General Security and Resilience

Next Thursday, October 17, people nationwide and around the world are encouraged to participate in the “Great ShakeOut,” an international earthquake drill. Participation in the event is simple and entails registering your organization, informing colleagues about the drill, and holding the drill, which involves the steps of “Drop! Cover! Hold On!” Additionally, via the Great ShakeOut website visitors can access other information and resources about earthquake preparedness, including videos, earthquake safety guides, and information on other exercises.

Last week, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the world is facing “an unprecedented threat from intolerance, violent extremism and terrorism.” He added that one of the ways in which the threat is spreading and manifesting into actual incidents is via messaging between terrorist and extremist groups and their followers in online environments. “The new frontier is cyber-terrorism – the use of social media and the dark web to coordinate attacks, spread propaganda and recruit new followers,” he said.

President Donald Trump has officially nominated FEMA Acting Administrator Peter Gaynor to lead the agency on a permanent basis. Gaynor has been serving in the acting role for about the past six months, following the resignation of former administrator Brock Long (as reported in the February 14 Security and Resilience Update). Gaynor’s nomination comes after he oversaw the federal response to Hurricane Dorian, as well as the withdrawal of Trump’s previous nominee for FEMA, Jeffrey Byard.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released for national engagement three documents designed to provide guidance to state, local, tribal, and territorial jurisdictions in preparedness as well as response and recovery activities. The documents are National Incident Management System Basic Guidance for Public Information Officers, Disaster Financial Management Guide, and Planning Considerations: Disaster Housing.