMA management just does not want to hear; FEMA is more challenged now than at any time in it's history.
According to the testimony, FEMA management and Congress "began repairing the damage to what was, frankly, a challenged agency" some two years ago!(?) FEMA evidently was good enough to do the political dirty-work for President Bush the election year before Katrina. One wonders, given FEMA's own press releases at the time, was FEMA a "challenged agency" then, in 2004? Others noted at the time that: "Seldom has any agency delivered for a president as FEMA did in Florida."
What happened? Or can nothing from or about FEMA be taken literally 2001-2008? Perhaps FEMA's true role is to be used...and abused as an agency, a convenient (necessary?) whipping agency. Maybe this latest cycle was different though, the ruling class pursued it'spolitical and business aims using FEMA's appointments and contracts..., worked to remove public service and servants from the mix to the extent possible, ignoring them, reorganizing them till many either spew, or grow silent.... Contract out as much as possible to expensive commercial machines, then when things go wrong, throw it all out onto the "challenged agency" trash heap, blame the bureaucracy, plus "Brownie" at the bottom (and to think in 2004 how appreciated Mr. Brown had been). A process that perhaps has at the same time corrupted a public agency's fundamentals to the core, and the public trust it once enjoyed (perhaps mistakenly so). Cronies and a blurry “new vision.” The process repeats itself, new versions of past "visions" with new names, titles, committees, subcommittees, sub-working focus groups, meaningless metrics for many government services and programs where such concepts make very little sense, and of course, more reorganizations.
Perhaps Bush's management style is best put, congratulate and promote those in who had direct responsibility of "preparedness" for a storm just like Katrina (for the federal government and more), during the three years leading up to Katrina.
When in doubt, reorganize.
From the same recent Congressional testimony noted above, it appears the major success for the past year was a reversal of the mistaken decisions made by the “buds” a year before Katrina, where they tore FEMA apart renaming everything. The new success, putting it all back together again with even more new names and promotions for literally all involved. Reshuffled chairs, more chaos, more reorganizations, back into the FEMA fold after less than two year years (and the music seems never to stop, nobody sits down).
Of course, in the testimony things were stated differently. What was removed is simply placed "into the FEMA fold," as if for the first time: "We have made major changes over the past year as we integrated thePreparedness and Grants Programs Directorates into the FEMA fold and added theircapabilities and strengths to our existing preparedness and assistance programs."
Congratulations.
In addition to those reorganizations noted above, the National Emergency Training Center (NETC) is also being reorganized, so that, it appears, a few of the chosen can be promoted and other slots created for yet more "buds." Keep the managers and staff busy on the important stuff, reorganizations, till the next Administration reorganizes things again...one year later (and you know they will).
"This realignment looks very much like the way the organization was before we realigned several years ago. What is going on? Why are we being shuffled about? The staff is beginning to put names to greed and dysfunction; how can senior managers claim to be managers if they don't know how to manage change to improve the organization and its ability to deliver on its mission?" (USFA Response Section Staff - National Fire Programs, 09/2007)
Instead of "not this time," it's "tis time for another reorganization."
The little stuff? Heavens frelling forbid that FEMA management, via NIMS, would simply recommend (the) common map grid (standard, USNG)!
April 7th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
Professional Football Quarterback Marc Bulger Endorses Firefighter Seat Belt Pledge
Plus, USFA Reauthorized and Served Up Tall Glass of Milk
St. Louis Rams Quarterback Marc Bulger is making public service announcements with USFA Administrator Greg Cade to stress the importance of seat belt use by firefighters. Excellent, someone like Bulger understands from his work on the gridiron that not only are plans, practice, and clear communications important, but arriving to where you are needed using proper safety equipment is a must!
Seat Belts - - - - A Common Map Grid
Wet Paper Bags
Next thing you know, USFA will team with someone of both Cade and Bulger's competence to encourage all to use a common map grid (USNG) in plans, training, equipment, operations, communications before, during, and after disasters strike the USA. This recommendation would be analogous with driving at night while wearing seatbelts, headlights on and eyes open.
H.R. 4847 just passed the House this past week by a vote of 412-0 - a bill to reauthorize the U.S. Fire Administration for four years and authorizes the agency to focus its resources on important issues facing firefighters today, such as fires in the wildland-urban interface and hazardous material incidents. Authorization bills provide the authority (not the funding nor competence) for NFA to train fire service personnel to respond to catastrophes resulting from terrorist related activities; response coordination to multiple large-scale events (such as Katrina/Rita); requires USFA to provide training and info to federal agencies to clear biomass on federal wildlands (that's a laugh); and advanced emergency medical service issues.
A very tall glass of milk for a FEMA as judged by whether or not the current Integrated Emergency Management Course (IEMC) taught at the National Emergency Training Center uses maps with a common (intergrated) operating grid (USNG, the standard language of location to supplement street addresses/place names nationwide). Moreover, it is doubtful that the bill authorizes nearly enough funding for USFA to carryout all of it's missions, not even close, and the appropriations eventually funded will end up driving USFA even further into the ground, more mission with less funding. Additionally, funding the US Fire Service itself to overcome the their many needs, as identified twice in the past six years in the US Fire Service Needs Assessment reports (USFA/NFPA), has lacked by great measure from what was and is required (see Four Years Later - A Second Needs Assessment of the U.S. Fire Service). (The Iraq War was recently estimated to cost over the coming years in the $3+ Trillion dollar range.)
In addition to the everyday house fire, the US Fire Service must be prepared to respond to an wide array of hazards ranging from floods, earthquakes, and terrorist attacks (the danger of which has grown) that could take the lives of hundreds of thousands of citizens (or more), leaving millions needing help. This legislation does little to insure the continuance of the USFA except in name only, precious little more, let alone make up for the budget cuts in every year since 2001.
FEMA management also needs to develop and support leadership from within their own organization that in turn work with the men and women who form the core of the nation's emergency response forces.When experienced professionals suggest year after year to FEMA and USFA management that for all disasters, due to a lack of fundemental preparedness, maps are the key pieces of intelligence needed early on but many crews and other disaster workers will not have them, or they'll be torn from phone books (Andrew/Katrina) and few if any will include a professional common operating grid (USNG) overlay required for interoperability, it could be that there was someting to what they were/are saying, so listen!
From an agency that developed a National Response Framework that does not use the word “map” one single time, one wonders if some of the profoundly inexperienced actors who helped to develop it and the national Incident Management Team (IMT) structure, NIMS... (without any doctrine, like a common frelling map grid), that still has not effectively solved for many critical (basic) deficiencies in response coordination to multiple large-scale events (by implementing USNG), including biological and chemical attacks, one wonders if they can comprehend such things, and then train “the core of the nation's emergency response forces” to overcome: "a critical deficiency in U.S. consequence management...CBIRF´s ability to respond to threats within the United States will continue to be severely hindered. There will be continued friction in Homeland Security operations...." (USMC - Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (2005))
April 7th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
FEMA To Take Over Mass Care Role Formerly Held By Red Cross
An article on GovernmentExecutive.com includes: "...A recent report by the Government Accountability Office raises concerns about the new arrangement, however. While GAO supports FEMA's role as the primary agency for providing mass care, it questions whether it has the staff and resources to do so adequately. Additionally, neither FEMA nor the Red Cross nor other volunteer organizations are sufficiently prepared to support the elderly or people with disabilities during a disaster, auditors found...GAO specifically chastised FEMA for not coordinating efforts with the National Council on Disability, a federal agency that addresses disability issues. Such coordination is required by the law...."
The United States National Grid (USNG-NAD83) is "required" for Federal agencies by both OMB Circular and Presidential Executive Order (were any of that to matter under the Bush Administration). USNG since 2001, has been and is recommended for state and local agencies alike (and the general public for a number of reasons that in this country, due to a lack of leadership, most don't yet understand: location services; private; commercial..., it's much easier/accurate to enter a grid designation than most street addresses on your typical GPS...).
April 6th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
Congressional (Senate) Hearings No more trailers (or) ice, plus DHS's IG says "moderate," "modest," and "limited" progress in preparations for catastrophe From the prepared statement of the DHS IG, an office one can have confidence in, it seems evident that they are doing a fairly competent job in evaluating FEMA's performance over the past almost three years, since Katrina came ashore and pulled back the curtains like Toto on the Wizard of Oz, exposing the charade that is our national preparedness for anything larger than the “run of the mill” type of disaster that FEMA is plenty capable of working just fine, "leaning forward since Hurricane Andrew." Using the IG's "four-tiered scale: substantial progress, moderate progress, modest progress, and limited or no progress", FEMA basically gets a D+ or C- at best in terms of progress made for preparedness of it's (and the nation's) consequence management capabilities for catastrophe. Not terribly surprising, given the earlier finding for the fire service, a principle component of FEMA's "New Vision" in responding to catastrophic incidents: “none of the homeland security related needs (i.e., ability to handle any of four unusually challenging situations with local specialized equipment) showed marked improvement nor did any of the personnel needs related to those situations...," including, "...the vast majority of departments with a map coordinate system have only a local system, which means the system they have is unlikely to be usable with global positioning systems (GPS) or familiar to, or easily used by, non-local emergency response partners, such as Urban Search and Rescue Teams, the National Guard, and state or national response forces. Moreover, interoperability of spatial-based plans, information systems, equipment, and procedures will likely be rendered impossible beyond the local community under these circumstances. This reliance almost exclusively on local systems exists across-the-board, in all sizes of communities. The U. S. National Grid (USNG-NAD83) standard, based on the grid system used by U.S. military units and National Guard forces around the world, was adopted as the system best suited for eventual national standardization. (http://www.fgdc.gov/usng/index.html)" (Four Years Later – A Second Needs Assessment of the US Fire Service USFA/NFPA – 2006) Given FEMA still has not, according to their website, addressed the "common grid reference system, and standardized procedures" (US Senate recommendation from Katrina: A National Still Unprepared report), a critical deficiency with impacts to so much else, logistics, response, recovery, mitigation...preparedness (not addressed by the IG), the grade might well be a D- or solid F (as in frelled). No less than the Defense Science Board in their report (now almost three years old), The Future of the Global Positioning System, called for the USNG: "Those map products that do include grids may use any of several grid systems to identify locations, a lack of standardization that can create time-consuming confusion in time of emergency... standard grid for such applications that can eliminate this spatial confusion. Called the U.S. National Grid (USNG)...More focused leadership by the Federal Government to promote such basic education as well as training in the uniform application of GPS at federal, State and local levels by emergency responders would pay nationwide dividends for Homeland Security." Imagine, in a city like Dallas, with a fine police, fire, EMS, Emergency Management enterprise, one of the best of all major cities in the USA, having also received many millions in DHS grant money to completely "modernize" their computer aided dispatch (CAD), computers and GPS in many emergency vehicles..., but still no universal map grid (USNG standard) to supplement street addressing at the user interface in CAD, GIS, paper maps, in-vehicle systems, radio communications..., which would add a great deal of "system" and solution to major problems existing nationwide (read about the police officer killed while escorting Sen. Clinton's motorcade in Dallas). There is a plan: Even when all radios ARE working, recognizing today's CAD/GIS geocoding and street addressing can often be very problematic, whether street signs are present or not, the language of location, what is said and how from those already on scene to those coming from outside areas in command posts, EOCs, and dispatch offices..., ALL using a life-saving universal (unified) standard language of location (USNG): Remember this major DHS report finding only weeks into the Katrina disaster: "Responders' lack of ability to share information between the MAC (Multi-Agency Coordination Entities) and area command posts is partially due to weak communications and interoperability standards. This is evidenced by situations where MAC and area commands may both be utilizing digital maps, but with different indexing standards. The result may be an inability to easily exchange map coordinates...." Now, add in tens of thousands of responders coming into Dallas (or any city/region) from outside areas for something catastrophic..., a universal language of location and many thousands of copies of large format gridded maps (USNG) from day one has been proven critically important. NIMS in many important respects, including maps (for a map driven enterprise), is an outright failure. FEMA seems willing to identify which organizational chart all will use, but gives a pass to a common operating grid (standard, USNG). Command without the proper tools for integrated control and coordination making for sloppy and ineffective (feckless) command. (Where has SAFECOM been all these years?) Warm beer might be of more interest to the average citizen reading this; in the name of individual preparedness, FEMA administrator Paulison has made the decision with only 288 days (11 hours and 15 minutes, but who's counting) left in George W. Bush's Administration, that no longer will FEMA deliver ice to most disaster victims. This was mentioned in the hearings, no more trailers too, and re. the ice, Paulison told the press at a recent hurricane conference that "ice can be a comfort, but it is not a necessity." Mr. Paulison, Yoda would say "very problematic following through this will be," especially if as you testified "special needs" populations will still be supplied ice at times when all feel as though they have special needs. Citizens and businesses really do need to become much better prepared. States should also be prepared with things like plastic sheeting for goodness sake, even power generators! The law authorizes assistance by the fed only when local and state resources are overcome, yet Presidential declarations are given freely. Why on earth should states and locals expect the Federal government to provide such services on tornado type of disasters that they know are going to happen year in and year out and are seldom beyond their own capabilities to respond and recover? This makes as much sense as the expectation for ice deliveries, but it seems some examples of "leaning forward" are more foolhardy than others; a "system" run-a-muck where claims are made of "locals" being in charge, but it turns out many are not very responsible in terms of most elements of preparedness (but more than willing to blame others after-the-fact when things go wrong). This includes understanding that they can't possibly expect the federal government's responding agencies, in the interest of interoperability, to be expected to use each and every local or state spatial reference system in times of crisis, it just doesn't work (for many reasons). A common map grid to robustly support street addressing for all types of activity just makes common sense in order to reduce operational friction
to the extent possible under the worst of conditions when human lives are in the balance. Until we all take more responsibility for ourselves and our neighbors, and demand accountability from our local, regional, state and national political office holders, it really should be warm beer and nothing else until the stark realization takes hold that waiting for the government to respond and make everything all right..., does not and will not work without substantial re-thinking and an even more substantial investment into the “system” we don't yet have. PS: it is almost without doubt that when Mr. Paulison told the news folks in Florida that he would at some point be leaving the agency to in part “get a real job again,” he probably meant a new job that is much less demanding, not that his current job isn't real. It does appear when reading this news article however, that he was willing to only fess up to his duties before Katrina as the Administrator of USFA (it would be most interesting to see a listing of what he views as accomplishments while there, if any), the FEMA Preparedness Division and later Preparedness under DHS-EP&R evidently slipped his mind. One further note, during the Senate hearing last week, it became clear that the DHS IG and Mr. Paulison have a disagreement over Paulison's continued blame of the “FEMA culture” (whatever that means, given he was one of the three of four top people in charge) prior to Katrina, his needing to fix it.... Here, the IG gets a solid grade of an A+! FEMA has never had a Golden Age, at best only Bronze with many problem areas, programs...like any large organization run by the most SESers (generals) per employee than any other federal agency. For the past 15 years, plain and simple, the largest afflictions have been a seeming addiction to propaganda and cronyism. This, given the tasks at hand and the way we do things in the USA, with all of our independent fiefdoms, a herding of cats that all wear stars or bugles... but so far are unable to do even the simple things...in most states..., makes building a Nation better prepared for catastrophe much more difficult...(and Katrina representing the lower (moderate-limited) end of that scale). That's the culture that Paulison should have given his consideration, rather than making it worse. April 5th, 2008 Denver Post (Bob Ewegen) West Point trains a new generation for new kinds of war April 5th, 2008 Washington Post Tortured Logic April 2nd, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM) "Put the focus back on FEMA's response to the fires in California" Given yesterday's extraordinary (non-journalistic) Governement Executive Magazine article about "FEMA's Rising" and the evident pushing of such information by the FEMA propaganda ministry, including how the California fires "response was widely, and favorably, compared to the agency's response to Katrina," the notion of doing exactly what the FEMA deputy administrator Harvey Johnson, administrator Paulison, and others, wanted folks to do back in October of 2007 (trying to make the fiasco of a fake news conference go away), "put the focus back on FEMA's response to the fires in California," seemed like a good thing to do. So, here we go. The "Initial Impressions Report" by the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center, entitled, Southern California Fires 2007: What we learned, how we worked, is a very competent (and independent) work. Just search the report on "FEMA" and read for yourself the reality of "FEMA's response to the fires in California." Simply amazing, here are just a few excerpts: "...FEMA as a 'blesser/denier' of resource orders impaired logistics from setting up a camp that met all requirements in a timely manner...there was no FEMA liaison onsiteat the mob center and wondered if that may have helped the situation that developed...The way FEMA resources were called to the southern California fires had negativeimpacts...personnel on some fires had not been notified of the incoming resources and did nothave assignments for them when they arrived. One respondent said, 'The mob center sentresources that had not been ordered. Those resources were then turned around and sent back –wasting everyone’s time'...instead of using FEMAMission Assignments, the use of Memorandums of Understanding would be more productive.When FEMA and MultiAgencyCoordinating Groups work together on an incident, colocatingFEMA’s Joint Field Office at the State Emergency Operations Center may produce more of a team effort. One respondent said, 'Incident Command System mentors needed to be inserted intoFEMA to help them move quicker using ICS'...would like to see FEMA become more proactive...The FEMA Mobilization Center experienced multiple logistical problems that could havebeen alleviated with more preplanning...Verbiage on the FEMA generatedresource orders appeared to require engine crews tobreak driving and workrest rules in the effort to arrive on time..." There were successes, including in the realm of geospatial technologies. However, and beyond the (obvious) basic failure of no common operating grid (USNG), plus inability for a rapid production and distribution capabilities of thousands of copies of maps in an ever-so-timely manner, the other geospatial lessons learned are likewise the same, disaster after disaster: "...They notedthe use of five independent realtime mapping platforms used on the fires with no coordinationbetween them. The simultaneous efforts in gathering imagery from several different platforms andsending it digitally to the IMTs lacked good communication and coordination. During an incident,it was universally declared, is not a good time to introduce new programs...While a broad spectrum of Geospatial imaging tools are available, the communication andcoordination in using them is not as readily accessible. New technology must be intuitiveand easy to use or fireline personnel won’t use it. Introducing new GIS platforms during anincident does not ensure their applicability...." Another good source for showing how much propaganda production there was to the FEMA and DHS management appearances in California in 2007...dramatic statements of this fire event showing how much better things have become since Katrina...the "New FEMA"..., can be found on the FEMA website. (Update: http://www.fema.gov/hazard/wildfire/ca_2007.shtm) On Wednesday, October 24th, the day weather conditions started to give state, local, and 83 DoD firefighters a break in the extraordinarily difficult fireground conditions, FEMA lists their only contribution to date as sending a Coast Guard C130 to fly a Federal Incident Response Team (FIRST) out of the FEMA Regional Office in Atlanta. A FIRST team is composed of five members but may be supplemented by others if required. The mission of these five people was to "coordinate emergency support for the thousands of evacuees at the Qualcomm shelter by ensuring essential communications channels remain accessible and operational." (Whatever that means.) By the time this team arrived, the job was perhaps more of disaster tourism, Qualcomm was being emptied as evacuees were allowed to go home. The Stadium was closed on Friday. Why a five person "FIRST" team did not simply drive down from the FEMA Region in San Fransico..., fly from Denver, Seattle, Dallas FEMA Regions, all closer...remains a mystery. It could mean that the State of California has a difficult time working with it's own FEMA Region (IX), but that's simply conjecture (the Republican Govenor sure played nice). In the final analysis, the State and Local officials, the Red Cross, DoD and lots of volunteers had things well in hand at Qualcomm (certainly with lessons learned for the next time) and FEMA's FIRST team assistance was not needed at all. But, if you don't send something, you can't claim having responded to anything. Leaning forward from Atlanta to get there for an empty stadium. FEMA the next day, October 25th, "as federal, state and local firefighters make continued progress fighting the Southern California wildfires" (why not "local, state and federal firefighters"?), FEMA begins a recovery effort by having on-hand and ready to deploy four Mobile Disaster Recovery Centers (MDRCs). Basically, motor homes/trailers with telephones and a few FEMA employees to assist folks who can't dial the FEMA 1-800 number on their own. All very good. The beginning of the recovery process is dialing 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). The TTY number is 1-800-462-7585. Telephone lines are open and Internet registration is available 24-hours a day, seven days a week. Internet registration is easier and faster for those with access to the Web. Given the numbers of mostly insured homes lost to the fires, a comparison
