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General Security and Resilience

Critical Security and Resilience Month, Week 2 – Soft Target Security

The theme for this week of Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month is “Protecting our hometowns: Soft target security,” a reminder of the importance of being vigilant within your own community against potential threats. It also serves as a reminder that threat actors often focus their efforts on locations or populations they perceive to be the most vulnerable (“soft targets”) and that give them the highest chance of mission success.

Emergency Managers Faced with the Challenges of an Increasingly Complex Threat Environment

As a follow-up to an article it published in July summarizing the measures numerous states have undertaken to improve their emergency response capabilities (discussed in WaterISAC’s July 18 Security and Resilience Update), Homeland Security Today magazine has posted a new piece commenting on the insights that can be gained from the original publication.

CDC Says Flu Activity Is Increasing and Urges Vaccinations 

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) latest update, flu activity increased again last week, with all three strains of the virus circulating (influenza A, which consists of H1N1 and H3N2, and influenza B). Typically, most influenza B activity occurs toward the end of the flu season, but last season saw very little influenza B activity and was marked by two waves of influenza A, the first from H1N1 and the second from H3N2.

Record-Breaking Low Temperatures Expected in U.S. this Week

It’s only mid-November, and yet roughly 70 percent of the U.S. is expected to experience freezing temperatures this week as an Arctic blast sweeps into the country. Cities in Wisconsin have already reported record-breaking lows, with Oshkosh reaching 23 degrees and Rhinelander hitting 17 degrees Fahrenheit Monday night. In the northeast, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington that started with rain in the morning will end the day with snow. The cold air is moving south where states like Georgia will see dramatic temperature drops within the span of hours from the mid-50s to near freezing.

Early Outbreak of Bushfires in Southeastern Australia Brings “Catastrophic” Conditions

Bushfires are currently burning across Australia, with the most severe in the southeastern states of New South Wales and Queensland. In those two states, bushfires have killed three people and destroyed more than 150 homes. Bushfires are a common threat during Australia's hot, dry summers. But the summer hasn’t even technically begun, and yet this year's outbreak has already been particularly severe. More than 1 million hectares (3,800 square miles) of forest and farmland have already burned across New South Wales this year, three times greater than the area burned last season.

Critical Security and Resilience Month, Week 1 – Managing Risk to a Converging Cyber and Physical World

As noted in the October 31 Security and Resilience Update, November is Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month, a time intended to highlight the vital role that critical infrastructure systems and places play in keeping the nation and its communities safe, secure, and prosperous.

FEMA Releases Newest Edition of National Response Framework and Emergency Support Function 14 Annex

Today, FEMA announced the release of the “National Response Framework, Fourth Edition” and the “Emergency Support Function #14 – Cross-Sector Business and Infrastructure Annex.” The updates to the National Response Framework, or NRF, and the creation of Emergency Support Function, or ESF, #14 are intended to incorporate lessons learned from the nation’s experiences with hurricanes and wildfires in 2017.

FBI and NCTC Chiefs Address Global Terrorism Challenges before U.S. House Homeland Security Committee

Yesterday, FBI Director Christopher Wray and National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) Acting Director Russell Travers provided testimony to the U.S House Homeland Security Committee on “Global Terrorism: Threats to the Homeland.” Speaking to one of the latest developments regarding the domestic extremist threat, Wray said that violent, racially motivated extremists in the U.S. are connecting with foreign extremists, with some traveling abroad to train. He also stated that many extremists in the U.S. continue to be inspired by what they see happening overseas.

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