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General Security and Resilience

COVID-19 May Contribute to a More Active Wildfire Season

Washington state’s recent experience with wildfires may indicate that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic will contribute to a more active season in wildfire prone areas. Washington state Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz said already this year there have been 263 wildfires reported in the state, the majority caused by humans. That compares to a 10-year average of 103 fires by this time. “People are staying at home,” Franz said. “They have time to work on their yards.

COVID-19 Has Shown the U.S. Is Vulnerable to Biological Terrorism, Experts Say

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed a structural vulnerability to biological attacks in the U.S. and other Western nations that requires urgent government action, according to multiple current and former national security and public health officials. Additionally, former officials warn that the devastating impact of COVID-19 may act as a "neon light" for terrorist groups, who could leverage new forms of biotechnology that allow a bacterium or a virus to be genetically sequenced, altered, or weaponized more affordably and more rapidly.

DOJ and FBI Confirm Pensacola Attacker’s Ties to Al Qa’ida Group

Yesterday Attorney General William Barr and FBI Director Christopher Wray announced significant developments into the investigation of the deadly shooting at the Pensacola Naval Air Station on December 6, 2019. As discussed in their announcement, the FBI was able to unlock the attacker’s phones, which contained information that definitively establishes his ties to Al Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), not only before the attack, but before he even arrived in the U.S.

New CISA Bomb Prevention Videos

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has released a trio of new videos intended to provide guidance to security officials, the general public, and many other stakeholders about the steps they should take to protect themselves and others from bomb incidents. The free videos, which are approximately six to eight minutes long, are available on YouTube. They include:

Tropical or Subtropical System Likely to Develop this Weekend, Bring Heavy Rainfall and Gusty Winds to Southeastern Florida

Weather forecasters from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) and other storm tracking organizations are indicating it is likely a tropical or subtropical system will form off the coast of southeastern Florida this weekend. Environmental conditions are expected to become conducive for further development of an area of cloudiness and thunderstorms currently located over the Straits of Florida. Regardless of development, the disturbance is expected to bring locally heavy rainfall and gusty winds to portions of southeastern Florida over the next couple days.

Red Cross’s Preparations for Hurricanes and Other Disasters during COVID-19 Demonstrate the Importance of Advance Planning

An article from Bloomberg discusses how the Red Cross is preparing for hurricane season during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Red Cross has already responded to disasters in the time of COVID-19, such as tornadoes that touched down outside Chattanooga, Tennessee in early March. The foundation for the Red Cross’s responses during COVID-19 actually began taking shape well before these and other twisters. “We’ve been working since late January to adjust our protocols on the day-to-day events like house fires,” said Trevor Riggen, senior vice president of Disaster Cycle Services at the Red Cross.

Terrorist Threats amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

While governments focus their attention and resources on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, many lawmakers and counterterrorism officials and experts are warning of growing vulnerabilities to other  threats, such as extremist groups and terrorist organizations that are exploiting the situation to increase their operations. While some of the clearest examples of heightened extremist and terrorist activity are overseas, in places like Africa and the Middle East, experts advise incidents there can serve as early indications of events that may soon take place in the U.S.

Return to Work Considerations: Temperature Screening and Employee Perspectives

Facility Executive has published two articles intended to provide useful information to building owners and operators as they reopen their offices. This first, “COVID-19: Screening Employee Temperatures: What Employers Need to Know,” discussing legal and regulatory considerations for taking employees’ body temperatures as a condition of their entering the workplace.

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