to Katrina here, by anyone, would be April foolish at best. On October 26th, as the fires continued to burn but mostly away from the Coast (the Santa Ana Winds had died off), the "response" work continued with in actuality no meaningful FEMA involvement (as is normal for wildland/interface events), the "chief" FEMA propagandist along with his DHS boss were in front of microphones telling the world how much better things had become since Katrina...President Bush with them in California, and blocking traffic all over town (San Diego), leaving it to the historians to determine how things were going. Meanwhile, back at the FEMA propaganda bat cave, another five FEMA workers were “responding” (driving) to California from Denver with a few pieces of communications equipment (a need at this point is uncertain at best, but it makes good press and now there are ten FEMA employees in "response" roles to the fires). Add to the list, but not found in press releases discovered to date, the large resources spent on deploying DMATs, who basically had nothing to do. Again, disaster tourism. Impressive. Credit where credit is due, at least FEMA did not send 4,000 firefighters to hand out the 1-800 teleregistration number...Community Relations, nothing else, a repeat of the multi-million dollar Katrina fiasco. Back to California, it must have spoiled an otherwise wonderful smoke-filled blue sky and absolutely blue ribbon propaganda day for FEMA, DHS, and President Bush...to have the Washington Post report on FEMA's fake news conference. One can surmise, that this time, there was a great deal more care taken with regards to internal FEMA and DHS emails and text messages...or like the White House, regardless of the law, they were simply deleted and lost to history. April 1st, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM) April Fools! Making (Up) History! Congratulations to GovernmentExecutive.com for doing their part to make this a special April Fools Day, literally 29 years to the day since FEMA was founded. The interviews sounded real, the names familiar, but there were clues hinting that it was all a traditional April 1st hoax of a story. Here are a few: Who really lead the entire Florida State response to Hurricane Andrew? Was it the same person who also led the entire operation (local/state/fed)? The “where is the calvary” emergency management person? If the local fire chief did so, but had such a hard time with FEMA during that operation, would it make sense that years later he would, as FEMA's Administrator, hire back into Federal government (at the civilian equivalent grade of General) the then Hurricane Andrew Federal Coordinating Officer to be the permanent Director of FEMA Region IV (an area that includes the entire SE USA)? "Paulison was the antithesis of Brown." Pretty much gave the story away as a fake for those students and employees at the National Emergency Training Center who had shortly before Katrina heard Paulison say that Mr. Brown was the greatest boss he had ever worked for! All of the hurricanes and disasters the previous year and more..., all the evidence that was needed at the time to prove Brown was plenty experienced. Just who was really on watch back then, who was for example, in charge FEMA preparedness in the years before FEMA was put under the new DHS..., and after? Hmmm. If three years later, the first problem that this person found was the lack of a unified command system for responding to storms like Katrina, then what in the hell was going on for all of those years in terms of preparedness for storms/earthquakes just like Katrina... by FEMA and DHS..., on their watch? Perhaps the "experience with FEMA was very poor," while he and just a very few others, were at the very top of the agency and in complete charge..., or, they could not change things till "Brownie," the greatest boss ever, was out of the way! The chiefy-chiefs perhaps were forced to send 27 US&R teams (plus all other civil response/recovery assets) to the same disaster area of operations without maps, and/or maps that did not include a common operating grid. They were also perhaps forced by Mr. Brown to instruct all, that GPS were to be set to whatever coordinate system anyone wanted, but could not, under any condition, use the standard (USNG) so that GPS, paper maps/commo/plans/operations..., all set to the same thing, would be interoperable. A 2007 hurricane that did not hit the USA? This was a great clue that it was indeed April 1st! FEMA spent $70 million in a state that at the same time was saying: "The state of Texas has decided that it cannot count on the Federal Emergency Management Agency for help in a disaster...." The CA wildfires (2007)? Did FEMA have nothing, a little, or a lot to do with any of the successes? How about specific problems (that in times of catastrophe are critical deficiencies, as was plainly evident with Katrina two years earlier): "Maps were the key pieces of intelligence that were needed early on, but many crews did not have them." Manufactured successes for the fires, politico's throwing a fake news conference and then blaming their "career people" subordinates for "setting up" the Admiral, "not standing up" and stopping him from doing the wrong thing, i.e., propaganda, lying to the American public (and it wasn't even April 1st) . If any of that had been in the article, it just would not have been a very effective April Fools day joke, because of course, this is the real "New FEMA." Congress had such nice things to say about FEMA's rising (to the occasion) this past July, something GovernmentExecutive also thought best not to mention (a dead giveaway): "...FEMA exists to serve the public. But it acts as though protecting Director Paulison from embarrassment is more important than protecting the health of the victims of Hurricane Katrina…," "...It is impossible to read the FEMA documents and not be infuriated. Americans don’t mind paying their taxes if they get a government that works. But when that bargain is broken — and tax dollars are squandered and health jeopardized — frustration rises and trust in government erodes...." In terms of “striving to retool his agency before the next catastrophe strikes,“ metaphorically speaking, the FEMA "chief" may, without his knowledge, have a few of his own department's 10 stations (the FEMA Regions) on a common operating grid (USNG), along with others like DOD, USAR Teams, Florida, Missouri.... The chief just doesn't know how many or which ones. As of 02/01/2008, a search of www.FEMA.gov for "USNG" resulted in only one lonely return, and the webpage, regarding USAR Teams that now all use USNG..., was in Spanish. Today, April Fools Day 2008, even that page has been removed, the agency's website sanitized of something so odd for emergency managers to even consider on April 1st, a common map grid (if in Spanish). Saying someone has been striving to retool an emergency management agency, given the lessons learned, yet in reality they have not performed even such basics..., pure April Fools (in more ways than one). Best clue of all, from the reading of the the GovernmentExecutive article, only four or five people in all of FEMA is what it took for the "New FEMA" to be ready for catastrophe. Their pictures and/or names are all there. Just five, just amazing (and the Admiral wasn't included in the article at all, which would have given the whole thing away as fake...in a catastrophic second). Truly, a FEMA rising to (soon) see off to high paying contractor jobs...a few who even now believe their own press (propaganda) (given they make so much of it up themselves), but somehow, do not regard in a serious way the word “preparedness” (or "narcissism"); or how things such a this April Fools day joke in such poor taste might be perceived by a workforce, that in reality, does have many good, honest, hardworking, and experienced people! March 31st, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM) The We Campaign is a project of The Alliance for Climate Protection -- a nonprofit, nonpartisan effort founded by Nobel laureate and former Vice President Al Gore. Today, EmergencyManagement (EM) joins the Alliance in promoting the "together we can
stop global warming" campaign because not only can we do something about it, we can easily do a great deal much sooner and at a greater advantage to all than is believed possible by so many. Want one small and personal example? The 105 year-old residential structure (roughly 1,600 sq/ft) where the EmergencyManagement (EM) computer is located (18S UJ 0044 9732), simply swapped out the the very smelly oil boiler, a converted coal burner using $2,600 of fuel oil during 2007 season (oil prices are up 80% in 2008), for a Natural Gas boiler that has a computer, inside and outdoors temperature sensors, a burner that works at 1%-100% burn-rate, depending on only what is needed (the biggest saver of all, plus 95% efficient for what fuel it does burn).... Get this, the entire heating season will in 2008 dollars come in at less than $400 (new thermostat with four settings, 67 degrees wake/shower, 65 during the day while at work, 67 degrees for the afternoon and evening, 65 comfortable sleeping temperature overnight (upstairs, including shower/bath, all temps are probably two degrees higher)). Needless to say, the system will repay itself in three years and has very significantly lowered the carbon footprint of this structure (50-80%?) for years to come.... What's more, and vastly more significant in terms of the planet on a whole, electric cars powered by renewable sources, biofuels from algae..., currently available off-the-shelf engines and components (for huge improvements in horsepower, mileage, while practically eliminating emissions), hydrogen, wind power, plus solar power and geothermal, all on a "Manhattan Project" pace and scale that true political and business leadership can bring for a cost that is surprisingly affordable (with multiplying effects to the economy beyond comprehension, paying for itself), a five years and very practical timeline..., that could reduce the USA's carbon footprint by at least 50% (OR MORE!). So many solutions. So many green jobs; taking on "social inequality and environmental destruction!" Finally, working with other nations like our friends in the EU, Africa, South America, other friends in Russia, Japan, China and India, to name but a few..., to do the exact same thing, on their own accelerated timeline, will help their economies, our economy, the world's natural and human economy..., AND, IT SIMPLY MUST BE DONE! Think what it will save in terms of costs for emergency management as related to disaster mitigation, response, recovery as opposed to doing nothing. Sea level rise alone! Now add in all the other disastrous costs to humanity if we fail to act quickly and with urgency. March 16th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM) Glass houses: Americans shouldn't throw stones "...There may have been a time when our nation had the moral authority to pass judgment on the actions of others. But those days are gone, - - - Utah, Bush's strongest state in the 2004 election (71%). - - - "...Republican presidential candidate John McCain reminded people Thursday that some Japanese were tried and hanged for torturing American prisoners during World War II with techniques that included waterboarding...." (AP) Torture : Law March 13th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM) Disorganization and weakness from the very first year of his presidency Maps (see below this web site) and Guns!! "Bush finds himself to the left of even Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama." (Robert D. Novak, Washington Post) March 1st, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM) Southern California Fires – 2007 One critically important and not at all surprising finding from a very well done "Initial Impressions Report" by the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center, entitled, Southern California Fires 2007: What we learned, how we worked, is in terms of that one critical finding, the exact same disaster after disaster, in every state of the Union (and around the world): "Maps were the key pieces of intelligence that were needed early on, but many crews did not have them." Lessons learned from past disasters, also include the fact that even those who had maps, had ones that were piss-poor in quality (torn out of phone books...), including the critical deficiency that few if any included a common operating grid (USNG) overlay. While there were few differences in California this past summer in terms of maps when compared to other disaster events elsewhere in the past, the Initial Impressions Report did good service for the cause by, in a Katrina plus 2 years forum, highlighting again tactical and strategic considerations ("critical deficiencies") of fundamental and lifesaving consequence for future fire seasons, though more to the point, catastrophic events wherever they occur in California, Nevada, New York, Florida. In particular: "Several respondents reported coming across new neighborhoods that were not on the outdated maps they had. 'Thomas Brothers' maps were the most uptodate and were used by some of the departments for dispatching to 'Thomas Brothers' map coordinates. Crews said they needed more of these maps from the beginning." In terms of "tactical and strategic considerations of fundamental and lifesaving consequence," National response assets such as the USA Urban Search and Rescue Teams, the National Guard and other regular Military ground forces, and the signatory agencies to the National Search and Rescue Committee will use the US National Grid standard (click for an online demo) for their equipment and ground operations in times of catastrophic crisis. For many reasons, these forces, just like local response assets coming from another region of a state, can not be expected to be able to use every local grid, propriety or otherwise, found in every disaster area they respond. There are thousands of them, and three non-interoperable versions of lat/long! Standards. Needing maps, quality up-to-date (USNG) gridded maps, with plenty to spare for thousands of outside responders..., from the beginning of an operation, everyone trained and using the same standard coordinate system (USNG for GPS, maps, ops plans, voice commo, land nav...), a concept seemingly foreign to some in the emergency management enterprise whom one would believe should otherwise be principle proponents! (CA-OES for example.) If you read the California 2007 report, notice the issue of "key pieces on intelligence...needed early on" is not mentioned under the "Geospatial Intelligence" section, where like other disasters, geospatial technology had successes and major difficulties. Rather, this critical finding was under the "Tactics and Strategies" section, the language of location being a central reality. The language of location is also central to other disaster realities, public information and messaging as one example, for those to be evacuated, when, WHERE, to go WHERE, following certain routes to avoid hazards.... Messages broadcast to residents, visitors/tourists (who may not be familiar with local place names), the elderly, young, handicapped.... This is an interesting post to a "Google Maps Help Group" from October: "Is it possible to search using the Thomas Brothers
Page # and grid coordinates system? I'm one of those affected by the San Diego fires and the website for my community uses the Thomas Guide page number and grid coordinates system for announcements of evacuations. Obviously I'm not going to wait for Google Maps to support this system, I'm going to get a Thomas Guide, I'm just saying that in the future it would be nice for Google Maps to support it. Kevin" Another user, NWT, answered Kevin correctly with: "Their (Thomas Brothers) page numbering and coordinate system is proprietery. So don't (expect) Google to ever support it." Note: Click on the grid designation for a Google mashup demonstration of map coordinate systems that conform to recommendations of the National Search and Rescue Committee: USNG: 18S UJ 00582 96493 (a one meter precision grid designation for the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial on the grounds of the National Emergency Training Center; once the view opens, click the 100k and 1K Grid check boxes then enter either "Los Angeles" or USNG: 11S LT 85 68). The State of Florida's "Incident Mapper" (prototype). While these 2007 fires were in fact large and destructive, tragically taking many homes, businesses, and several lives, they could have been worse yet. There are other potentially catastrophic events that threaten Southern and Northern California, like all of the states, where map-based coordination facilitated by a common operating grid and universal language of location (to supplement street addresses) is critical, “the key piece of intelligence needed early on.” Thomas Brothers maps use a non-standard and proprietary reference system that does not work with Global Positioning Systems (GPS), and will not be interoperable with response partners from outside the local area, never mind Thomas Brothers unique (local) grids are one-half square mile in size. (USNG, "a flexible reference system: Use the precision you require, truncate insignificant digits.") Consider that USNG is easier to use for average people, references point locations and is much more flexible than Thomas Brothers, and similar commercial products. The military counterpart to USNG, the MGRS, has been taught in both Army and Marine Corps boot camps to teenagers for many decades (utilized around the world), in large part, for that very reason. This PowerPoint from the State of Florida illustrates this fact and more. Delta State University has many resources and lessons learned from before, during, and after Katrina. Same goes for the Federal Geographic Data Committee. Southern California public agencies, like so many others around the USA, are both extremely confident and perfectly setup for extreme operational friction and chaos when that "big one" hits as either an EQ under downtown LA, or something goes boom in the Long Beach Harbor area. Not moderate, but extreme operational friction. Many thousands will die and suffer needlessly due to this lack of fundamental preparation, a unified common operating grid (USNG) on more than enough maps (early on). Other issues related to geospatial this past summer, while serious ("...five independent realtimemapping platforms used on the fires with no coordinationbetween them. The simultaneous efforts in gathering imagery from several different platforms andsending it digitally to the IMTs lacked good communication and coordination. During an incident,it was universally declared, is not a good time to introduce new programs...."), pale by comparison in relevance to the operational friction that the lack of a unified common operating grid (USNG) on enough maps causes on disasters large and small. There has been in most of the lessons learned reports for major disasters over the past six years, far too great an unhealthy and almost pathological tunnel vision fixation on "command" factors while only a sidelong glance at "control/coordination." USNG bridges the two, facilitating both. Command is possible without USNG, but feckless. Coordination confused, full of operational friction. Just ask any of the dispatchers brought into Southern California who performed so admirably, worn to a frazzle. Ask them what soaked up a major part of their time on the radio with those in the field. Resolving for location. While perhaps some in these same agencies wrongly held their noses at the performance of states like Louisiana and cities like NOLA in 2005, in reality, and like it or not, they are themselves little better prepared today (and of course FEMA, just like pre-Katrina, has still not suggested a single thing regaring those "key pieces of intelligence..., needed early on"). Perhaps state emergency management, fire, police, and EMS officials from California should conference with those from Florida, Missouri, Minnesota, Mississippi, Maryland, Ohio..., and exchange notes, ideas. People were willing to listen to CA's ICS ideas and codify them into NIMS, will CA be able to hear that a common operating grid (USNG), implemented before a disaster strikes, is a critical need? As excellent as California emergency services are, in fact some of the best in the USA, they can be much better. Put out a call, along with the IAFC, IACP, NENA, NEMA, and IAEM, in the name of preparedness for pandemic..., for Purchasing Agents to only buy products from commercial map makers that have USNG as the primary reference system to support the street addresses. Suggest that your citizens include USNG gridded maps as part of their emergency kits. All emergency services, their own agencies' GPS/maps likewise, as you swap out your fire/police/EMS/EM map books, include USNG on the new ones. Educate those GISers who need education to use USNG properly as the primary reference system on all of their map products (@ scales larger than 1:1,000,000). Leverage existing resources and assets to implement USNG, including your Army and US Marine Corps veterans. It's not a difficult undertaking, little more than leadership from a few is needed and at some point in time, we in the USA really do need to take "catastrophic" seriously. What are the alternatives? Rabble. The Public XYProject, the group of private citizens who brought the USNG standard to the FGDC in the late 90's, knew all of this and more. They knew that it made no sense for maps to not work with GPS, and no sense to have one set of street names on maps, and yet so many different geospatial reference systems, some proprietary, for everyday use by the public, commerce..., or when disaster strikes with or without warning! CATASTROPHE Main Entry: ca-tas-tro-phe 1: when, not if February 20th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM) FEMA's First Responder Guide Throughout history, many first and second-hand reports of meteorites falling on and killing both humans and other animals abound, but none have been well documented. There is substantial evidence that the meteorite known as Valera hit and killed a cow upon impact, dividing the animal in two, and similar unsubstantiated reports of a horse being struck and killed by a stone of the New Concord fall. A potential of doom from satellite USA 193!! This latest example of hype, while the USA pokes a stick in the eye of nations like China and Russia, seems to have offered a simply irresistible and simple(ton) myth building opportunity for the "New FEMA." The opportunity to send out a semi-realistic sounding notice to the first responder community and say, "look, we are leaning forward...we are so much better prepared now than before Katrina!" It's sad, that FEMA thinks so little of the first responder community that they attempt again to...baffle them with BS. A bit of reality: FEMA continues to ignore critical lessons learned from Katrina, the same lessons taught well before that (Hurricane Andrew...). Specifically, the Space Shuttle Columbia debris recovery operation: how does a citizen, and even more specific to the FEMA Guide, if your a professional in emergency services, how would you notify a local emergency manager of debris location(s) immediately (accurately and with precision)? Not all disaster work is in your own local area & "where have all the street signs gone/don't recoknize them in anycase...." The one page in the Guide that does not deal with the hydrazine includes, "citizens who observe or encounter falling debris should notify your local public safety agency and stay away from it." For first responders, "...the craft contains fuel and specialized containers that are considered hazardous materials and could survive entry intact...Notify your local emergency manager of its location immediately." Could not at least something progressive have come from this happy little FEMA Guide, based upon actual lessons learned from a past space object re-entry event (see below)? An opportunity with this guide for at least a statement of objective for "Space Object Re-Entry" events, and all others (pandemic, earthquake...), in terms of improving communications regarding LOCATION: everyone to set their maps/gps/planning/protocols to the same thing (Doctrine), a universal language of location.... Could not FEMA simply recommend the USNG? Another opportunity missed. The FEMA Guide is simply silent and offers nothing. One set of (oft falable) street names Nationwide, thousands of unique map grids/spatial reference systems: the "New FEMA status quo." Remember the chaos after Columbia tragically broke apart and fell to the ground? All those people calling in and attempting to describe tens of thousands of locations? Even when people had GPS, all those different means of describing location used, multiple coordinate systems, multiple datums, making much (most) of the information reported all but useless or very difficult to work with (like Katrina two years later). Even after days into the event, when "organized" teams went into the field with GPS, still way too much chaos, rabble. A chaos and rabble with clear lessons that were well documented by the University of Texas at San Antonio. Lessons any of those working the event, FEMA and the USFS in particular, should have very clearly learned (again) and the solution (USNG) implemented (the USNG standard was adopted in 2001 just for such work) well in advance of the Katrina disaster. This latest FEMA Guide, evidently released today around the time this morning of yet another Space Shuttle landing in Florida, evidently had nothing to do with that coincidence (Update: released to USA responders 02/16). It seems rather, all a matter of hype coincident/synergistic with the shoot-down of USA 193. In fact, there evidently has been no preparedness/planning by FEMA at all for anything similar to a Space Shuttle Columbia type event (that would have a number of similarities with, heavens forbid, any one of the thousands upon thousands of airliners flying overhead on any day...that for any number of reasons could come apart and fall to the ground). Just what are the basic lessons so professionally reported by the Texans in 2003? While there is much more excellent information in their short report, how about this for starters: "For the most part, debris location data was collected using recreational GPS receivers. In many instances, individuals who had little or no knowledge of GPS, coordinate systems, or map projections operated these GPS receivers. Compounding this problem was the fact there were no previously agreed upon mapping standards between the different local, state, and federal agencies involved in the recovery effort...An important lesson learned in the Columbia recovery effort was the need to train personnel in the appropriate use of GPS. Many of the GPS users were not aware that most receivers could easily be toggled between different coordinate system formats. Even a simple 1-hour instruction on how to use a GPS receiver for data collection, navigation, and coordinate system configuration would have saved countless hours in data conversion...the Texas National Guard uses the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinate system, while data available from the Texas Natural Resources Information System (TNRIS) is frequently in state plane coordinates. The U.S. Forest Service generally preferred geographic coordinates for its data collection and navigation. Even within the Forest Service, some preferred coordinates in decimal degrees, while others wanted decimal minutes or even degrees, minutes, seconds...." Sound familiar? (08/29/2005!) PS: as a matter of clarification, the Texas National Guard uses the UTM based Military Grid Reference System (MGRS), the military counterpart to the civil USNG standard. Let's repeat, STANDARD! See the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction for more detailed information (Policy 4.2 "To supporthomeland security and homeland defense...") and also the excellent work from the National Search and Rescue Committee (NSARC Georeferencing Matrix...). Just as FEMA and the USFS ignored what military ground forces used for Columbia, they also did not have much of a reply to JTF-Katrina when our military professionals were amazed once again, two years later, that FEMA and USFS were still not using the USNG standard; requesting them to do so in the Gulf Coast states impacted (no competent reply). Later, when DOD provided the FEMA NIMS-NIC a written appendix, in March of 2007, sounding much like the Joint Chief's Instruction and hoping it would be included in the NIMS that was being revised (now released).... FEMA ignored lessons learned, plain common sense..., and DOD once again. Legacy. Just one of the maps from a leading GIS department in the USA, Washington D.C., along with other excellent USNG related
information you can find online at
"The New FEMA: Is the Agency Better Prepared for a Catastrophe Now Than It Was in 2005?"
