Supplemental General Security & Resilience Highlights – December 17, 2024

The following posts are useful for general awareness of current physical security threats, natural disaster resilience, preparedness resources, mitigation guidance, and other security-related news or updates. These resources have been curated by the WaterISAC analyst team as items of broad relevance and benefit that do not need supplemental analysis at this time.

Natural Hazards/Climate Change

• Several storms to spread snow across Midwest, Northeast into Friday night – AccuWeather
• Santa Ana event to raise wildfire risk again for Southern California – AccuWeather
• Roads reopen in Malibu as Franklin Fire nears 50% containment – KTLA 5
• Storms across US bring heavy snow, dangerous ice and a tornado in California – AP
• What we can and (still) can’t predict about earthquakes – Conversation
• Vicious cycle: Wildfires are making climate change worse – Yale Climate Connections
• Fall 2024 was nation’s warmest on record – NOAA
• Australia’s latest brush with extreme heat shows just how good weather forecasting really is – Conversation
• Two more cases of bird flu in humans reported in California – Guardian

Operational Resilience

• DHS, FBI, FAA & DoD Joint Statement on Ongoing Response to Reported Drone Sightings – DHS
• What we know about mysterious drone sightings – CNN
• Machine learning predicts highest-risk groundwater sites to improve water quality monitoring – Smart Water Magazine
• Three ways to reduce Europe’s flood risk – Conversation
• Ensuring Urban Water Security – Water Online
• 2025 Brings Focus On Critical Water Infrastructure Modernization – Water Online
• Melbourne’s water storages at 88.4%, expected to remain secure for the year ahead – Smart Water Magazine
• Enbridge pipeline spills 70,000 gallons of oil in Wisconsin – AP
• Fighting Fire with Knowledge on Lithium-ion Battery Hazards – DHS
• NERC adopts 2 new standards to boost extreme weather reliability – Utility Dive
• U.S. Department of Energy Announces $36 Million to Unlock Critical Resources from Wastewater – Department of Energy

Extremism/Terrorism

• ‘Active clubs’ violent movement runs wild – Wired Magazine
• Virginia man convicted of funneling money to Islamic State group – ABC News
• 4 Men Arrested In North Macedonia Suspected Of Plotting Terrorist Acts – Radio Free Europe
• Taliban minister’s killing raises concerns about IS terror group’s expansion – VOA
• US expands reach against Islamic State in Syria – VOA