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General Security and Resilience

DHS to Consider Chemical Data When Selecting Water Systems to Assess

In a recent report to Congress, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommended that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) should prioritize “high risk facilities” when planning voluntary on-site critical infrastructure vulnerability assessments for water and wastewater systems. GAO found that most water and wastewater facility surveys were not conducted at facilities with the largest amounts of threshold quantities of chemicals of interest.

FBI Estimates Violent and Property Crime Decreased in 2019

Yesterday the FBI released its 2019 crime statistics. Among its most significant findings, the FBI noted the estimated number of violent and property crimes in the nation decreased when compared with the previous year’s statistics. In 2019, violent crime was down 0.5 percent from the 2018 number. Property crimes also dropped, by 4.1 percent, marking the 17th consecutive year the collective estimates for these offenses declined. Violent crime includes murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.

National Preparedness Month Week Four: Teach Youth about Preparedness

The theme for the fourth week of National Preparedness Month is “Teach Youth about Preparedness,” which encourages parents to talk to their kids about preparing for emergencies and what to do in case they are separated. It also serves as a reminder that organizational preparedness also depends on the preparedness of their employees for disasters, which can be impacted if their children and families are affected.

EARTH EX Ready for Open Play

Earlier this week, the EIS Council – a WaterISAC partner – officially opened play for EARTH EX 2020, a worldwide multi-sector exercise delivering a multi-national based Black Sky (lengthy, wide-spread power outage) scenario with multiple lanes of play. The scenario includes specific situations affecting water and wastewater utilities, and questions posed to participants are unique to the sector. Until October 31, anyone can access the exercise materials and participate.

NHC Tracking Six Tropical Systems as the Peak of the Atlantic Hurricane Season Arrives

September 10 is considered the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season, statistically the most common date to have a large number of tropical systems in the Atlantic basin, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Living up to expectations, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) is currently tracking six tropical systems in the Atlantic basin. These systems include Tropical Storm Paulette and Tropical Storm Rene, as well as four disturbances.

“Unprecedented” Wildfire Season Underway in the West, Facilitated by “Extreme Confluence” of Factors

Nearly 100 large fires are burning nearly 3.5 million acres in the West, according to yesterday’s update from the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), which is calling the current situation “unprecedented.” It also noted that fires in California, Oregon, and Washington burned tens of thousands of acres the day before, causing evacuation orders for many residents. At least seven people have perished as a result of the fires in those states, where about half the blazes are located.

DHS’s Preparations for EMP Threat Include Possible Program Office and Upcoming Exercise

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has published a status report on its preparations to confront the threat of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack, noting that it is evaluating “the need for a program management office to provide steady consistent leadership in both the public and private sector engagements” and developing an interagency EMP exercise to be conducted in fiscal year 2021.

Public Safety Power Shutoffs Initiated and Considered to Reduce Wildfire Risk

Several electric utilities in California and Oregon have initiated or are considering Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) procedures given extreme temperatures, high winds, and dry conditions that raise the risk of wildfire ignitions. In Northern and Central California, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) began conducting Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) this morning, impacting approximately 172,000 customers across 22 counties. These PSPSs are forecast to remain until Wednesday night.

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