"South Houston Aqueduct, Grid: 0547 2827"
An infamous memo gets a public vetting -- five years too late
GovernmentExecutive.com offers a faux report of a mythical FEMA "before the next catastrophe strikes"
The Salt Lake Tribune - Editorial
If we turn and look away here and now in the USA, how can anyone, anwhere, be expected to obey any law (National or International)...in the future?
Maps were the key pieces of intelligence that were needed early on
District of Columbia Prototype USNG Street Atlas (3.7megs)
Zoom in, includes structure footprints!
Pronunciation:
\k-tas-tr-(o)fe\
Function:
noun, concept (a human reality)
Etymology:
Greek katastrophe, from katastrephein to overturn, from kata- + strephein to turn
Date:
1540
2 a: a violent and sudden change in a feature of the earth
b: a violent usually destructive natural or human caused event (Tsunami, Earthquake, BioToxin Attack)
3: utter failure : fiasco
4: Katrina and Rita as representative of the lower end of potentially catastrophic events which could occur
For
Space Object Re-Entry
In anticipation of the US Government's satellite that is now falling back to earth and "could potentially impact almost anywhere on the planet," FEMA has released a First Responder Guide for Space Object Re-Entry. All but one of the FEMA Guide content pages deals with the hydrazine on board the satellite, and yet "the hydrazine is never going to come close to the ground." One can take this “Guide” as seriously as FEMA's fake news conference during the recent wildfires. 
www.fgdc.gov/USNG
Another Major Metro in the USA With A Top-Notch Geospatial Enterprise
St. Louis, MO
February 19th, 2008 Washington Post
U.S. strikes within Pakistan — without notice
by Joby Warrick and Robin Wright
"...We'll get these one-off flukes once every eight months or so, but that's still not a strategy -- it's not a plan. Every now and then something will come together. What that serves to do [is] it tamps down discussion about whether there is a better way to do it."
...The threat posed by al-Qaeda's presence in Pakistan has been growing. As a senior U.S. official briefed on the strike said: "Even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then. But overall, we're in worse shape than we were 18 months ago."
February 14th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
January's Firehouse Magazine Includes Talbot Brooks' Article (Page A-40):
US National Grid - Search and Rescue Mapping
Why Every SAR Team Member; Firefighter; Medic; And Police Officer
Needs to Learn Map Reading and the US National Grid
Fire Chief Magazine - An Oldie, But A Goldie (July, 2004)
Get on the National Grid
by Pat West, Senior Editor
"Interoperability, in addition to sharing voice communications, means that everyone – state, local and federal emergency response forces – can share maps and location information in emergencies. It’s critical that lifesaving people and resources get to the exact location where they’re needed -- even if street signs and familiar landmarks are destroyed in a disaster or if the emergency is in a remote area....
"...It boils down to interoperable response. Fire departments and other emergency responders should work from a USNG-based mapping\location system because USNG works particularly well in cross-jurisdictional emergency operations. A vast majority of emergency responders, such as fire departments, have a local mapping system, which in most cases will not be compatible with global positioning system devices, and their mapping system will most likely will not be familiar to nor even understood by neighboring response partners, much less large-scale events involving national response groups such as Urban Search and Rescue and/or the National Guard.
"USNG provides a common frame of reference, a common language if you will, that is available to practically all emergency response personnel whether responding on a local, regional or national basis...."
February 14th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
The "New FEMA" intent on creating a new myth of "response" capability...toxic trailers
Sounding as if before Katrina FEMA had never successfully worked tornadoes, many of the press releases and other information on the FEMA website seem to focus on those in charge: "Administrator David Paulison, along with FEMA's leadership, built a New FEMA vision that focuses on FEMA's core competencies." (Competencies seemingly that do not include a common operating grid.)
What is truly unbelievable, neither Paulison nor any of the rest of his "management" team can bring themselves toutter even simple things like: "hey, let's use a common language of location across all jurisdictional boundaries in times of crisis..., a common map grid!"
It is perhaps equally incomprehensible, that nowhere can be found in the "Google" record, or in searching the FEMA website..., a single time where Paulison has ever personally recommended Safe Rooms. Even after such terrible tornadoes as those from last week, or during all the years before that!
Why is that? Why not?
Rather, it's all about fearless fake news conference "leaders" having "built a New FEMA vision that focuses on FEMA's core competencies."
Perhaps it's because James Lee Witt was a strong and active proponent of things like safe rooms, Project Impact, and after he left FEMA, when the USNG standard was adopted, a common operating grid (even congratulating the Bush White House)...! The current bunch can't find the core competence to even recommend a common operating grid (USNG). In the face of Katrina-like lessons observed, what does that say?
February 13th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
In the news (Daily Show) - When is torture a war crime?
Torture-Talk and Waterboarding
"Retaliation is what unites us and divides you."
(Dirty War - HBO/BBC co-production.)
Katrina day two:
JIM LEHRER (PBS NewsHour): Is there a system for doing that? Have you all worked out a grid system of some kind for checking out every place?"
PATRICK RHODE (Deputy Director FEMA): That's something that we're working on right now with both the cities and the states as we go through this. We're really relying upon a combination of their intelligence and also our intelligence....
"Holding an oversized grid map of New Orleans, Capt. Bob Norton of the NOPD Criminal Intelligence Bureau plotted various points and discussed the difficulty in getting rescuers organized before Katrina. Despite the heroic work of individual rescue teams, the lack of coordination caused duplication of efforts, wasting time and costing lives, he said. Moreover, different agencies used different maps, making communication that much harder. The NOPD used its own zone map. The Fire Department used a map with different zones, and Wildlife and Fisheries used a state map. 'There was no unification,' he said. 'Those were hard lessons learned.'" (Trymaine Lee, Times-Picayune (New Orleans))
- - -
Note: NOPD, NOFD, and many others in Louisiana and Mississippi were steadfast and determined in the stand they made working the aftermath of Katrina and Rita. Nothing here is intended to suggest otherwise. As was shown for fire departments in the data collected four years earlier in the first US Fire Service Needs Assessment (USFA/NFPA), the inference was strong, backed by the experience of those who had worked dozens of disasters..., that different agencies using different map reference systems (often in the same city) is the norm all across the United States, in all sizes of communities! The question remains, why on earth did FEMA not do more before..., but especially since Katrina, to correct this critical deficiency in consequence management?
FEMA Administrator Paulison testified to the US Senate during his confirmation hearing that "The NIMS Integration Center is considering the adoption of the 'National Grid' unified mapping system as a potential NIMS implementation standard. The mapping system would help saves lives, reduce the costs of the disaster, and enhance all disaster related actions."
Since then, not a single public utterance of his regarding USNG can be found; the NRF does not use the word "map" at all, and NIMS, basically lays out the problem..., but does not mention the solution.
"Strike teams should never be sent out without at least some sort of physical map of an area. This is a critical safety concern." (PA-1 DMAT Strike Team)
- - -
Two months before Katrina, USMC Chemical Biological Incident Response Force: "The lack of a similar, standardized procedure by state, local, and many Federal Agencies is a critical deficiency in U.S. consequence management."
February 9th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
Give the State of Florida's "Incident Mapper" a test drive. It is in prototype phase, but as one has come to expect, Florida leads the way.
February 7th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
Terrible Tornadoes - More Lessons Observed
Making otherwise good responses to terrible and tragic events such as a massive tornado outbreak..., even better: a common operating grid (USNG), implemented well in advance. 
At least one of the states in this latest disaster is already well down that road, though perhaps it was the state least impacted by these storms. Others, lessons again that should not be ignored. Whenever you bring responders together from many surrounding counties into impacted areas that they are not familiar..., whether or not there are street signs and/or all the radios work just fine, a common language of and for location is a critical advantage - USNG.
First ever joint geospatial professional-emergency responder conference 9-12 March in Seattle - more at www.gita.org/ers
February 3rd, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
Awareness Training, Leadership in Spanish
All the Chief's horses, all the Chief's men....
As of 02/01/2008, a search of www.FEMA.gov for "USNG" still results in only one lonely return, and the webpage regarding USAR Teams that now use USNG...is in Spanish. In spite of excellent efforts by many of FEMA's fine employees, several in management, it appears as if others, along with certain key political appointees, have dug in their heels in the face of lessons learned, the progress seen in many states, other organizations (like USAR, driven by the Teams themselves), other Federal agencies (many who have been strong supporters of USNG for years), and common sense.
Quite the Legacy.
Metaphorically speaking, the FEMA "chief" (Paulison) may, without his knowledge, have a few of his own department's 10 stations (the FEMA Regions) on a common operating grid (USNG) with others, like DOD, USAR Teams, Florida, Missouri.... The chief just doesn't know how many or which ones.
Certainly, it seems, the chief is unaware of why such a matter as USNG is of critical importance. He remains, seemingly, blinded by either inexperience, pride, a misplaced belief in technology as a cure-all, or all of the above. Just having technology, no matter the settings or how used, interoperability optional, is not the answer. Perhaps the chief is stuck in a technology trap as sure as another chief, USFA's first chief operating officer, in a position of power and influence when Paulison was hired into FEMA in the first place, has done very, very well for himself since he left the agency (soon after Katrina) to sell, of all things, geospatial technologies using a non-standard coordinate system at the critical user interface...back to FEMA to the tune of some $70 million or more.
Many are of the opinion that FEMA's chief, while nonetheless a nice guy, has not listened to many in his own "Old FEMA" workforce (a matter of respect?). He seems to be simply unaware, according to his testimony, that they existed or that they had focused for years leading up to Katrina without much support or so much as acknowledgment in terms of budget, progressive management, or leadership in comprehensively "preparing communities to make plans and preparations before disasters strike".
All the FEMA chiefs were aware in 12/2001, that President Bush's Science Advisor, with the then FEMA director Allbaugh sitting at his side, testified to the US Senate that: "We should promote voluntary standards that enhance the effective coordination of disaster responses, such as the U.S. National Grid map standard for geospatial information systems." They were just completely unaware that they were the very ones, in fact, who should be and should have been promoting something so sensible as a common operating grid (and fully implementing it within the Federal agencies as a mandatory standard by Presidential Executive Order and OMB directives). Those millions of dollars the public was spending each year for their salaries were supposed to have brought something of a return.
A failure, one could surmise, that has had costs large and small over the years to follow.
"The lack of coordination caused duplication of efforts, wasting time and costing lives...different agencies used different maps, making communication that much harder...there was no unification...those were hard lessons learned!"
Note: Different maps (of the same area), or the same maps (of the same area), mix and match, if all have A COMMON OPERATING GRID OVERLAY (USNG)..., "unification", making communications that much eaiser. (There are preferable scales for paper maps to empower very precise use where necessary, using map grid readers. Most map grid readers can read maps at several of the more common (preferable) scales.)
Imagine if only three months after the terrible events of 09/11/2001 when the USNG standard was adopted, or say even five months when former FEMA director James Lee Witt congratulated the White House for it's leadership in promoting the US National Grid, imagine if any of Bush's FEMA chiefs would have simply asked states and communities to better prepare themselves for all hazards by getting everyone on the same map sheet of music before a disaster hits (NOPD and NOFD using the same map grid for example). Or, before GPS became such a popular Christmas gift..., set to any of several references at the user interface, or none at all. Instead, they would at the default interface be set to just one, the USNG standard, making them much more versitile/functional for a variety of purposes, especially in times of crisis. This universal language of location is the brilliance of and rationale for the PublicXY Project's hard work for years in getting the standard understood, supported, adopted....
Professional career employees of FEMA certainly made those very recommendations knowing that not only does the federal government play an important role in helping establish standards to better serve society, but in those days especially, people and agencies were crying out for something they could do to better prepare for disasters of all types. What better than a low/no cost yet fundamentally critical enhancement to the emergency management/services enterprise and more, a universal language of location, paper, voice, digital: The USNG.
Opportunities missed. It was the perfect thing to do at a very crucial time and would have taken so very little effort.
Back in 02/2002, Witt pretty much hit the nail on-the-head and provided a simple roadmap to follow. Instead, it was "take a vacation" or "go shopping" and "duct tape, plastic sheeting" followed by public silence from all those chiefs responsible for disaster preparedness at the federal level for the years to come, till this very day, in the very face of so many reasons to speak, act, lead.
Including the clear as the nose on anybody's face results from the first and second US Fire Service Needs Assessments, conducted by the chief's own agency (and NFPA), where many thousands of fire departments were asked, twice (12/2001 and 09/2005), what map reference system they would use to guide non-local disaster responders..., the resulting analysis submitted to Congress was basically the same both times: "the vast majority of departments with a map coordinate system have only a local system, which means the system they have is unlikely to be usable with global positioning systems (GPS) or familiar to, or easily used by, non-local emergency response partners, such as Urban Search and Rescue Teams, the National Guard, and state or national response forces. Moreover, interoperability of spatial-based plans, information systems, equipment, and procedures will likely be rendered impossible beyond the local community under these circumstances. This reliance almost exclusively on local systems exists across-the-board, in all sizes of communities. The U. S. National Grid (USNG-NAD83) standard, based on the grid system used by U.S. military units and National Guard forces around the world, was adopted as the system best suited for eventual national standardization. (http://www.fgdc.gov/usng/index.html)"
The professional career employees of FEMA were not given a "wake-up call" by Katrina and Rita.
Professional FEMA career employees knew perfectly well what would happen and had been warning about Katrina type natural events and many other risks like chem/bio, long before 2001, in fact, per chem/bio since at least 1991. It was no accident that Dr. James Genovese, US Army Soldier and Biological Chemical Command, Aberdeen Proving Grounds, was a member of the first US Fire Service Needs Assessment's Technical Advisory Group, who met early inthe Summer of 2001 before certain biological attacks focused the Nation's attention for the first time on that hazard....
Professional FEMA career employees expected much worse that Sunday morning as Katrina turned just off the Gulf Coast...when a certain mayor and state governor finally called for a mandatory evacuation...so late in the game, but then Katrina took aright and hit Mississippi hardest.
Had the now FEMA Admiral's Coast Guard, as heroic as they were and are, given "maps" one second of thought before Katrina hit? Had FEMA before Katrina EVER encouraged them to do so? (FEMA's Leslie Weiner-Leandro would be best to ask that question.)
Perhaps a common operating grid would be of service?
USCG's certainly was not common, though it was certainly ad hoc and unique (local).
FEMA's frelling and oh so timely LanghelmJordonMemorial.grid maps (see slide #17), a fictional LA SAR Grid displayed only at the JFO's entrance begining week three,
as if such a thing had existed all along..., matching no others on the job....
At least the Coast Guard has resolved what they will do for all future catastrophic operations (adopting USNG). Much of FEMA however, years later, still has NOT! Leadership? Legacy!
Professional FEMA career employees are just as fully aware today, as the chief seems so very sadly unaware, of just what damage a fake, a myth-making fake news conference can have on morale. It's bad enough all the "New FEMA" hype and beyond. Long before this latest fake news conference insult, for which a chiefly apology is long overdue, they in fact called for the chief to be replaced. They did not take kindly to being so very misused in 2004 in Florida. Wasted ("corruption" was perhaps the most common thought shared by hundreds if not thousands of disaster workers that summer), sent places to wear FEMA shirts and simply be seen. Going door to door in very affluent areas where not even the leaves had been blown off the trees. Ignoring their skills and knowledge honed over many years of disaster work like Andrew, floods, earthquakes...to simply hand out phone numbers at the entrances of stores, prohibited from discussing programs they knew up one side and down the other, simply hand out the phone number turning them from professionals into Wal-Mart greeters.
Salting the wound, the chiefs refused to allow at least some employees in 2004 to even submit after-action reviews regarding those experiences. Through such reviews, that included the requirement for a common operating grid, it was hoped by those who had served day after day in the Florida heat, in organizational circumstances that can best be described as...chaotic, they would help the chiefs make those types of duties more organized and effective in the future. Rather, there was an all-hands meeting at the National Emergency Training Center, the very last all-hands meeting held on that esteemed campus through today's date, where speakers were solicited who would only be "positive", all the staff further informed in advance by email that only the good stories would be shared, the success stories. (Meanwhile, the professionals in the Florida state government, and many of the localities, had already made the decision to implement a universal map grid based upon lessons learned from that year's work.)
The skills of so many FEMA career professionals and thousands of other professionals wasted again in 2005, all the FEMA chiefs in pure panic mode for days on end....
(On the other hand, at least they were not extended in Iraq. Thanks to all our military folks for their exceptional service and sacrifice, another greatest generation like no other!)
More recently (November 29th, 2007), the same call to replace FEMA management and much more was made to the US Senate by the president of the FEMA HQ Union Local. In a letter to Senator Lieberman, probably ignored, the Senate was informed that FEMA was "on a continual downward slide, with a diminishing of agency expertise and an erosion of staff morale...a situation at FEMA nowadays where image is the first priority, where the mission comes second, and where history is rewritten to suit the needs of DHS...."
A chief that has never taken any personal responsibility for his own management/leadership failures in the years leading up to Katrina, or to his great shame, for covering up the truth and blaming his own “career people” for what in essence was his own frelling fake news conference.... If the chief is aware of things such as humility, honor, perhaps the chief should simply resign.
Of the two divisions of US Army troops who responded and worked Hurricane Andrew, most if not all other federal responders and managers at the Disaster Field Office (DFO) in Miami, the State of Florida's human assets and Dade County employees working ESF-5 (Information and Planning) in that same DFO... all were with a high degree of likelihood completely unaware that this same "chief" had "managed the response to Hurricane Andrew."
PS: All of the daily situation maps from the very first days and used by entities local/state/federal/Red Cross in the DFO...had a 1km full UTM grid overlay. Both inside and "out of the batcave", they were in far too few numbers, practically non-existent in the field especially...until too late (week two), and still far to few in numbers (by the many thousands who required first and foremost, a basic gridded map). A failure of the highest order, "...the mere thought that there were no such products staggers the imagination."
Equally surprising to those who worked with soldiers in the field who were without maps or had only those torn from phone books, folks on Andrew who also served the Federal Coordinating Officer, his staff, Red Cross workers under tent canopies in communities like Florida City..., and awareness is a good thing, not only did the chief manage the response for Andrew, he was Hurricane Andrew's "incident commander".
All the chief's horses and all the chief's men may well have improved some things around the edges in terms of Katrina level of disasters, but they have not put FEMA back together again. Professional FEMA employees realize that Katrina and Rita are representative of the "lower end" of potentially catastrophic events which could occur.... They also know, with a certainty, that there are other critical deficiencies in U.S. consequence management, the "there was no unification...those were hard lessons learned" sort of deficiencies, that the FEMA chief has left still untouched, unlearned (again).
Nowhere in FEMA's entire new (01/2008) National Response Framework can the word "map" be found, not one single time. The Academy's National Research Council, in December of 2006, delivered the landmark study entitled: "Successful Response Starts with a Map." The "New FEMA" evidently knew better than the National Academy of Sciences.
February 1st, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
Hair On Fire - Civil and Military Unprepared for Domestic Threats
The Washington Post and the Christian Science Monitor along many others reported yesterday on the results of the newly released Commission on the National Guard and Reserves 368-page report regarding the status of those forces. The Commission reported on still more very serious deficiencies to homeland defense readiness.
This latest not so very surprising information, if one keeps an ear to the rail with regards to these matters, combined with so many of the other defects and deficiencies that even centered minds find difficult to comprehend, focuses attention to arguments from some over the past years that this President has easily been the most damaging in history to our military capacity and homeland security posture...in ways large and small...all to be dumped into the lap of the new Administration in less than one year from now. (Along with this year's White House nearly half-trillion dollar budget deficit and many trillions more in debt from the past seven years, war, more hatred in the world and terrorists than could have been imagined on 09-12-2001, when candles were being lit by the millions in unified sorrow....)
Of course, as was clearly demonstrated per Katrina, the Pentagon will be called upon to provide "the bulk of support to civilian authorities" in no small part because the civil side of the house still has several critical deficiencies in terms of consequence management for catastrophic events (and leaderhip challenges in some of the agencies purportedly addressing same).
One example, for state governors to "command" federal troops in times of catastrophic crisis, while an interesting notion that merits consideration, it could only become a reality, in practical terms, when states follow the lead of those like Florida to, as former FEMA director James Lee Witt put it in 2002, get on "The Same (Map) Sheet of Music: Following the troubled 1992 Hurricane Andrew response, the U.S. Military in its 1993 “capstone doctrine” for domestic support operations (FM 100-19) termed the need for establishing a common frame of spatial reference among both military and civilian entities as 'critical'...."
A number of states have indeed heeded that call to a standard for a universal language of location (USNG). There are indeed a great many professional people working such issues in the United States as exampled here in this paper from the National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC). Here's a taste: "The USNG provides a seamless, common reference system upon which all first responders nation-wide may be trained. In the event of a disaster where national assets are deployed to assist local responders USNG will be the language used to communicate location. To enhance response times and minimize bottlenecks at critical and stressful times, we must provide useable location information in a consistent and uniform format to all first responders as quickly as possible. We owe it to our citizens in a time of need where seconds truly matter, to provide data to everyone in a usable format that will increase the likelihood of their safety and well being."
Click on the map coordinates to view a fantastic Google mashup demonstration of map coordinate systems that conform to recommendations of the National Search and Rescue Committee: USNG: 18S UJ 00582 96493 (a one meter precision grid designation for the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial on the grounds of the National Emergency Training Center).
February 1st, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
LEADERSHIP
Center for Strategic Leadership, U.S. Army War College
" Katrina and Rita as representative of the 'lower end' of potentially catastrophic events which could occur"
Professor B.F. Griffard's Issue Paper (09/2007) is very much worth the read. It would be interesting to listen to some of his State, National, or even major-metro sources for the expertise that the Army War College has leaned upon since Katrina for insight into the civil side of catastrophic response...their ideas for just how "integrated planning" or "unity of effort" are accomplished without a standard/common operating grid (USNG) fully implemented across the entire enterprise (well before a major or catastrophic disaster strikes).
Griffard might well be less than impressed if he knew of the actual damage several such "experts" may have done in the course of their government and now, perhaps, vastly over-paid consultant careers...severe damage to otherwise very good government work and unified effort between multiple entities, local, state, fed, civil and military...to resolve something so basic, solve for such a "critical deficiency" as the requirement for a common frelling map grid (USNG).
Take a look at this related March 2006 edition of an Army War College newsletter and in particular one of the articles: "Collins Center hosts Senior Leader Symposium on Hurricane Katrina". Read through all of the names of professionals who attended. Seemingly an incredibly competent and experienced bunch. Perhaps there were some, however, who have never worn a uniform or worked in the trenches out on disaster (uniform or not) and whom, with a high degree of probability, would find a way to disagree with, in terms of USNG being the USA's standard for a common operating grid: "The lack of a similar, standardized procedure by state, local, and many Federal Agencies is a critical deficiency in U.S. consequence management." (United States Marine Corps - Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF))
At the same time, perhaps those are the very same “experts” who accurately reported to the fine professionals gathered at Carlisle that Katrina and Rita were representative of the "lower end" of potentially catastrophic events which could occur.
Are these the same experts who between the time that the USNG standard was adopted in 2001 and Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in 2005...said and did absolutely nothing to ensure or even encourage all...to set their GPS to the same thing..., have maps that worked with the GPS, and all use the same standard for a "language of location" in a 90 thousand square mile disaster area of operations for integrated plans and unified command and coordination (unity of effort)?
Where did the LEADERSHIP in FEMA in the Spring and Fall of 2001 go with regards to that universal language for location...USNG...in the years to follow? Out the frelling disaster preparedness window? To act now, in frelling 2008, making it appear as if certain MANAGEMENT had been irresponsible and lacking of all semblance of LEADERSHIP during all these important years gone by?
Is the perhaps momentary and passing embarrassment today, were they to act, more important than a Nation's preparedness for heavens forbid, something much more foreboding than Katrina and Rita?
Here and now, 0300hrs Zulu (UTC/GMT), as President Bush finishes his thankfully last State of the Union address, one can only conclude that there have been so many opportunities missed, such peril ahead, and still no LEADERSHIP.
Legacy.
Dereliction of duty is a specific offense in only military law, unfortunately. It includes various elements centered around the avoidance of any duty which may be properly expected.
Perhaps DHS pays big dollars to the same "experts" now, as contractors or newly minted SESers, to manage work on the new National Response Framework? Or attempts again, to create a still non-existent National Mutual Aid System (NMAS)?
Perhaps nobody cares...!
The US Senate's Hurricane Katrina: A Nation Still Unprepared said this about "Unified Command – Coordination of Search-and-Rescue Missions" that has direct bearing for any disaster event and any activity beyond SAR where interoperable command and coordination/communications/plans/operations are important: "While many individuals went to heroic lengths to rescue victims, their efforts would havebeen far more effective if agency efforts were better coordinated. Officials from nearly everysearch-and-rescue agency told Committee staff that they lacked basic maps of the area.At one point, state and local officials tore maps out of telephone books, so that out-of-statesearch-and-rescue teams could have some sense of where they were going. However, highfloodwaters in New Orleans hid street signs from view, complicating their efforts."
The report's Recommendation #51, "...The plan should also provide for a unified communications network, a common gridreference system, and standardized procedures...."
Reckon that's one recommendation from the Senate's landmark report that FEMA's NIC just had fundamental disagreements with. There is no "Plan". It's now FEMA's National Response Framework, and along with NIMS, they are still in terms of "critical deficiencies"..., missing the "common grid system" and more.
It's not enough to have just the USAR Teams on the standard for a common operating grid (USNG). In addition, while being able from a computer to see where the ice trucks are at, is nice, and should have been done some time ago, that alone won't hack it when something really catastrophic hits (technological or natural). For discussion sake, let's go with a very persistent third generation biotoxin attack over a widespread area of Seattle, or a catastrophic earthquake for that matter. Those ice and water trucks will be only some of the items requiring immediate and unified command and coordination. Perversely amusing this many years later, FEMA's ice trucks and other FEMA GPS, communications, supporting maps, plans and protocols still won't all be set to the same thing, the USNG standard. Go figure.
Amazingly painful, this just isn't that difficult to figure out. Emergency Management is an enterprise with an information lifecycle where stovepipes, especially in terms of communications and coordination are to be overcome by standards. Perhaps FEMA's NIC should meet with the USMC - Chemical and Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF), NORTHCOM, Pentagon, NGA, USGS, FGDC, NOAA, Washington DC.gov and others...all in the same room together at the same time to discuss these these matters.
Actually, that meeting already happened, 12/2005 soon after Katrina. All those agencies came together and traveled to FEMA-HQ in Washington DC for the sole purpose to ENCOURAGE FEMA's NIC to use the USNG standard. However, just like JTF-Katrina who only months earlier had requested the same thing of FEMA in the Gulf Coast region, all were ignored. Paulison's new FEMA, knew better.
Knowing what to communicate and how...is just as important to communications (interoperability) as being able to communicate (everyone with a working radio choking all channels with requests for directions, resolving for location).
Used for everyday emergencies, will mean all on the same sheet of music in times of disaster: "Rescue Twenty-Two, the injured kayaker is North-West of the Juniper River take-out, cellphone fix shows general area of call but appears to be off by a bit. Caller reported precise GPS position, Grid: three five five eight...three two five niner. It looks like a good copy, right on the river approximately one klick northwest of the take-out's parking and State-Nineteen bridge, Grid: three six three...three one eight. The Forest Service trail Seven Six-Alpha, a left turn 130meters further north on State-Nineteen, is good for four-wheelers and will get you to within one hundred and thirty meters. The rest is bushwhacking. Have fun. Eleven forty-eight hours."
"Rescue Twenty-Two, good copy. Out."
June 2006 Nationwide Plan Review:
"The current status of plans and planning givesgrounds for significant national concern. Current catastrophic planning is unsystematicand not linked within a national planning system."
February 1st, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
A Conference and Organization (GITA) of Significance
Top-Notch Leadership
Geospatial Dimensions of Emergency Response Symposium, March 9-12/2008 in Seattle, a unique forum taking place in conjunction with the association’s Geospatial Infrastructure Solutions Conference.
Our everyday first responders are readily identifiable to most as police, fire, and EMS. However, America’s largest group of first responders—the military—has generally gone unnoticed. During Hurricane Katrina, more than 70,000 uniformed servicemen and women were deployed to the Gulf Coast and are increasingly called upon to serve “Homeland” missions during times of crisis. This presentation will provide an overview of how the military uses geospatial technologies and maps to address the need for improved civil-military cooperation in the geospatial arena.
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Pre-Conference Seminar: Map Reading for Emergency RespondersSeminar Leader: Talbot Brooks, Director, Center for Interdisciplinary Geospatial Information Technologies, Delta State University
The geography of landscape wrought asunder by disaster or terrorist attack is not unlike that of the surface of the moon. The topography by which one traditionally navigates is unrecognizable: no street signs, no house numbers, and few visual landmarks. Preparation through training in land navigation and map reading and familiarity with national standards, such as the U.S. National Grid Spatial Reference System are of the utmost importance for successful and safe response. This seminar will first review how to use mapping technologies and land navigation techniques and then teach participants how to create a common, spatially referenced operational framework for disaster/emergency response.
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Another session, Successful Response Starts with a Map: Improving Geospatial Support for Disaster Management, should also be very interesting. The speakers, John Moeller, Senior Principal Engineer, Northrop-Grumman/TASC and J. Peter Gomez, Manager of Information Requirements, Xcel Energy, were both members of the National Research Council Committee on Planning for Catastrophe, and will summarize recommendations of a year-long study to examine the current use of geospatial data and tools in emergencies and to make recommendation to improve that use.
With a major NRC study who's title begins with "Successful Response Starts with a Map"..., but FEMA's National Response Framework not using the word "map" (at all), it's clear that something has gone awfully wrong somewhere! After reading this website, or even small portions, given the primary focus of EmergencyManagement.org (EM) for nearly ten years has been the fact that "Emergency Management and Disaster Response ARE Map-Based Enterprises"..., it should be pretty simple to guess between the NRC and FEMA as to where the “awfully wrong” can be found!
For those meeting in Seattle, like Saint Louis, MO (St. Louis has adopted and is implementing USNG), Seattle is a city that faces perhaps some of the highest risk for catastrophic loss were a very large earthquake to strike (building construction types, max probable EQ...), the requirement for all responders to be on the same STANDARD map sheet of music from hour one and on...can't be stated strongly enough. Victims by the tens of thousands trapped underneath collapsed rooftops as opposed waving towels from on top.
People, PLACES, things. Who, what, why, when, WHERE...UNITY of effort...UNIFIED Command and COORDINATION (Unified C2 is more than a bunch of stars, bars, and crossed bugles all in the same room togther playing nice)...COMMON OPERATING GRID/LANGUAGE OF LOCATION.
STANDARDS!!!
FEMA, sending junior scouts to make pretty and colorful happy-maps to hang in the hallways of a JFO in a state that had never considered a common operating grid (in part because FEMA management had never encouraged them to do so), then by week three (of Katrina) adding a non-standard LanghelmJordonMemorial.grid to a map called the LA State SAR Grid, used by very few, and completely incompatible (non-interoperable) with the military responders on the ground (doctrine/equipment/systems/training)...let's just say things didn't work out so well.
Emergency Managers who don't understand these issues...take some time to learn. It's far better for police and fire departments in the same city/state/region to use a common ops grid...that matches what outside responders WILL BE USING when they arrive to lend a hand. If you are not familiar with why none of the three lat/longs are appropriate for ground forces to use, only one to become familiar with..., learn: Online - Presentation One
Presentation Two
NSARC Georeferencing Matrix.
Operational friction, due to the lack of a common operating grid/language of location, costs any disaster response in ways "never accurately tallied" (Hurricane Andrew). Trying to get on the same map sheet of music after a disaster hits is far too late....
By early 2008, FEMA director Paulison, the individual in charge of federal government preparedness for the three years leading up to Katrina, had still not spoken aloud in a public way that would help change things for the better...the words: "United States National Grid."
January 19th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
Revised January 22nd, 2008
HOLD THE PRESSES - DHS/FEMA IS TO RELEASE YET ANOTHER VERSION OF THE
NATIONAL RESPONSE "FRAMEWORK"
In today's Washington Post, Spencer S. Hsu reports that DHS and FEMA are taking another look, two and a half years since Katrina, and altering their previous attempts at a "Framework" to something more along the lines of what former FEMA director Michael Brown said was needed in the years leading up to Katrina.
The current FEMA director (Paulison), his agency "on a continual downward slide, with a diminishing of agency expertise and an erosion of staff morale...a situation at FEMA nowadays where image is the first priority, where the mission comes second, and where history is rewritten to suit the needs of DHS...," has scheduled a news conference for 1400hrs Tuesday (01/22/2008) to announce the new framework that some seem already confused about, calling it a "plan."
But will the news conference have real reporters present? If so, will they be a select bunch given access over the years if they continue to report out what the Administration wants, merda di' bulla? (Jan 22 update: we can find nothing on the "Internets" that the press conference actually took place.)
Given the almost complete failure of the current FEMA management over the past years to create anything that either has or will actually make a difference in terms of consequence management for the catastrophic, it'll be interesting to see if their latest frelling framework actually recommends a common operating grid (USNG), or even simply mentions the word "map", in advance of such disasters...so that when catastrophic hits our Nation, the current rabble (with a shinny new framework) has their stuff together in terms of map-driven unified command and coordination of response and recovery efforts. (A principle recommendation to FEMA from DOD in the Spring of 2007 when NIMS was opened for outside input...which seems to have been ignored.)
So what has FEMA done to answer this critically important issue and finding from the THE NATIONAL INCIDENT COMMANDER/AREA COMMANDER GROUP AFTER ACTION MEETING, Nov. 28 – Dec. 1, 2005 in Reno? They renamed the "Plan" into an even broader "Framework"...but now, perhaps, FEMA's contractors and consultants have come around to Brown's way of thinking, good or bad, and kinda decided issues regarding "command"...but just kinda.
Oh boy.
One wonders if at the gloriously named meeting held in Reno and noted above, something so basic and simple such as the recommendations from the Nebraska Urban Search and Rescue Task Force One were discussed: "Recommended Action:Give mission assignments 8-12 hours before the operational period begins. The use of searchgrid mapping of the entire event for each taskforce would keep efforts organized, allow all teamsto see progress of the entire area with quicker updates. The use of GPS coordinates and markingcould also be transferred to each team’s database for better incident management and reduce thechances of duplicating search efforts."
These same "command" types, along with their "command" centric enablers at FEMA were the ones responsible for creating IMTs in the first place (minus doctrine) during the years leading up to Katrina. Was it their deliberate intent, under then director of federal preparedness Paulison, to send all their IMTs, more than two dozen USAR Teams and tens of thousands of everyone else to the area of operation without a common operating grid? Many with no maps at all and certainly no maps that easily work with GPS or each other? Did they not even consider a common (unified) and universal language of and for location that was interoperable with the military's 70,000 responders sent to Katrina? Did they, like FEMA, learn nothing at all from the Space Shuttle Columbia debris recovery mission a couple of years before? Hurricane Andrew a decade before that?
Ask Gordy!
"Doctrine for Response in a Multi-Event, Multi-Jurisdiction Environment"
"Across the emergency response community there is no common doctrine for how multiple jurisdictions should interact and respond to a single incident, or to numerous simultaneous incidents which span multiple jurisdictions. This is a critical failing. NIMS was intended to address issues of cooperation and coordination, but must now be followed-up by more specific operating guidelines and facilitating structures." (From the Hicks and Associates report to the MIPT and DHS, A Project Responder Report: Technology Opportunities for
Implementing the National Incident Management System (NIMS)October 2005, released two months before the Reno meeting of "commanders".
Two and working on three years later...we have a brand new Framework and a NIMS that still lack such specific operating guidelines and facilitating structures (such as USNG) that would, for example, solve this critical failure from the same Hicks and Associates report: "Responders' lack ability to share information between the MAC (Multi-Agency Coordination Entities) and area command posts is partially due to weak communications and interoperability standards. This is evidenced by situations where MAC and area commands may both be utilizing digital maps, but with different indexing standards. The result may be an inability to easily exchange map coordinates...."
If all else fails, and it did, send 4,000 firefighters to a catastrophic disaster event to hand out FEMA fliers... and claim it was all a great success.
January 14th, 2008 Emmitsburg (EM)
The National Search and Rescue Committee's (NSARC) Task Force in rewriting the National SAR Supplement agreed upon a
Georeferencing Matrix
As referenced by the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC), the Georeferencing Matrix is "to be used by NSARC member agencies during an interagency response to a declared Catastrophic Incident. It was agreed in part that land SAR Responders must use U.S. National Grid; however, a good familiarity with latitude and longitude is necessary to ensure effective interface between Land and Aeronautical SAR Responders. Aeronautical SAR Responders will use latitude and longitude for CIS response. However, aeronautical SAR responders that work directly with Land SAR responders should understand the U.S. National Grid system for effective Land SAR/Aeronautical SAR interface."
"Member agencies" of NSARC include DOD, DHS, DOC, DOT, DOI, FCC, and NASA.
Importantly, the Matrix's footnote #6 clarifies that "Aeronautical SAR Responders working with Land SAR Responders have the primary responsibility of coordinating SAR using USNG. However both groups must become familiar with both georeference systems."
The NSARC's excellent work in creating this Georeferencing Matrix, reflects lessons learned from disasters such as Hurricane Andrew, Hurricane Katrina and beyond. Also note, by latitude longitude the Committee does not mean two of the three versions, rather the one standard format: DD-MM.mmm (see footnote #1). FEMA's non-standard version of lat/long (degrees decimal degrees) for IRIS was nothing short of stupid for FEMA to have even considered, given IRIS is for and about ground-based responses and responders, including SAR (and the USNG standard was adopted 12/2001). FEMA really "must use U.S. National Grid" if they and NIMS are to be considered of a professional caliber, not counterproductive, working against both DHS endorsed and Presidentially mandated (for Feds) standards such as USNG!!
Click on the map coordinates to view a fantastic Google mashup demonstration of map coordinate systems that conform to recommendations of the National Search and Rescue Committee: USNG: 18S UJ 00582 96493 (a one meter precision grid designation for the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial on the grounds of the National Emergency Training Center).
December 12th, 2007 ASSOCIATED PRESS
U.S. says 'no' at global warming talks
The warming climate, meanwhile, seemed to pursue its own accelerated timetable.
December 11th, 2007 By Tony Perry | Los Angeles Times
December 10th, 2007 By John Barry | Newsweek
Watching Torture
A reporter's reflections on 'the pornography of violence.'
December 1st, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
Heads Roll At FEMA
FEMA Administrator Paulison So Angry With His "Career People" For "Setting Up" His Deputy, The Admiral
So Pissed That "They Did Not Stand Up And Say Something" To Stop The Political Appointees From Staging (Their) Fake News Conference
That Had Such A "Devastating" Impact On FEMA's Credibility...
Two Of Those Responsible Lose Thier Jobs
Paulison Stands Up And Gives Both Promotions
(To Keep Them Quiet About What Really Happened?)
The Washington Post's Al Kamen...has the story.
November 28th, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
- - - - - - -
That was then - Geneva Convention's provisions "obsolete," & "quaint."
This is now - Some firefighters being trained as domestic spies.
November 23rd, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
The Old New FEMA, New Old FEMA - In Their Own Words
"...Yesterday, forty-eight hours after President Bush declared a federal disaster in California, FEMA distributed the first assistance checks to wildfire victims who had registered for assistance...."
"...Approved the request for federal fire management assistance for the Foothill fire at 12:56 p.m. EDT. The request, the second one approved for California during the past 8 hours, was made by the state at 12:45 a.m. EDT. The Melton fire in Riverside County was approved earlier today...."
Sound familiar and like recent news? How about 10/30/2003 and 07/18/2004!
Were those 2003 fires followed up with solutions to lessons learned for the next time...? "Preparedness"?
Second-guessing first responses - LA Times - 10/30/2007 "...The real issue is where the coordination and planning did NOT improve..." "Here's the bottom line: San Diego County SHOULD have the world's best air asset response to a big fire. We have not one, not two, but THREE military bases with dozens of firefighting helos and trained crews. Yet we can't get them in the air during the crucial first 48 hours of a fire, when they could be the most effective. Only severe government incompetence can negate such wonderful firefighting capability." "Richard, I could not agree with you more that (a) the federal response was disastrously slow, and that (b) the state and local government bears substantial responsibility for this slow response. We are also in agreement that FEMA
was practically useless in the early days of the fire, and that the military was anxious to help out and should have been allowed to do so. You are, however, much too quick to let FEMA and the military off the hook, and you left out the U.S. Forest Service altogether...Good coordination locally at the start of a big fire is very different from having a plan to get the additional resources needed to stop it. Here they failed.
By Cmdr (ret) Richard Rider and Professor Richard Carson
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And "Former FEMA director Brown among critics of California wildfire response." (Raw Story, 10/24/2007).
November 14th, 2007
$229,000 FEMA trailers
November 12th, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
Al Kamen's Washington Post Column "Because Hurricanes Threaten Golf Resorts, Too"
"A FEMA spokesman said several other sites in the area were canvassed and Innisbrook was the one that offered the $98 government per diem rate, even tossing in a continental breakfast. Can't beat that."
This is the first EM has heard of Administrator Paulison's "Catastrophic Planning Initiative," and even though only "kicked-off" a few months ago, there is nothing out of order here with regards to lodging in a city that is probably lower in average cost for airfare, ya gotta meet somewhere (and $98 is a hell of a deal).
In addition, those federal, state, and local officials are getting together to discuss category five hurricanes in a state both the only one to have had one in recent decades (where the DFO from week one, though never in the numbers even close to required, and few for those in the field, used common UTM 1km grid on maps used by local, state, fed, Red Cross....), and a state that has perhaps the best organization for coordinating consequence management for such an occurrence in the future, including a (the) standard common operating grid (USNG) adopted and well down the road per implementation.
This can only be a good thing. Along with other states now adopting USNG, Florida EM professionals could help explain the power of a common operating grid, and let all know that if a massive mutual aid effort were needed in their state for resources in the thousands from other states..., USNG is what maps, GPS, GIS, voice, data, planing protocols should use in order to be interoperable with the rest of the enterprise (except now, something Paulison himself is probably unaware of, given his distance from actual management of FEMA, the amateur-hour NIMS-NIC's Dec.Deg version of lat/long for IRIS).
Basic stuff.
Of course there is every possibility, perhaps given the track record, probability, that all those folks got together and nothing substantive came of any of it.... That's what Kamen and Spence Hsu should be reporting and discussing in columns.... Their beloved hometown, Washington DC, has a target painted upon it, several different risks/threats, where map/location-driven "coordination" will be the key to successful consequence management, and yes, Washington DC has adopted and is implementing USNG! But what about those coming to help from surrounding states or the different federal agencies?
(Note: For clarification, readers of (EM) know that the Washington DC Council of Governments has provided key leadership for years with regards to USNG, more to come.)
November 10th, 2007 CBS News
Just Who Was At That Fake FEMA Briefing?
CBS News Obtains A Photo Of The "Press" Gallery Full Of FEMA Staffers
"Identified in the photo are staff members that Johnson works closely with on a daily basis."
"Nathaniel Fogg, Counselor to the Director and Deputy Director; John "Pat" Philbin, former Director of External Affairs; Michael Widomski, Public Affairs Specialist; Eric Heighberger, Special Assistant, Office of the Administrator; Cindy Taylor (in tan suit), Communications Deputy Director; Dan Shulman (red tie), Director of Legislative Affairs; Debbie Wing (curly blond hair), Media Response Liaison; Aaron Walker, National Spokesman."
"The agency's deputy administrator, Harvey Johnson, called on FEMA employees by name during the news conference and knew they weren't reporters."
November 10th, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
Fired or Not Fired?
“Aaron Walker, the FEMA press secretary, has since accepted a job with a public relations firm in Utah. He said Thursday that FEMA Administrator R. David Paulison did not ask him to leave as a result of the incident or the investigation's findings.” (CBS News)
“In an interview, FEMA Administrator R. David Paulison said the agency's press secretary, Aaron Walker, resigned at his request, effective Dec. 7. Walker is the second top FEMA communications aide and political appointee to leave the Bush administration as a result of the event. Earlier, the director of national intelligence withdrew an offer to FEMA's director of external affairs at the time, John "Pat" Philbin, to serve as his office's director of public affairs.” (Washington Post)
November 9th, 2007 Washington Post
Spencer S. Hsu
FEMA Press Secretary Directed Fake News Briefing, (Fake?) Inquiry Finds
"...There is not a lot of consistency in terms of recollection of what was said, but it's clear from everyone that there was not an adequate briefing," the FEMA official said. "There was poor staff service of agency leadership...."
"Those are career people. They should have stepped up and said something, they really should have. But their bosses said 'Do this,' and they did it -- some reluctantly, but there's no excuses for that," Paulison said. He called the impact on FEMA's credibility "devastating."
"...It wasn't intentional, but he (Johnson) was set up," Paulison said, "and he walked in there, and he didn't know everyone in the room...."
(But probably was familiar with (offices on the same floor...used the same lavatory...rode the same elevator...every day...as Johnson does....) most everyone in the room...asking those six, oh so tough soft-pitch questions!)
Who is responsible for the environment and culture, "the leadership", where a fake news conference would even be considered?
November 14th, 2007 FEMA UPDATE: "Myths & Facts: Travel Trailers"
November 9th, 2007 NPR - Morning Edition
FEMA Warns Workers Not to Enter Stored Trailers
by Renee Montagne and Kathy Lohr
FEMA spokesperson Mary Margaret Walker, said the directive doesn't apply to the more than 48,000 trailers occupied by hurricane victims in Louisiana and Mississippi.
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Separately, NEW ORLEANS (AP): "The Federal Emergency Management Agency has postponed plans to test the air quality in trailers occupied by hurricane victims."
"Last Friday, scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta were scheduled to begin testing FEMA trailers in Mississippi for levels of formaldehyde, a carcinogen that can cause respiratory problems."
"But the tests were postponed indefinitely at FEMA's request, before they started. The agency wants to "finalize the testing process" and identify "action levels for responding to the results" before the tests are conducted, FEMA spokeswoman Mary Margaret Walker said Tuesday...."
November 7th, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
FEMA's Press Secretary Aaron Walker Resigns....
October 30, 2007
A fake news conference raises doubts about the 'new' FEMA
Washington Post - Editorial
"...This is outlandish on so many levels, we don't know where to begin...The excuse that staffers were simply asking questions they had been fielding from reporters all day is as lame as it is unacceptable...."
Honesty, Integrity, and Trust?
"Johnson 'really didn't have an awareness' of what was taking place, according to Paulison. The FEMA director said Johnson wasn't familiar with everyone in the press office and did not recognize staffers asking questions.
'He just feels sick about it,' Paulison said. 'He feels his credibility has been hurt.'
However, reporters noted that Johnson called on at least one person by name."
Another, the Director of FEMA External Affairs, was one of those asking questions. Never mind, many of the FEMA "reporters" have offices on the same floor...use the same lavatory...ride the same elevator...every day...as Johnson does....
Defense Science Board report The Future of the Global Positioning System: "...A lack of standardization that can create time-consuming confusion in time of emergency... standard grid for such applications that can eliminate this spatial confusion. Called the U.S. National Grid (USNG), this standard will permit easy depiction of positions to 10 meters or less anywhere in the United States using an alphanumeric designator about the size of a telephone number... Lack of a uniform method for describing incident locations has long been a major impediment to rapid and effective emergency response in diverse metropolitan and rural areas... More focused leadership by the Federal Government to promote such basic education as well as training in the uniform application of GPS at federal, State and local levels by emergency responders would pay nationwide dividends for Homeland Security."
Chertoff blasts FEMA over phony news conference
"I think it was one of the dumbest and most inappropriate things I've seen since I've been in government."
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Congress needs to pass legislation making it a felony for any goverment employee; elected, appointed, or civil service, to pass misinformation with the intent of deceit."
Posted By Paul Whittington, Columbus, Ohio : October 27, 2007 5:20 pm
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The White House: “FEMA has issued an apology, saying that they had an error in judgment when they were attempting to get out a lot of information to reporters, who were asking for answers to a variety of questions in regard to the wildfires in California,” Perino said. “It's not something I would have condoned. And they - I'm sure - will not do it again.”
Perino said FEMA was just trying to provide information to the public, through the press, because there were so many questions. (The only transcript of the FEMA fake found to date has a total of six questions.)
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Bush Administration Touts ‘Disciplinary Action’ Against FEMA Staffer, Gives Him Job Promotion
October 29th, 2007
Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Californincineration
"...Seven letters, very wet, rhymes with Farina...Apples to, I'm going to go with Dragons...."
"Clearly the lesson for successful disaster relief: don't invite the poor people!"
October 26th, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
FRELLING LIARS
FEMA Meets the Press, Which Happens to Be . . . FEMA "Heck of a job, Harvey."
By Al Kamen (Washington Post)
This Washington Post column regarding FEMA's not surprising at all "Orwellian oops", provides the "propaganda" comments in the Oct. 23rd (EM) post below a bit more perspective.
Honesty, Integrity, Trust...Competence. This current group of liars fails on all counts, and now, trying so hard to build the myth, take an ice pick to the face of all the very good and decent FEMA public servants who do their best day in and day out to actually make things better.
"You can fool 24% of the people all of the time."
October 23rd, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
Firefighters Doing an Amazing Job With The Tools at Hand
The firefighters who are working the different fires in Southern California that have burned 400,000 acres so far, are performing with great courage and tenacity. We all hope and pray they can continue to do so safely and that the civilians in the area also can be safe and suffer as little loss to life and property as can be, given the forces of nature (and development/mitigation choices made in the past).
Though spinners of propaganda will make them anyway, there is no rational comparison of this fire event, or subsequent FEMA response, to disasters like Katrina, there are simply far to many fundamental differences.
There are constants however, be it 400,000 acres or Katrina's more than 57 million; fire, hurricane, or earthquake.
For any disaster, large or small, with or without warning, fire, hurricane, catastrophic earthquake...or pandemic (flu), deliberate terrorist attack, response and consequence management (coordination) just simply works better if ALL are on the same map sheet of music (beforehand). Common sense, nothing new.
The Spatial Technologies Industry Association (STIA), before the US National Grid standard was adopted in 2001, put it this way: "...In addition to its commercial benefits, we strongly believe adoption of the USNG standard will dramatically improve ease of use for GPS equipment and applications in nationwide E-911, general emergency response and disaster response. Having recently sponsored a forum with ComCARE Alliance on how spatial technologies such as GPS can enable E-911, the STIA is a strong advocate for their effective implementation. An absolutely essential component in that implementation is the ability to identify accident and emergency response locations in ways that are unambiguous and broadly applicable. Defining the USNG as the preferred means of relating GPS positions to large scale planar map products provides that broad utility. We believe it will rapidly produce nationwide benefits to emergency response organizations through identification of a common means of identifying accident and disaster locations anywhere in the country...."
Those from the impacted region, those responding from other states, their maps and radios, plans and protocols can best facilitate unified command and coordination only if they are interoperable, set to the same thing (ie. "doctrine"); a grid designation included with all street addresses in radio communications (truncated for required precision/usage), USNG in plans, map indexes..., fundemental steps to lessen ops friction and build true integrated emergency management.
What if the time of delay encountered from “operational friction” due to crossed-communications, or not knowing where you are, or where you are going...how to get there, saps the collective effectiveness of say twenty percent (or more) of any response for any disaster? On disasters, seldom are individual delays caused by operational friction formally recorded for later tallying up the overall costs. Many disaster workers, including first responders, tend to expect things to be confused...they tend to accept that current status quo..."that's why it's a disaster"...and change comes slowly, if at all. The costs of operational friction are indeed substantial, and by costs, they are not just in lost time or dollars, they can be lost lives.
"An actual accounting of all the requests for emergency assistance thatwent without, or the delay encountered by the countless movements of personnel, food,and equipment will likely never accurately be tallied…." (Hurricane Andrew)
The US Senate's Hurricane Katrina: A Nation Still Unprepared said this about "Unified Command – Coordination of Search-and-Rescue Missions" that has direct bearing for any disaster event: "While many individuals went to heroic lengths to rescue victims, their efforts would havebeen far more effective if agency efforts were better coordinated. Officials from nearly everysearch-and-rescue agency told Committee staff that they lacked basic maps of the area.At one point, state and local officials tore maps out of telephone books, so that out-of-statesearch-and-rescue teams could have some sense of where they were going. However, highfloodwaters in New Orleans hid street signs from view, complicating their efforts." (See also the report's Recommendation #51, "...The plan should also provide for a unified communications network, a common gridreference system, and standardized procedures....")
FEMA, having observed lessons from the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, Hurricane Katrina (and others), now has it's own plans for disasters. But in the most basic sense imaginable, a common operating grid, how good are they? (Doubtful they even mention the word "map" at all.)
The FEMA Director (Administrator) Paulison, in charge of FEMA "Preparedness" in the years leading up to Katrina (it was "his watch"), still does not these years later even have his own small agency "on the same map sheet of music" (as former FEMA director James Lee Witt put it in his early 2002 USNG White Paper); never mind the rest of DHS, the US Forest Service, or BLM (who, like FEMA during the Paulison years, still have not decided what to set their GPS)!
Mr. Paulison contradicted and still contradicts his own testimony to the US Senate during his confirmation hearing when he vigorously before and afterwards insists that for major disaster response a map reference system is a local prerogative, seemingly with no consideration for the substantial federal response elements for large events. There are many thousands of local reference systems (for Katrina, NOLA PD and FD alone, each had their own). Mr. Paulison counters both positions when without public notice or comment one part of his agency, via NIMS-NIC IRIS, has in fact recently mandated the non-standard decimal degree version of latitude and longitude.
Problematic on a number of levels, non-standard, plus amateurish, and simpleton. Paulison's "leadership" in this regard ensures that all requests from the field for typed assets that use the "plain language" advantage of USNG...must somehow be translated to decimal degree latitude and longitude (Datum?). For the emergency services sector, a large portion of which does not even realize there is more than one version of latitude and longitude..., very problematic. Even the FCC website provided by the FEMA IRIS users guide, if one has access to the Internet, won't translate from USNG to the non-standard decimal.degree, nor even from ground ops secondary and nautical and aeronautical applications primary degree minute.decimal minute of latitude and longitude.
The obvious point is, of course, how frelling foolish it is that by FEMA NIMS-NIC design, in a time of crisis, any human at any human interface, whether computer, radio, GPS, cell phone, paper map..., would even need to worry about translating anything at all.... It defies reason, common sense, "system", and results in time-consuming error, operational friction!!
Rabble.
The "New FEMA's" streamlined bureacracy also contradicts solid strategic thinking and vision from so many over the years for overall social enhancement, a DHS endorsed "objective of this U.S. National Grid standard is to create a more interoperableenvironment for developing location-based services within the United States and toincrease the interoperability of location services appliances with printed map productsby establishing a nationally consistent grid reference system as the preferred grid forNSDI applications. The U.S. National Grid is based on universally-defined coordinateand grid systems and can, therefore, be easily extended for use world-wide as auniversal grid reference system."
Mr. Paulison, why do we even have National standards? (Mandatory for feds by Presidential Executive Order you choose to ignore!) Not only standards, but interoperability/operability as illustrated by of the maps from this past year's Super Bowl.
For the most part, the local and state levels don't yet even know about this decimal degree FEMA follies fact (yet). Same for the other Feds, like DoD, USGS..., who urgently recommend USNG (like FEMA itself did in 2001). DoD even wrote and submitted a USNG-based Point and Area Reference appendix to the proposed revised NIMS in March, 2007 (rejected by FEMA with no comment).
FEMA did not make this decimal degree mandate a part of the materials released for public comment (NIMS or NRP/NRF), but it is nonetheless true. Confusion and bureaucracy, like none before in FEMA hold sway..., but mostly ego of those in charge who should, but don't seem to know any better.
What would/will FEMA tell Florida? What would/will FEMA say to Missouri, Minnesota, North Carolina, Mississippi, Maryland? What possible logic could there be...? What would/will they tell other states and locals, GITA, or Congress...if Congress ever cared to provide basic oversight for such a critical element of preparedness?
Not that IRIS is even old enough to matter (yet), but what does this say about the FEMA manager who claims to be streamlining things based upon his "experience"? Does he believe that even one single responder in the current California wildfire response have paper maps with decimal degree lat/long on them (or ever will)? Does he not understand (yet) why the National Guard, and other military like the USMC being called into the wildfire fight, have chosen MGRS (civil counterpart is USNG) for almost sixty years?
That there are more dissimilarities between the current fires response and something like Katrina, or when a catastrophic earthquake strikes, should not be forgotten when on the news you are told the "new FEMA" is better than the old...or the insulting to so many that it was the "30 years of bureaucracy" that supposedly caused the problems in the past at FEMA...not the folks in charge....
The fact that there is not a National Mutual Aid System (NMAS), based on the fundamental foundation and robust capabilities that only a National common operating grid (USNG) provides, or that FEMA itself is not even working on a true NMAS, should give cause for consideration and considerable worry for what is really going on: The building of mythical capabilities, then "SUCCESS!" after a couple of soft hurricane seasons, one tornado, lingo like "forward deployed" (if you'll remember, the same used in the aftermath of Andrew and in the days leading up to Katrina...), now the FEMA "response" to the California fires.
As well as the State of California has performed for these fires, and they have, when a major earthquake strikes California, will CA by then enhance their capabilities in terms of the simple to solve for USNG common operating grid (standard) when there are many tens of thousands of responders from out of state coming to help? This, like Missouri, Florida, and others today (including USAR Teams)... who have adopted USNG! We think yes.
Today however, with empathy in our hearts for those who have lost their homes and some their lives, we hope for a positive change in the weather and as successful fire response as possible. Thanks to all the firefighters who place their lives on the line every day in the USA, and to those who now work facing fearsome fire storms in Southern California. Be safe. Everyone goes home.
July 2006 IAEM Bulletin
Special Focus Issue: Technology & Research in EM
Affordable Geospatial Information Technologies for Disaster/Emergency Response
By Talbot Brooks, Director, Center for InterdisciplinaryGeospatial Technologies, Delta State University
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August 2006 IAEM Bulletin: Getting on the Same Page
"...Using latitude and longitude was out of the question...What was in fact needed was the application of a standard coordinate system that any responder could use regardless of the map inhand or the GPS unit in use and that would work well with the largest group of responders, theU.S. military...The critical lesson learned is that every search and rescue team member, firefighter, medic and police officer needs to learn fundamental map reading skills and the USNG..When Katrina blew through, it stripped the land of recognizable landmarks such as street markers,house numbers (and the houses as well) and signage. The ability to navigate in this environment iscrucial to providing emergency services, and a map with the USNG is the most effective means to do so.."
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Sept 2006 IAEM Bulletin: Use of GIT During the Response Phase of Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi
In the South, we like to give directions like “Turn left at Bubba’s barn, and keep going until you get to the old oak tree...” A good map helps overcome these problems, especially if it includes the USNG coordinate system discussed in the first article in this series ( IEDs Seen As Rising Threat in The U.S. "...Explosives-sniffing dogs are trained differently by various federal agencies, making collaboration between squads 'difficult if not impossible.' Federal agencies maintain separate databases on bomb incidents. Separately, bomb squad commanders have complained of inadequate training for responding to truck bombs...." "...Living a Nightmare With No End in Sight...." "There has been a glaring unfortunate display of incompetent strategic leadership within our national leaders...." (Retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez) ----- Visit the Three Cups of Tea Homepage A Book Written Fifteen Years Ago, Earth in the Balance, Is The Reason for the "Sustainable"in EM's Logo Thank you Mr. Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Gore, U.N. Body, Win Nobel Peace Prize Katrina Lessons Observed: If current "leadership" in the USA can't even recommend, let alone implement, something so simple and basic as a common map grid for disaster response, is there even the remote possibility of a chance that they might take serious action with regards to global warming? Contact your elected officials. By Rick Atkinson Fascinating, educating (depressingly so), simply excellent reporting. This newly revised site is an excellent resource for a whole number of reasons and uses!! The truly landmark site includes in the "Information" section, a very well written "Commentary: Why the U.S. National Grid is important." EmergencyManagement.org (EM) is honored to have been listed under References. To Lift a Nation - 9/11 Monument Arrives at the National Emergency Training Center (NETC) Shown in the first photos ever posted on the Internet of the monument at NETC, Utahns Stan Watts...
(read more about the monument and see more of the photos taken by Mark A. Whitney). Proposed Disaster-Response Plan Faulted "...The draft NRF that we have reviewed appears to be more like a public relations document rather than a response plan or framework...." NATIONAL SAR COMMITTEE (NSARC) This NSARC document is very good. It is obvious there are a number of excellent agencies and individuals hard at work to better prepare for the catastrophic. Congratulations to the Coast Guard authors of the document and all those who participated. At the same time, there are several challenges for others to take up in a serious manner when one considers preparedness for the entire enterprise. If these "requirements" are only for incidents of National significance, catastrophic, how does one prepare for just that actuality alone to work? With little or no warning, how does that happen...to make "rabble" go away (to the max extent possible)? Heavens forbid on day two of the next large or catastrophic disaster when asked by JIM LEHRER: "Is there a system for doing that? Have you all worked out a grid system of some kind for checking out every place?" The FEMA talking head indicates that in fact "yes, yes we have, but it's only for catastrophic incidents like this earthquake, and now we have to implement the USNG standard (maps, equipment, commo, training) in order to use it. That takes time." Time. For the Kim family lost in the mountain cold of Oregon, they were experiencing a catastrophe. Draft National Response Framework Released For Public Comment As reported on by the Washington Post and commented on by EM below, FEMA has created a new National Response Framework and it will soon take the place of the National Response Plan. This is it. It looks like perhaps a draft NIMS is a part of this same final push for "public comment" (though that remains unclear) then the whole thing goes final. Having reviewed practically all documents on the www.fema.gov/nrf/ website, it is clear, this stuff is not-ready-for-primetime. Katrina did not teach anything of consequence to this group who are more than willing to leave critical components for preparedness and beyond to the next Administration. Do your own simple test. Read down through this (EM) site, then, search each and every document on the www.fema.gov/nrf/ website for the single word "map"! In all of them, including NIMS, there are few to no meaningful uses of such a basic and simple to understand (critical) tool, that in reality, drives the enterprise. If you don't agree, you should at least find it uncomfortable that the ESF-9 Annex for Search and Rescue does not mention the word "map" and nothing about the standard for a common operating grid (USNG). For goodness sake, search the "draft" NIMS on "geospatial" and read just a few of the reasons ("c. Geospatial Information") the USNG standard was adopted in 2001; "2. Communications Standards and Formats," "a. Radio Usage Procedures" where one would hope all responders know how in a professional sense to use a map and radio...; right below that, "b. Common Terminology, Plain Language (Clear Text), Compatibility" where again, USNG is plain language for maps for professionals and civilians alike...; at the same time the recommendation from the Department of Defense to include the "Position (Point and Area) Reference Procedures" Appendix, actually provided to FEMA (by DoD) in early 2007..., ignored. For all the Geographers, GISers, Fire, Police, Emergency Management...anyone who believed or still believes that maps and mapping, with and without technology, are critically important for everything to do with all aspects (phases) of disaster work, like it seemed at one time FEMA Director Paulison in his testimony to the US Senate believed, FEMA has rejected all that...and the reality of Andrew, Space Shuttle Columbia, Katrina...so that those in the field will again be left with telephone book maps, little better, the next time catastrophe strikes. Given what has been put forward and very likely will remain essentially unchanged, the Rabble will continue here in the homeland, "No Unification," no choice. Wishing a truly unified National Response Framework into being with a collection of bla, bla, bla...simply will not happen. September 11th, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM) It's Difficult to Put Into Words How Amazingly Inept It Is For NIMS To Make the Following Statement But Not Mention The Standard (and Solution)..., (From NIMS - 09/2007) The use of geospatial data should be tied to consistent standards because of the potential for geographic coordinates to be transposed incorrectly or otherwise misapplied, causing inconspicuous yet serious errors. Standards covering geospatial information should also enable systems to be used in remote field locations or devastated areas where telecommunications capabilities may not have sufficient bandwidth to handle large images or may be limited in terms of computing hardware." - - - NIMS Training: "Bring your maps with you from home...." (Any grid you want, or, none at all...GPS set to whatever = Rabble!) "...The USNG provides a seamless, common reference system upon which all first responders nation-wide may be trained. In the event of a disaster where national assets are deployed to assist local responders USNG will be the language used to communicate location. To enhance response times and minimize bottlenecks at critical and stressful times, we must provide useable location information in a consistent and uniform format to all first responders as quickly as possible. We owe it to our citizens in a time of need where seconds truly matter, to provide data to everyone in a usable format that will increase the likelihood of their safety and well being."(A National States Geographic Information Council White Paper on the National Grid,August 3, 2006) U.S. SENATE,SUBCOMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SPACE,COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION,Washington, DC. We have a distinguished panel of witnesses today. Dr. JoeAllbaugh, from the Federal Emergency Management Agency; Dr.John Marburger, Director of the Office of Science and TechnologyPolicy...; (Page 10 - Marburger,
President Bush's Science Advisor) The New Al-Qaeda Central "Far From Declining, the Network Has Rebuilt, With Fresh Faces and a Vigorous Media Arm" The Looming Tower : Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 (Lawrence Wright) "Some of the F.B.I.’s field agents, as we now know, had premonitions of what was coming. When the supervisor of the Minneapolis field office was admonished, in August 2001, for expressing fears that an Islamic radical attending flight school might be planning a suicide attack, he shot back defiantly that he was 'trying to keep someone from taking a plane and crashing into the World Trade Center.' Amazing." (New York Times - DEXTER FILKINS book review of The Looming Tower.) One Article (Government Executive), One Article/Report (Washington Post/GAO) Taken Individually or Together...Again Suggest 72 Hours of Personal Preparedness Is Not Nearly Enough FEMA looks to private sector for disaster provisions (www.GovExec.com - Zack Phillips) NOTE: There may be some hope here if the former Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) individual hired by FEMA, referred to in this GovExec article, is someone more than just another political appointee or bud of a bud, moved from one place to another to spin out the remaining months of this Administration...happily burrowed in at a high civil service grade to last out the next. (Ah, what a great “system.”) GAO Criticizes Homeland Security's Efforts to Fulfill Its Mission (www.WashingtonPost.com - Spencer Hsu) NOTE: The GAO report pays no attention at all to the the critical role of maps/mapping in terms of a successful homeland security enterprise and the current levels of mapping chaos that will no doubt result in critical deficiencies for consequence management of nuclear, biological, and chemical incidents, as well all other hazards human-caused or natural when they occur. Like the new National Response Framework, the current (old) National Response Plan (NRP), and for the most part, the current (old) National Incident Management System (NIMS), the GAO report does not use the word "map" one single time in a meaningful way. GAO's understanding of "interoperability" (driven it seems by DHS itself and not independent thinking within GAO) also remains woefully inadequate (one dimensional, and even there, simpleton). FEMA (Within a Few Days of a Disaster): "Civilians Step Back and Let the Professionals Take Control" In Terms of Preparedness (Consequence Management) for Disaster Events of Truly Catastrophic Proportions, Devlin Barrett's (Associated Press) Article Indicates FEMA's New ID Would Control Access to Disaster Sites (Even if 90k Square Miles?) The "New FEMA's" Mis-Placed Priorities Practically everything put into place by FEMA since Katrina neglects on-the-ground realities for events of a catastrophic nature where effective map-based/driven coordination and communication, among all, are the coin of the realm. FEMA talks "plain language," "interoperability," "integration," and even dares "unified command and control," all without a common map grid fully implemented (ie. making each and every one of the afore mentioned "impossible" in a Katrina-like setting). How much effort has been expended by FEMA re. implementation of a common operating grid vs. a standard id card? One can be of service in every day commerce, private citizen use, and emergency services; one will be of limited value when catastrophe hits again. The attempt at smart IDs are a priority...of some sort...for those who can't seem to get anything of value accomplished in the face of lessons observed Katrina and beyond. It fills time and to some sounds important. US National Grid (USNG) is "plain language for maps." FEMA's own US Fire Service Needs Assessment report (2002 and again 2006) "indicates that the vast majority of departments with a map coordinate system have only a local system, which means the system they have is unlikely to be usable with global positioning systems (GPS) or familiar to, or easily used by, non-local emergency response partners, such as Urban Search and Rescue Teams, the National Guard, and state or national response forces. Moreover, interoperability of spatial-based plans, information systems, equipment, and procedures will likely be rendered impossible beyond the local community under these circumstances. This reliance almost exclusively on local systems exists across-the-board, in all sizes of communities. The U. S. National Grid (USNG-NAD83) standard, based on the grid system used by U.S. military units and National Guard forces around the world, was adopted as the system best suited for eventual national standardization. (http://www.fgdc.gov/usng/index.html)" It goes without saying for true "professionals" (like the military, USAR Teams, many others...) that integration and unified command and control, unified, interoperable (integrated) communications and coordination, can never be a reality when there are dozens of map reference systems, or none at all, being used randomly by responders on the same disasterground. Never mind the absolutely critical nature of all those "civilians" who step forward and work for days, weeks, and months (years re. Katrina) when help does not show up otherwise (all using maps for many reasons day-in and day-out). Remember, there simply is no National Mutual Aid System (NMAS) currently in place for catastrophic disasters here in the USA. The best FEMA can come up with in times of crisis, beyond the excellent USAR teams totalling perhaps 3,000 total personnel (who
will take several days to arrive), is to then send thousands of firefighters to impacted areas to hand out fliers with 1-800 phone numbers to people with little access to working phones. (After years of opportunity to actually prepare for such a disaster.) One wonders if Doc Carter ever "Asked the People Who Know" just exactly why they were, in fact, the very "bureaucrats" who were "squandering our resources in this way?" Card readers? Standards for ID cards but not a common operating grid for maps and communications/plans/operations? There are a very many excellent FEMA employees, along with our truly professional USAR and Military, who understand all of this and once again hang their heads while those in "command" who brought us "preparedness" for Katrina continue the charade..., hoping to get out of town before the next big one hits. None of the Volunteers of United Flight 93 were "credentialed" for the service they performed for our Nation on 09/11/2001. "Let's roll." On Counterinsurgency – US Army Field Manual 3-24 / Marine Corps Warfighting Publication 33.3.5 Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico Satellite Animation (Intellicast) Katrina, Two Years Later - A Sad Legacy of Failure Upon Failure Two years and no “upgraded” National Response Plan (NRP) nor National Incident Management System (NIMS). Given past performance, it is questionable whether either document will make much of a positive impact in any case, given there is no attention paid to maps/mapping for this, a map-driven enterprise. There still is nothing even resembling a standards-based National Mutual Aid System. A sleeping nation doesn't seem to care.... Dear US Fire Service, were catastrophe to strike, a sudden plan will again be pulled from dark recesses southwards of the waistline for you to en-mass go work Community Relations...! Two years, plus two years, still under this Administration: “none of the homeland security related needs (i.e., ability to handle any of four unusually challenging situations with local specialized equipment) showed marked improvement nor did any of the personnel needs related to those situations.” (Four Years Later – A Second Needs Assessment of the US Fire Service USFA/NFPA – 2006) It is all but guaranteed, given the current rabble, that for the next catastrophic disaster the large majority of state, local, and federal response assets (excluding military, USAR, Florida, portions soon all of Mississippi, North Carolia and more every month) who travel to a disaster area of operations will in an almost complete sense lack even basic maps of the disaster areas they respond, let alone quality maps with the standard common operating grid (USNG). They will, as with Hurricane Andrew, then Katrina (according to the US Senate in Katrina: A Nation Still Unprepared), at best have maps torn from telephone books for at least some sense of where they are at or where they are going. If they have GPS or GIS, who knows what they'll be set, USNG (hopefully), any one of the three lat/longs (hopefully not), nothing at all...? Just embarrassing. Best wishes for those still confronting their memories and personal losses from the storm. May Providence look down upon them and all others for a bright future. Hurricane Dean Hits the Yucatán (MGRS: 16QDF29), Bush Meets Leaders of Mexico and Canada to Discuss Standards to Integrate Things like Passports USAR Teams pre-deployed to Texas in preparation for Dean were themselves all on the same map sheet of music, GPS all set to the same thing, all sharing a common operating grid (USNG), one of the major lessons learned from Katrina. It is doubtful those same USAR teams would have been integrated with any other Local, State or non-military Federal response asset, had Dean come further north into Texas, where the lessons learned from the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, and Katrina/Rita, seem to be faded in to the past. The USAR Teams and the National Guard would have likely been the only ones using the USA common ops grid standard (USNG). Who knows if USAR will face such mapping chaos if it now responds within Mexico. Perhaps local thru Federal responders in Mexico already use and train with MGRS, so integration in terms of map-driven communications, plans, operations can be successful. Other than USAR and the military (including NATO), who knows what responders coming from far and wide would use to coordinate their efforts and navigate the disasterground were Seattle, WA or St. Louis, MO to experience a magnitude 8.3 earthquake (PS, St. Louis' GIS is on USNG!!); Québec, Toronto, NYC to be struck by a catastrophic incident. Third generation weapons of mass destruction have been called the "poor persons nuke" for decades now and "The level of technology required to produce weapons of mass destruction is relatively modest." (And that was written before the World Wide Web, Google, and easy access to so much related information to the average biologist, and others....) At least standards for passports are being discussed by the "leaders", emergency response teams in future years will be able to cross borders more effectively. 08/18/2007 (1200Z) - It's hurricane season again and Hurricane Dean, the first Atlantic Ocean hurricane of 2007 with 150mph winds, gusting to 185mph @ Grid: 19PFT1703 (Lat, Lon, D.dd: 15.4012, -67.9097 or DM.m: N15º 24.074' W67º 54.582' or DMS: N15º 24' 4.44" , W67º 54' 34.92"), is heading for an already wet Texas and Mexico border area (four/five days out) with forecast landfall winds of 135mph. (Update 08/19/2007, 1200Z, Grid: 18Q WD 74 57: Current forecast has Jamaica then the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico getting smacked hard with 150mph+ winds, Dean crossing over into the Gulf of Mexico and back into Mexico again with winds at 100mph.) What History Did Not Teach Karl Rove Yesterday's column in the Washington Post by Michael Gerson, What History Taught Karl Rove, begs the question, what did history not teach Rove? If Mr. Rove is the lover of history that Gerson says he is, combined with intellect above and beyond..., then why has he and his boss been unable to get the entire Federal government to take advantage of a common operating grid (USNG) standard when responding to disasters like Katrina, two years later, not even FEMA? Especially confounding, given the plainly simple and historic lessons learned from Andrew, and SS Columbia, or the best advice of our excellent Military and others like USGS, NOAA, even parts of FEMA...; the failures (lessons learned again) witnessed Katrina!! It's interesting, and history will reflect upon the fact that Gov. Jeb Bush was able to adopt and begin to implement USNG for Florida before he left office (http://www.fldfs.com/sfm/USNatGrid.htm - http://www.floridadisaster.org/gis/usng/), but his brother, the President, advised by Mr. Rove, could not do something so very easy, with basically no additional cost, for FEMA alone, never mind the rest of the Federal government. Not even FEMA, one single agency (sure, it happens to be Emergency Management...) on the same map page!! How has Mr. Rove
and his boss, evidently knowing full well the lessons of history and how important an advantage good mapping can be, Hotchkiss (Civil War), lessons learned WWI and WWII leading to creation of MGRS (world-wide common ops grid used by USA military, NATO and others for 60 years)..., that there are three lat/longs, none good for ground-pounders..., how have they been unable to provide the simple leadership and direction even within the Federal government (DHS, FEMA) to be sure that all are on the same map sheet of music, all GPS set to the same thing..., through an implemented USNG (civil counterpart to MGRS) when the balloon goes up? Especially given it is an FGDC standard (www.fgdc.gov/usng) that by Presidential Executive Order and OMB Circular was supposed to have been mandatory in 12/2001 when USNG passed, years before Columbia, Katrina, that in rather dramatic terms, demonstrated again the need beyond imagination for professional level mapping preparedness and use. It's almost as if his DoD Generals were telling President Bush and Mr. Rove two years ago that "Sir, it was a train-wreck and what will we do if a disaster strikes again like this or one without warning?" But in spite of every opportunity, the President has been unable to do anything about it, surrounding himself with "experts" who have lacked the imagination and leadership to take important steps towards preparedness for the catastrophic, disasters even more severe than Katrina. History. Washington DC (the city, one hopes someday the state) is implementing USNG, but the current Administration, supposed to be better at warfighting and homeland security..., could not get a simple common map grid standard done within just FEMA alone, DHS.... Never mind FEMA, since Katrina, has been unable to simply recommend USNG for states/localities. (It takes organizations like GITA and NSGIC to do so!!! - http://www.fgdc.gov/usng/articles-reports/GITAltrUSNGspt20070703.pdf "Recommends widespread awareness, training and education on the use of the USNG for first responders nation-wide;") History, this Administration has 1.5 years left to make positive and progressive history. It will also be a mystery left to the history Mr. Rove evidently loves so, as to where the leadership in the early years of this Bush/Rove/Cheney Administration went after 9/11. Even the FEMA Director under President Clinton (Witt) had high praise for the White House leadership in 02/2002 with regards to the "must have" USNG standard (http://www.comcare.org/uploads/USNG.pdf). After such challenging events and eight frelling long years, this Administration will be leaving us with a NIMS that few are paying real attention, a National Response Plan that according to some in the Washington Post in recent days is neither a Plan nor National, some logistics trucks with GPS (probably set to one of the three lat/longs at the user interface and not the USNG standard, but at least Burris made out well), a Congress that thinks "...FEMA exists to serve the public. But it acts as though protecting Director Paulison from embarrassment is more important than protecting the health of the victims of Hurricane Katrina...," while it skipped over what history will see as having been the logical first step, a common operating grid (USNG) for all. Rove and his boss, took a pass on something as useful/simple as a National Grid to make "framework" meaningful (handed to them on a silver platter). Something taught to school children and used by all for decades in countries like the UK for daily personal use, commercial, emergencies, disasters.... Gerson's article was an enjoyable read, but perhaps he should instead wonder what his, Rove's, and President Bush's "Axis of Speechification" domestic homeland security legacy will really be when folks take a look back at history years from now; not much of a legacy, but fascinating reading...as history. Heavens forbid on day two of the next large or catastrophic disaster when asked by JIM LEHRER: "Is there a system for doing that? Have you all worked out a grid system of some kind for checking out every place?" FEMA replies: (PATRICK RHODE, FEMA Deputy Director) "That's something that we're working on right now with both the cities and the states as we go through this. We're really relying upon a combination of their intelligence and also our intelligence...." The USA's entire National Capitol Region will have quads updated with full fine-line USNG grid overlay by Thanksgiving Day of 2007. Spencer Hsu (Washington Post) Reports: "States Feel Left Out Of Disaster Planning" "'Where's the beef?' asked Baughman, who is Alabama's emergency management chief. 'I don't have any problems with a framework . . . but it's not a plan . . . and it's not national. Who are we fooling here?'" Here is a link to the "National Response Framework" refered to in Hsu's article. Given the probably millions of dollars spent on the contractors writing it, the copious references to soooo very much else in the new "Framework" document, common sense dictates that this should have been one document to include a simple statement like this on the first page to solve for a "critical deficiency in consequence management," to identify for map-based planning/communications/operations a framework the USA requires (deserves): “The preferred spatial reference system framework to be utilized by the USA homeland security enterprise (to supplement street addresses) in ground-ground, ground-air communications, planning, operations, etc..., is the common operating grid standard, US National Grid (USNG-NAD83). When referenced to WGS 84, the Military Grid Reference System (MGRS) used by the National Guard and other military forces is operationally equivalent and is an accepted substitute for USNG coordinates referenced to NAD 83 for USA and transnational applications.” There is no such statement, rather, a perfect score for "bla, bla, bla!" Amazingly, the document does not use the word "map" one single time. Update: 08/14/2007 - Bruce Baughman, who is quoted above in the Washington Post article being quite critical of FEMA's so called “National Response Plan,” just a few days later, has become a FEMA contractor working for the same corporation who did the pre-Katrina planning under FEMA contract for the Louisiana Gulf Coast (NOLA...), the same company now hired by FEMA for so very much else in terms of planning for catastrophe Nationally. Boy, that didn't take long. Probably a great company, doing a great job.... From a Top Tier State Emergency Management Agency - Florida Take a moment and view this excellent awareness/training PowerPoint from the state called: "USNG in Florida" Find much more at www.FloridaDisaster.org or www.FGDC.gov/usng A Terrible Tragedy - Interstate (I-35W) Bridge Falls Into the Mississippi River (Grid: 15T VK 80686 80659) The response to this event by Fire, LE, EMS, and all others was excellent!! Condolences to the families and friends of those who were lost in this bridge collapse. "Such comments are the trend in the popular literature for the public on how to use GPSand maps. The USGS 7.5 minute map series thus provided a large body of civil users an opportunity to appreciate what fully gridded maps and GPS can provide, opening theimagination to the concept of a geoaddress and what this might provide the nation. …” GIS and GPS Emergency Response Lessons Learned from the Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster (University of Texas at San AntonioSan Antonio, Texas) (Note: Some in FEMA learned nothing. THESE WERE DRAMATIC and BASIC (SIMPLE TO UNDERSTAND) LESSONS LEARNED FOR HOW TO OPERATE IN A WIDE-AREA DISASTER SCENERIO! Have lots of Maps All with full fine-line USNG grid, all GPS set to USNG. The same sheet of music. None of which happened for Katrina 2.5 years later!) (What does it say about FEMA that this simple message is not coming... from FEMA?) "...For example, the US National Grid has proven to be of significant value in meetingemergency response and address/parcel identification requirements, serving in part as abridge between analog (paper maps) and digital applications. This can be a particularlycritical function in the aftermath of a natural or other disaster, as when the street signinfrastructure of coastal Mississippi was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. "Accordingly, given the significant benefits adoption and use of the US National Grid wouldprovide, the Board of Directors of the Geospatial Information & Technology Association(GITA) endorses and strongly encourages the appropriate implementation and use of theFederal Geographic Data Committee US National Grid standard by its members and others.... "Supports the US National Grid (USNG) as a nationally consistent grid referencesystem and as the preferred grid for National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI)applications; "Believes that other geospatial reference systems must also be standardized andavailable for application and use, but strongly supports the USNG as a seamless,common reference system for emergency management; "Recommends widespread awareness, training and education on the use of the USNGfor first responders nation-wide; and "Supports consideration by the ANSI/INCITS Technical Committee L1 of adoption ofthe USNG as an American National Standard." Think About It USNG: "The mapping system would help saves lives, reduce the costs of the disaster, and enhance all disaster related actions." (FEMA's Paulison in testimony to the US Senate in May, 2006)... ...See below, lest there be any doubt, here is what DoD will be using to support "homeland security and homeland defense" operations. Wouldn't it be a great idea for all, as Former FEMA Director James Lee Witt put it (in frelling 02/2002), to be on the "same (map) sheet of music"? At the end of Witt's landmark White Paper, he concludes with a statement that should ring loudly, the longer DHS and FEMA waits the more expensive things will become (and of course the more risk for rabble response we in the USA will have to endure): "The reward for using the USNG will be large. The cost ofimplementation is small and the risk low. It is an IT requirement forour Nation as we enter a new age of increasingly available spatialinformation for responders, planners, and the public. Therequirement becomes more urgent as large dollar resources andeffort are directed towards homeland security. Standards such as theUSNG are best served early before the main course." This Commentary Found on Directions Magazine Gets Quickly to the Point ------- -------- GIS Applications during Response to Hurricane Katrina (#3)by Joe Trimboli, US Army Corps of Engineers Date: May 31, 2007 11:34 AM These observations are based on how the military has done mapping for many years, even before there was GIS. The military has always used a layer system and base maps but they were QUAD sheets and acetate. The military QUAD sheets have a 1,000 meter grid system and the acetate overlays show the situation based on staff functions. Another reference used is check points. If I was giving directions I could say "500 meter east and 200 meters south of checkpoint A1". Also, check points were usually a major terrain feature, such as a road intersection, water tower, etc. Without these tools in the EOC we spent most of our time on the radio giving directions. In my opinion, a map book of the disaster area with grids and checkpoints that reflects the current operation would be more practical to produce than a bunch of custom maps. A little guidance on how to read a map and everyone is at least on the same page (map).... Joe Committee Probes FEMA's Response to Reports of Toxic Trailers "...FEMA exists to serve the public. But it acts as though protecting Director Paulison from embarrassment is more important than protecting the health of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. "It is impossible to read the FEMA documents and not be infuriated. Americans don’t mind paying their taxes if they get a government that works. But when that bargain is broken — and tax dollars are squandered and health jeopardized — frustration rises and trust in government erodes...." "...It took nearly a year, and a threat of subpoenas, for FEMA to produce all the documents the Committee requested. After seeing the documents, it’s pretty clear why FEMA tried to hide them behind dubious claims of confidentiality and privilege. The information in these documents contradicts what we were told all along. Holding them back only highlighted their damning significance...." Oh My! Yet Another "Official Policy of Premeditated Ignorance at FEMA" "Senior officials in
Washington didn't want to know what they already knew, because they didn't want the legal and moral responsibility to do what they knew had to be done. "FEMA's apparent ongoing indifference to storm victims and resistance to investigators marked an infuriating pattern of bureaucratic self-protection that augurs poorly for the nation's emergency preparedness. "'The federal government's primary response agency has to be proactive, nimble, and trusted as the honest broker between Washington and those in need at the state and local levels,' Davis said. 'Reading these documents, I'm not persuaded FEMA is that agency yet.' "Waxman said FEMA's reaction to legal challenges should have been 'to fix the problem . . . I can't imagine how many lawsuits they're going to face after trying to cover it up.' "'I haven't seen this level of government incompetence outside of the nation of China. . . . And they executed an official in China for not having done their job,' said Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.), alleging parallels in lax consumer regulations and an uncaring government. "No one is asking for that here, but how about a simple application of the golden rule?" The FEMA Administrator's For The Record: "A section that provides FEMA the opportunity to respond to recent inaccuracies and/or misconceptions in the media." "In May 2006, it hired Kenneth O. Burris Jr., FEMA's chief operating officer and a proponent of the project, as a top executive. FEMA's ethics office investigated Burris's dealings with Stratix and determined that his actions were "aboveboard," said spokesman Aaron Walker." FEMA's Emergency Management Institute (EMI) (HigherEd) Posts Two Very Complete US National Grid (USNG) Presentations Online - Presentation One from The Emergency Management Institute's Higher Education Conference for June 2007, a session on the US National Grid: Description: The geography of landscape wrought asunder by disaster or terrorist attack is not unlike that of the surface of the moon. The topography by which one traditionally communicates, coordinates, and navigates is often unrecognizable: no street signs, no house numbers, and few visual landmarks. The U.S. National Grid (USNG) spatial reference system is of the utmost importance for successful and safe execution of the emergency management mission, all-hazards, especially in a multi-jurisdiction setting with or without street signs. A common operating grid (USNG) and use of geo-addressing for all phases of the emergency management lifecycle is a precursor for unified and interoperable command and coordination, plans, communications, and other preparation for resource management and public information. This session will review the USA’s established doctrine for a common operating grid (USNG) and then teach participants the importance of, and how to use, integrated mapping technologies, quality maps, and land navigation techniques to create a unified, spatially-referenced operational framework. (Update 07/17/2007: This session's two distinguished presenters several weeks earlier, provided similar presentations to the National Academy of Sciences (the same group who wrote the report: Successful Response Starts with a Map - 12/2006)) FEMA's Presentation Regarding Catastrophic Disaster Planning Made at the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) Higher Education Conference, June 2007, Scores very High for Bla, Bla, Bla! Zero for Maps, Mapping, Common Operating Grid (USNG) Interesting note, the "Catastrophic Disaster Planning – Federal Emergency Management Agency. Michel S. Pawlowski, FEMA Incident Response Section Chief. FY2007" found on the same HigherEd portion of the EMI site DOES NOT MENTION THE WORD "MAP" AT ALL (though for those of you stuck in the tech trap, it does mention LIDAR)! Seems FEMA-HQ honestly believes that by saying UPDATE (07/09/2007): In another 77 page presentation, "Catastrophic Disaster Planning, Higher Education Workshop, Emergency Management Institute", again not a single use of the word "map." Not even a hint that plans, communication protocols, operations for response and recovery efforts, are all map driven (with AND/or without technology) and should all be built upon (integrated) a common operating grid.... This is the starting place, not an after-thought, if indeed emergency services are ever to be integrated, unified, when time is of a life-saving essence. It's as if the same contractor who did the planning before Katrina for NOLA and S. Louisiana were doing the planning for catastrophic disasters nationwide after Katrina! Oh, it is the same contractor!! Curious, they state that the goal, which evidently has been briefed to the President and others, is to have learned lessons from Katrina and create a "template" for all disasters. Hmm, a "template...." Could "template" mean "standards"? National standards like a common operating grid (USNG)!! Having enough (thousands of) quality maps (USNG) for all, day one of an operation!!! This presentation has many map graphics, but as with the National Response Plan, does not mention the word "map" at all nor seems to understand what exactly drives the enterprise, maps. One of the maps in the presentation even includes a USNG overlay for a Florida scenario at a Regional scale. Not sure they, the FEMA-HQ Incident Response Section Chief, nor his contractors, know what they are looking at or understand why Florida is becoming the most prepared of the states, why they (Florida) have adopted and are working to implement a common operating grid (USNG) that will change the state from many dozens of map reference systems... to one. Given it would be impossible for (to expect) responders coming in from outside of local areas impacted, like USAR Teams, (any assets from a National Mutual Aid System, if there were one), non-profits..., the Army or Marines, to in an integrated/interoperable fashion use "local" reference systems..., perhaps FEMA should implement ASAP the National standard they supported in April, 2001, following years of effort to have it adopted, 12/2001 (based upon years worth of experience). Florida has indeed learned that lesson from Katrina along with the storm season of 2004..., that some in FEMA (or it's contractors) still two years later seem to be unable to comprehend. Just frelling amazing. The average citizen should take away from this "Catastrophic Disaster Planning" presentation that preparedness, readiness, competence for a catastrophic disaster event is being pushed off to the next Administration. Plain and simple, and very convenient. Something so basic, so easy to solve, delayed till who knows when..., while at the same time spending millions of dollars on many different organizations and buds who continue to say things like "catastrophic disaster response are a primarily 'local' responsibility," while at the same time saying "life saving support from outside the area will be required, and time is of the essence." Then they go on to indicate that plans for catastrophic incidents require an "integrated concept of operations, local-fed... non-profits...," "vertical and horizontal integration...!" Excellent! Bravo! Serious thinking going on here!! If something really bad happens and the rabble shows up again, out comes the excuse (again) "the 'plan' was just getting underway (after our 72nd reorganization)! We were brilliant, hire us back to sit on the Commissions, and given our vast experience of failures, let us finish the processsssses two years after Katrina we were just beginning..., for things to become synchronized and layered!" So do something "real" and critically important about it..., now! Go beyond simply stating the obvious, and implement the common operating grid STANDARD (USNG)! The power and capability in that step alone will be huge. Go beyond the "processsssses" approach
that can so easily be proven to have not worked out very well (for the taxpayer) over the past decade, full of contracts, contractors, workshops, private "associations" full of more buds... paid as contractors, process, and still more process to develop for perhaps the 2009-2010 timeline (this time) plans to respond if a big-ass earthquake were to hit St. Louis... tomorrow! (Or any of the other potentially catastrophic scenarios....) System? "The current status of plans and planning gives grounds for significant national concern. Current catastrophic planning is unsystematic and not linked within a national planning system." (Nationwide Plan Review: Phase 2 Report) That was a year ago, not very much can be shown to have changed. Pay no attention to the emergency management agency behind the curtain. The type of map the Army and Marines used during Katrina in NOLA. The FEMA run GIS in Baton Rouge, along with their partners, were not able to produce such maps.* Read this National Journal article for some very interesting information on just what happened. Note: the FEMA PIO statement (Walker) per latitude/longitude is by his own agency's report (first US Fire Service Needs Assessment, excerpt posted below on this web site for years) an outright and intentional misrepresentation of fact. Divided by the three versions of lat/long, fewer than two percent of US fire departments would use lat/long in an emergency to guide other non-local responders to a specific location. It would also be very interesting to see in the four years before Katrina the FEMA maps, if any, that can be shown to have ever used USNG! Where are they? Who made them? When? For what purposes? *Some of those same individuals, who could not correctly apply a simple UTM grid How embarrassing! A mere three hundred dollars of software/data (only $99 for TopoUSA) would have provided full USNG no matter where the re-zoom, anywhere in the USA, streets, topo..., in an instant (grid display on map, coordinate display cursor location, search on coordinate value, street addresses, cross street, place names, routing... very effective, fast, cheap)! “No physical maps of the theater were provided.” (PA-1 DMAT Strike Team) DHS's www.LLIS.dhs.gov, on November 30th, 2006 had this to report from PA-1 DMAT Strike Team regarding "Disaster Medical Assistance Teams: Distributing Global Positioning System Units with City- and Street-Level Data" taken from their lessons learned Katrina report: “Abstract: Management Support Teams (MST) should consider distributing Global Positioning System (GPS) units that include city- and street-level data, downloaded from compact discs (CD) if necessary, to Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT) prior to a deployment. MSTs should also consider stockpiling physical maps that have city and street details and largeformat street atlases. This can help DMATs better navigate through local disaster areas during deployment, thus increasing efficiency and the safety of team members.” "Due to problems with navigation, a reported 6-hour drive took 12 hours." (PA-1 DMAT Strike Team) Is New York City so well prepared? Houston, TX; Charleston, SC; NOLA; Mobile, AL; how about those communities in very dangerous earthquake risk areas with very poor building construction for such a hazard (Seattle, St. Louis, Salt Lake City...)? Washington Post When the 'Bleed-Out' Begins "...America's political disharmony is scary. But so is the lack of practical preparation for the next attack.... "...There was a moment of shared purpose after Sept. 11, 2001. It's frightening how totally that mood of national unity has dissipated. I can think of lots of people to blame for the current polarization, but that's not the point. The point is to get serious, and to get ready...." Get Serious, Getting Ready? Reading David Ignatius' excellent column in the Post today, brought to mind a very important report regarding the front line of first responders in the USA, the Fire Service, but paid virtually no attention by media outlets and others: Four Years Later - A Second Needs Assessment of the U.S. Fire Service It seems the Fire Service is reported on only when one or more firefighters are seriously injured or killed, politicians with bullhorns and the like, but quickly forgotten by so many when it comes to the fire service needs to operate safely, successfully. Here is part of what FireHouse.com had to say in April 2006 about the report released the day after the election, 11/08/2006: "NFPA Does 'Second Needs Assessment StudyNew data suggests little change in department resources'.... "...Fire service officials thought the documents would be unveiled earlier this month (April) during the Congressional Fire Service Institute (CFSI) events on Capitol Hill. At one point, the reports were available briefly on the USFA website, sources said. "Officials
at the USFA and Department of Homeland Security are wrestling to decide just how, when and who will release the needs report, said Tom Harrington, a program specialist in the FIRE Act grants office. He said it hasn't been decided whether it will be released on the secretarial or directorate levels or whether it will be a joint or separate press release. "The survey, requested by Congress, was funded by a FIRE Act grant. "Sources say it's imperative that elected officials know the situation before they pass the President's budget which includes eliminating the SAFER grant and drastic cuts to the Assistance to Firefighters Grants." Here in July of 2007, one can look back and see who has served and who has failed the US Fire Service. Budget requests by the Administration have tried consistently to cut the very little the Fire Service has been provided in grants. Congress has consistently countered those requests and kept the grant programs in-tact. Republican, Democratic, Independents..., in the halls of Congress they have stood by the US Fire Service in many regards. If one looks at both of the Needs Assessment reports however, it is clear more investment for these brave souls who put their lives on the line every day for their fellow citizens is needed, is required, if indeed we are "to get serious, and to get ready." Just as in those sad and shocking days following 09/11/2001, or more recently in Charleston, perhaps through and in honor of the the Fire Service, EMS, Law Enforcement, doctors, nurses alike, school teachers and especially our military, can we get back what this Administration (The Great Divider) and a handful of rabid others have so deliberately taken away, a UNITED States of America. Perhaps for those who have served in the Uniform of this Nation and try to keep a fair mind, who have voted for and financially supported more than one political party, the question is why today, in perhaps this most important of times to our Republic's short history, given their many years of rhetoric on such things, it is not the Republicans leading the charge for impeachment, demanding resignation in the best interest of us all. Guess that's where the pig gets it's lipstick. Keith Olbermann two days ago said it well: "George W. Bush took our assent, and re-configured it, and honed it, and shaped it to a razor-sharp point and stabbed this nation in the back with it." Perhaps through the service of so many who have sacrificed so much, a wounded and ever more dysfunctional society can in fact get serious, get ready, become a united nation again. But first, we MUST remember and return to peace for and among ourselves, then work to restore the faith, the hope, but mostly THE TRUST that so many in the World once held for us to do the right thing for the right reasons. Washington Post A Declaration The President Ignores "As we gather around picnic tables and backyard barbecues today, we should pause to consider a forgotten dimension of the occasion -- one that is as important now as it was on July 4, 1776.... "...Today, of course, much of the world thinks that the United States has traded places with George III's British Empire. We are the global hegemon, and since Sept. 11, 2001, we have become infamous the world over for eschewing the law of war in the name of patriotic self-defense. At Guantanamo, in shadowy secret CIA prisons, at Abu Ghraib, and elsewhere, leaders in the White House, the Justice Department, and the intelligence agencies have disowned the laws of war as unacceptable constraints on the pursuit of national security. "The tragedy of the post-Sept. 11 American assault on the laws of war is that it seems to have been not only shameful but self-defeating. Disrespect for what the declaration called "the Opinions of Mankind" has fueled anti-American sentiment and spurred terrorist recruitment in North Africa, Europe and the Middle East. Illegal interrogation tactics seem to have produced disappointingly little intelligence. And extraordinary renditions to secret prisons have disrupted the cooperation of many of our most important allies in the war on terrorism, producing arrest warrants against U.S. intelligence agents in Germany and Italy. Patriotism at the expense of the laws of war seems to have gone badly awry...." Perhaps the Single Most Important Tool in the Fight Against Terrorism: Good, Timely Intelligence Remarks By George Bush, 41st President of the United States "...Even though I'm a tranquil guy now at this stage of my life, I have nothing but contempt and anger for those who betray the trust by exposing the name of our sources. They are, in my view, the most insidious of traitors.... "... It has been said that 'patriotism is not a frenzied burst of emotion, but rather the quiet and steady dedication of a lifetime.' To me, this sums up CIA - Duty, Honor, Country. This timeless creative service motivates those who serve at Langley and in intelligence all across the world. "It is an honor to stand here and be counted among you. Thank you very, very much." July 2nd, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM) "...The delay in revising the NRP is due in large part to the significant amount of input from state and local stakeholders, and we are working aggressively to incorporate their recommendations. FEMA believes there is enormous value to including the many positive recommendations we have received. The current revision of the NRP will result in a more readable, useful and practical document that will encourage greater familiarity and utilization at all levels of government. We are confident that with the additional input the revised NRP will be well received by all of those who use it...." Question: Will FEMA also incorporate the "critically" important and very practical (Positive) recommendation from NORTHCOM, implement US National Grid? If not, why not? (PS: It doesn't look like they really even got started for more than a year after Katrina on revising the NRP or NIMS, just too busy. Totally hypothetical, but perhaps by waiting so long, the release of both the NRP and NIMS could be a two years later Friday afternoon press release sort of thing... Katrina fading away in memory...!) July 1st, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM) Se Habla Espanol If You Thought (Vice) President Cheney Was Secretive..., If a person were to visit www.FEMA.gov today, fifteen years since Hurricane Andrew, two years since Hurricane Katrina, then searched for "USNG", only one item is returned...(update 04/2008, no longer, although the next link still works), and it is in Spanish. Perhaps this represents an improvement, given not long ago there was simply nothing to be found on FEMA regarding the "critical" US National Grid (USNG-NAD83) standard; the National doctrine for a common operating grid adopted by the FGDC more than five years ago (12/2001), just after the attacks of 09/11/2001. (Update: 04/2008 back to nothing on FEMA's web. Defining Legacy!) A quick GOOGLE translation reveals that in fact the page is a statement of capabilities for "National system De Respuesta For Search and Rescues Urbano." The information in this May 2007 document, lets the Spanish language reader know that this is a part of the 2007 hurricane season concept of operations (ConOps): "Like preparation for the Season of Hurricanes of the 2007, the Concept of Hurricane Operations of US&R has been updated being based on the learned lessons. From the hurricane Katrina, the Plan of National Answer, the reach of the Annex of Function of Support to Emergencies 9 (ESF, by its abbreviations in English) one has extended beyond his original approach, that was only in Urban Rescue and Search. The reach of the ESF9 has been extended so that acuático/de also approaches operations
search in means flood, search in a great area, aeronautical search and the aid and the standards search of the GIS/National Grid (USNG, by its abbreviations in English). This extension has been obtained in coordination with collaborating agencies, between which the Coastguard services of the EE.UU., the Department of the Interior/Services of National Parks, the Department of Defense, the Air Force of the EE.UU and the National Agency of Geoespacial Intelligence are included." FEMA is letting the Spanish speaking world and our Spanish speaking brothers and sisters in the USA know that one of the major lessons learned (again) during the Katrina "train wreck" response was the lack of a common operating grid (USNG). Things get even more mysterious when in June of 2007, the reliable DHS-LLIS reported out that FEMA Region VI (AR, LA, NM, OK, TX) discovered during a Tabletop Exercise in May of 2006 that "Federal, state, and local emergency managers should consider establishing a common grid or map system for identifying locations following a disaster." (Note: this is the same month (2006) in testimony for his Confirmation Hearing to the US Senate, FEMA Director Paulison wrote: "The NIMS Integration Center is considering the adoption of the 'National Grid' unified mapping system as a potential NIMS implementation standard. The mapping system would help saves lives, reduce the costs of the disaster, and enhance all disaster related actions.") "Incident Management: Establishing a Common Map System to Coordinate Search and Rescue Assets (FEMA Region VI Hurricane Preparedness Tabletop Exercise, 2006)
Federal, state, and local emergency managers should consider establishing a common grid or map system for identifying locations following a disaster. This can help air, surface, and ground teams from different agencies link to specific locations during search and rescue operations following a disaster. Couple of questions, did Katrina not demonstrate to FEMA and all others in no uncertain terms that more should be done than merely "consider establishing a common grid" and that "following a disaster" is not the time for attempting to establish a common operating grid. That using something other than the STANDARD (USNG) is like using nothing at all, perhaps worse in the operational friction that WILL result. Does FEMA Region VI (and other FEMA Regions) understand that USNG is the common operating grid standard for the United States of America? (The same common ops grid listed in the DHS State and Local Grants guidance..., same that the National Guard, Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force have used around the World for decades!) AND WHY DOES FEMA REGION VI (and for Spanish speakers, FEMA-HQ) LIMIT THEIR DISCUSSION/RECOMMENDATION FOR A COMMON OPERATING GRID (USNG) TO ONLY SEARCH AND RESCUE??? Is FEMA management somehow high-centered and as a less than half-measure willing to be seen as using USNG by including it in ConOPS, but only USAR Teams? How long will the FEMA spin and propaganda rule over basic competence? How about those that work hand-in-hand with USAR from the OFAs, state, local, volunteer..., should they have their own unique "common operating grid?" Each city, town, or state their own as well? What about DMAT, Community Relations, Red Cross, convoy movements for all, each and every movement and communication by and between humans working all phases of the emergency management lifecycle? Rabble. What about former FEMA director James Lee Witt's USNG White Paper (02/2002) where he quoted a disaster worker's after-action from Hurricane Andrew that: "General information type maps with no UTM grid, in an disaster environment withoutstreet signs, few recognizable landmarks with no response specific data were verynearly useless…. An actual accounting of all the requests for emergency assistance thatwent without, or the delay encountered by the countless movements of personnel, food,and equipment will likely never accurately be tallied…. (USNG is based upon UTM.)" Was that just pulled out of thin air? Was it out of thin air - the first ever US Fire Service Needs Assessment (USFA/NFPA 12/2002), reporting that "The vast majority of (fire) departments with a map coordinate system have only a local system, which means the system they have is unlikely to be usable with global positioning systems (GPS) or familiar to, or easily used by, non-local emergency response partners, such as Urban Search and Rescue Teams, the National Guard, and state or national response forces. Moreover, interoperability of spatial-based information systems, equipment, and procedures will likely be rendered impossible beyond the local community under these circumstances. This reliance almost exclusively on local systems exists across-the-board, in all sizes of communities." (NOTE: the analysis does not say "only for US&R Teams"! And, the Four Years Later report (find more and links below), asked fire departments the same questions and found that "None of the homeland security related needs (i.e., ability to handle any of four unusually challenging situations with local specialized equipment) showed marked improvement, nor did any of the personnel needs related to those situations....") For a catastrophic disaster response to a humongous earthquake in St. Louis, Missouri, where the victims by the tens of thousands will be trapped and need help in the first hours if they are to survive... (hint: most will not be waving towels from rooftops)..., will only National USAR Teams (who won't arrive to the Area of Ops for many hours to begin with) be the only ones delayed, lost, without maps that include a common operating grid (USNG) as on Katrina? Is the FEMA Region VI definition of “Incident Management” limited only to USAR Teams? FEMA-HQ ConOPS only for Spanish Speakers? Why has the White House, FEMA, and DHS in all of their post-Katrina after-action reports, recommendations and actions since... ignored the word "map" and certainly a common operating grid (USNG)? Will they continue to do so or does the mention of the "Plan of National Answer" on the same page as "USNG, by its abbreviations in English" lead one to believe that perhaps the National Incident Management "System" (NIM"S") and National Response Plan (NRP) will finally address this simple to solve and basic "critical deficiency in consequence management," all-hazards. The "New FEMA!" Here is something else to ponder for those in earthquake country in the middle of the USA, the same corporation in 2004 that led the development of a catastrophic hurricane disaster plan for Southeast Louisiana and the City of New Orleans under a more than half a million dollar contract with the DHS/FEMA, has now been hired again to manage a FEMA project to enhance emergency response capabilities of the region's states, IL, IN, KY, TN, MO, AR, AL, MS. FEMA says the project is critical to the "national emergency response plans." Hmmm. Will they and their partners in the project recommend a common operating grid (USNG) fully implemented before a disaster strikes? Will any career FEMA be involved or listened to? Given what was well known before Katrina by some FEMA professionals, perhaps such additions could help with the understanding of the life/safety critical nature of the need for a common operating grid (USNG) were a 8.3 Richter magnitude earthquake to hit St. Louis. (Pop quiz, where did the largest earthquakes known to occur in the lower 48 states hit and when? Was the course of the Mississippi River reversed? Look it up on Google.) June 23, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM) Lessons Learned Katrina, Or Maybe Not How about the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) nearly two years since Katrina (five years after the standard was adopted by the FGDC)? The USNG standard has not been mentioned in a single speech by a single DHS or FEMA management official! But then again, what is "Emergency Management"? Who cares what responders have in the way of maps or what they set their GPS the next large disaster? An Army officer, recently returned from Iraq and serving as a National Guard evaluator for the major exercise, Vigilant Guard (nuke bomb in Indiana with "40,000 boots on the ground" National Guard military responders), termed the failure to have enough maps (thousands), maps with a common operating grid for the many firefighters and others brought in from other states (via EMAC): "A major problem." He went on to talk about how so many brought in from outside the exercise impacted area did not know where they were or how to get to where they were going.... Why does the National Guard exercise with civil authorities? According to the Guard, the upcoming "HURREX" exercise "presents both civilian first response agencies and the National Guard – the first military responder - an opportunity to participate in a full range of training scenarios that will better prepare all participants to respond to a local, state and/or national crisis... The unity of effort established by these training exercises better equips civilian and military entities to operate seamlessly in a joint environment." Does DHS and FEMA, even given the lessons of Katrina (learned?), actually understand things like how to "operate seamlessly in a joint environment?" Doubtful. Do they make known to states and locals suggested improvements to make that possible, like the critical importance of maps with a common frelling map grid? Nope. (Update 06/26/2006: Several FEMA employees have contacted EM in the past couple of days and have valuable information that in fact, a number of key FEMA folks do understand such things, and say that "progress is incremental, but certainly coming.") Perhaps the Guard PIO got a little carried away with it's "unity of effort established by these training exercises" if one after another, exercise and disaster alike, the same "major problems" are not resolved and the civil-side sticks to rabble over reason. The USA's National Response Plan (NRP) (12/2004), does not mention the word "map" at all in a cartographic or operational (meaningful) sense. (One single use, under the heading of Private Sector: "...to the unique requirements of their respective sector or industry, and that clearly map to regional, State, and local emergency
response plans and information-sharing networks.") It will be interesting to see what the "New" FEMA does with their "New" versions of both the NRP and National Incident Management "System" (NIMS), already almost two years since Katrina, and late. Will either address "maps" in a meaningful way. Will those that ignored such issues for so long, then sent 27 "federalized" Urban Search and Rescue Teams (and tens of thousands of others) into the Katrina AO with absolutely no pre-plan (preparedness) for maps or GPS (all set to the same thing), no common operating grid (USNG), end up years later with no capability to learn and improve for the next time? Does the National Academy of Sciences perhaps know something DHS and FEMA seem not to understand, that "Successful Response Starts with a Map" (12/2006)? Compared to earlier statements by the White House with regards to USNG, "One of the three most important immediate steps that the Government could take to improve homeland security," one wonders if anyone is in charge of anything? Something so simple, so basic. How has the civil-side of the Federal government become so inept over recent years? Are hiring, promotion, and firing practices in agencies like the Department of Justice emblematic of practices instituted by the Bush Administration government-wide? How many years will it take to recover and regain a government of the people for the people, not patronage for the connected..., propaganda for the masses. June 19th, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM) Pray for the families of the nine fallen firefighters, and all members of the Charleston Fire Department. ---- Map View (Grid: 17SNS9157228210) Visit http://www.firefighterclosecalls.com/ and http://www.everyonegoeshome.org/initiatives. ---- There is still much more to be learned about this tragic incident. However, one can learn much from reading the article originally posted four days before (06/14/2007) on FireHouse.com: "Strategy and Tactics for Large Enclosed Structures - Part 1" or for non-Firehouse subscribers the same author (Capt. William Mora, San Antonio (TX) Fire Department) last year in the July EveryoneGoesHome Newsletter: "Preventing Enclosed Structure Line-Of-Duty Deaths". ----------- Part two of Mora's excellent series regarding Killer Buildings: Strategy and Tactics for Large Enclosed Structures - Part 2 June 17th, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM) USNG Comes to Google Maps - MashUp Imagine for everyday commercial/private use, plus precise accurate coordinates for use by disaster workers ("come to the Aid Station in the park, grid 6362 5007") to plug into their GPS: 18SUJ63625007 (a 10 meter box, with full geoaddress as shown for the GPS, Earth unique; whether one meter, ten, one hundred, one thousand, ten thousand..., a very flexible and easy to use system). Send a URL anyone can plug into their web browser for a map or "hybrid" view anywhere on the planet: For a disaster plan, document, or web page using the URL above... simply change the geoaddress (full USNG designation) at the end of the string for a location of interest. The parameter 'disp' can take values of 's' (satellite) or 'h' (hybrid). The hybrid view is probably best when zoomed way in (http://dhost.info/usngweb/?zoom=17&usng=18SUJ63625007&disp=h). PS: USNG is the logical doctrine for "Position and Area Reference Procedures" and the most useful for humans as the common "language of location." However, this mash-up provides the capability to click anywhere on the map to view multiple reference system coordinates when needed. But remember, this is a computer interface. It works wonderfully well. But paper maps with USNG by the thousands are required day one, hour one and beyond for successful response to a disaster, in addition to all such digital location tools, computer, GPS... all set at the user interface
October 20th, 2007
October 20th, 2007
As Preparedness Is Criticized, Bush Works on a Plan
By Spencer S. Hsu and Mary Beth Sheridan
Washington Post Staff Writers
October 13th, 2007
By Josh White, Washington Post
Making a Difference: Bringing light to danger zones
October 12th, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM) 
Will the USA Finally Do Something? Will President Bush understand that this is "TRULY A PLANETARY EMERGENCY" beyond anything else faced by humanity in historic times?
October 7th, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM) 
October 1st, 2007
Washington Post Staff Writer
September 29th, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
September 29th, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Park(USNG: 18S UJ 0050 9640)
September 20th, 2007
Details Insufficient, Chain of Command Unclear, State and Local Officials Say
By Spencer S. Hsu
Washington Post Staff Writer
September 20th, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
AREA/POINT REFERENCE SYSTEM REQUIREMENT FOR CATASTROPHIC INCIDENT SAR
September 11th, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
The US National Grid (USNG-NAD83)
"c. Geospatial Information
Geospatial information is defined as information pertaining to the geographic location and characteristics of natural or constructed features and boundaries. It is often used to integrate assessments, situation reports, and incident notification into a common operating picture and as a data fusion and analysis tool to synthesize many kinds and sources of data and imagery. The utilization of geospatial data (and the recognition of its intelligence capabilities) is increasingly important during incidents. Geospatial information capabilities (such as nationally consistent earth-referenced grid systems or global positioning systems based on lines of longitude and latitude) should be managed through preparedness efforts and integrated within the command, coordination, and support elements of an incident including the resource management, and public information.
RESPONSE OF THE TECHNOLOGY SECTOR IN TIMES OF CRISIS
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2001
PREPAREDNESS
Last month, the President signed an Executive Order to establish a PresidentialTask Force on Citizen Preparedness in the War on Terrorism. This task force is cochairedby the heads of the Office of Homeland Security and the Domestic PolicyCouncil and is to identify, review, and recommend appropriate means by which theAmerican public can enhance the nation’s defenses against terrorism through voluntaryactions. I have taken the President’s message forward in meetings with thescientific and technical community and found especially strong interest in supportingState and local public health and safety officials in combating possible terroristattacks within the United States.
Mr. Chairman, I know you have been an articulate advocate of the idea that thereshould be a national volunteer organization of trained and well-coordinated IT professionalsfrom U.S. technology companies. And that they would stand ready with computer equipment, satellite dishes, wireless communicators and other resourcesto recreate and repair compromised communications and technology infrastructures.
While there are many associated issues that will need to be considered, let mehowever suggest the following:
1. It seems logical to have a diversity of means for ensuring communications, e.g.,satellites as well as land lines; 2. We should encourage voluntary preparedness,such as the IT disaster recovery procedures, which helped so many firms return tobusiness quickly after September 11th; 3. We should promote voluntary standardsthat enhance the effective coordination of disaster responses, such as the U.S. NationalGrid map standard for geospatial information systems;
and 4. We need topay attention to protecting our ‘‘invisible infrastructure,’’ the radio spectrum, whichenables public safety services like the Global Positioning System and E–911 forwireless communication.2
I believe that having a diverse portfolio of communication choices, common sensepreparedness, standards and protocols for working together, and reliable public safetyservices will help enable us to weather and defeat any terrorist attacks on ourIT infrastructure.
September 9th, 2007
Craig Whitlock, Washington Post Foreign Service
Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction (2007)
September 6th, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
"The state of Texas has decided that it cannot count on the Federal Emergency Management Agency for help in a disaster...."
"...The Department of Homeland Security is failing to achieve its mission of preventing and responding to terrorist attacks or natural disasters...."
Successful Response Starts with a Map - 12/2006 - The National Academies
June 2006 Nationwide Plan Review:
"The current status of plans and planning givesgrounds for significant national concern. Current catastrophic planning is unsystematicand not linked within a national planning system."
This makes very good sense and Ready.gov makes it easy for anyone to consider what they need for such preparation.
September 4th, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
September 3rd, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
A Professional Soldier's... Professional Solider: LTC John Nagl (Kudos to Jon Stewart (Comedy Central) for Such Quality Programing!)
August 29th, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
August 21st, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
President Bush Offers USAR for Dean Response in Mexico
August 18th, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
(Read More)
August 18th, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
One of the most important steps Congress could take to improve preparedness for homeland security operations, fast-track update of the 1:24000 (7.5 Minute) USGS Quad Maps. Updated USGS Quads include full USNG (UTM) overlay (paper and .pdf).
Through USA history, USGS has made mapping history and provided Leadership and so much more in terms of basic science, information (EROS, a leading source of land information for exploring our changing planet), and understanding for future generations. (Click here to read one key example of LEADERSHIP from USGS per standards, USNG, including "John Marburger, the Director of the Office of Science and TechnologyPolicy, identified the implementation of the USNG as one of the three most importantimmediate steps that the Government could take to improve homeland security.")
August 11th, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
August 7th, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
Absolutely Amazing, Just Amazing
August 2nd, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM) 
For Emergency Services - Emergency Management, Why Not One of the Three Versions of Latitude Longitude?
"...Riding in a helicopter it's difficult to realize that the responders on the ground need good, accurate, useful maps."
Hurricane Andrew After Action Report - From the Disaster Field Office (DFO) Early-On
August 5th, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
USNG educational poster (1.8Mb) produced by the Skagit County, WA GIS Office (Hosted by FGDC.gov)
July 22nd, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM) 
"4.(2) The Military Grid Reference System (MGRS). Ground units andground combat operations shall be serviced with MGRS coordinates. To supporthomeland security and homeland defense, the federal Geographic DataCommittee (FGDC) US National Grid (USNG) standard when referenced to NorthAmerican Datum 1983 (NAD83) is operationally equivalent to and is an acceptedsubstitute for MGRS coordinates referenced to WGS 84. Note that at mappingscales of 1:5000 and smaller, NAD83 and WGS 84 are considered equivalent."
July 22nd, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
As a National Guardsman and a member of an Engineer Battalion, we were part of Kentucky's Emergency Response Plan and conducted training periodically. The biggest problems I saw with maps and map production was that they did NOT contain a Grid system for ground reference. Also, having worked with FEMA on a few emergencies, I feel production of custom maps is over used.
July 19th, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
Chairman Waxman's Opening Statement
July 19th, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
July 19th, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
How to Help
In case you missed it, another article by the Washington Post's Spencer S. Hsu: Tons of Food Spoiled As FEMA Ran Out Of Storage Space
July 7th, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
Presentation Two
July 7th, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
"----------- Synchronized and Layered ----------",
"integrated" or "interoperable...," it will just happen.
Former FEMA Director James Lee Witt, who wrote a White Paper on USNG (02/2002), spoke at the Emergency Management Institute in the Spring of 2006 and refered to USNG: "Not to have a national grid system in this country with GIS and everything we have today is absolutely a shame because you know how much more effective that would be and how much more capability that would give us! Particularly, in situations like Katrina and Rita, the Coast Guard, the DMORT teams that were going out in these houses and searching...." (This EMI Higher Education Conference each year, coming up the 10th (June 2007), is a top-notch event!!)
Lessons Learned Katrina!
Which Way to the National Grid, by Jessica Sperlongano, National Journal, April 29, 2006.
(Slide 52 - Doug's Example)
to maps for the disaster area and annotate to the USNG standard, to this very day (July 2007), are still telling people that the same system (USNG/MGRS) used around the world by our professionals in DoD (for 60 years)..., would not work for NOLA or Louisiana. Some have even left FEMA and are working on re-inventing their own LanghelmJordonMemorial.grid map reference system overlay that is not nearly as simple and easy to use or as sensible as USNG/MGRS for communicating a point or area location, and, it runs counter to the STANDARD which took years to be adopted by the civil sector (in GPS, in GIS...) as a standard (in 12/2001). Just amazing. 
Understanding and Implementing the US National Grid
Courtesy Florida Division of Emergency Management
and the
Mississippi Delta State University Community of Practice for Geospatial Information Technologies in Disaster and Emergency Management
The same for a hurricane response/recovery in the area if a hurricane were to strike in 2007 (knock-wood), and what logically they would expect non-local response assets to use (maps, plans, commo, equipment) in unified effort and unified command and coordination, Miami-Dade County Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEM&HS) used the standard (USNG) Common Operating Grid for Super Bowl XLI, South Florida, 02/04/2007.
July 5th, 2007
A State of Unreadiness Nearly 6 Years After 9/11
By David Ignatius
July 5th, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
June 27th, 2007 American Public Media
July 4th, 2007
By John Fabian Witt
July 2nd, 2007 Emmitsburg (EM)
April 26, 1999
Is FEMA Deliberately Hiding From The Public
Katrina Lessons Learned and Simple Solutions
That if Not Acted Upon Will Cost Many People Their Lives
The Next Catastrophic Disaster?
Date Published: 15 Jun 2007"
A Tragic Day for the US Fire Service - Charleston, SC - 06/18/2007
There were no sprinklers - Work for a Safer Future, sprinklers for all new construction!
Update 06/29/2007
Update 07/02/2007
Such Good Work by This Mash-Up Creator (See "Help" for credits) - So Many Applications (So Much More to Come)
http://dhost.info/usngweb/?zoom=17&usng=18SUJ63625007
