As discussed in the Thursday Security and Resilience Update, WaterISAC is aware of several sector utilities that have that have implemented “shelter-in-place” or “shelter-at-plant” plans for essential workers. As shown in a recent article from ABC News, electric utilities have also taken the step of having essential workers remain onsite rather than go into their communities at the conclusions of their work shifts.
FEMA released expanded capabilities to the Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool (RAPT), including census tract data and additional infrastructure layers for all state, local, tribal and territorial jurisdictions across the nation.
Risk management company Gate 15 has published an article encouraging organizations to begin their after action report processes now to make the most of the opportunity to grow and mature pandemic preparedness and business continuity capabilities. While it may seem counterintuitive to begin after action activities while the response is still ongoing, now really is the time to begin this process to ensure that it begins at all and that key information is captured as events are occurring.
Researchers from one U.S. and two European universities have been gathering extensive radar measurement data on drones, aiming to improve the ability to detect and identify these devices in real-world public safety applications. Specifically, the researchers measured various commercially available and custom-built drone models’ Radar Cross Section (RCS), which indicates how the target reflects radio signals. The RCS signature can help to identify the size, shape and the material of the drone. “We believe that our results will be a starting point for a future uniform drone database.
As noted in article in Homeland Security Today, a man with a “neo-Nazi” ideology as well as anti-government and other extremist sentiments was arrested earlier this month for allegedly planning to attack an electrical substation. The article uses the recent case to discuss other plots that involved attacks on the power grid. In addition to several actual plots, it notes that the White Resistant Manual, which is describes as being a white supremacist handbook similar to The Anarchist Handbook, contains a sabotage section that includes electrical power generation and distribution.
During the month of April, the Office of Bombing Prevention (OBP), which resides within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), is providing virtual instructor-led training (VILT) awareness courses for first responders, public safety personnel, and private sector partners. The courses provide basic bombing prevention information ranging from improved explosive device (IED) construction and classification to the terrorist attack cycle. All courses are conducted with a live instructor and are open to anyone.
In a forecast released today, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced it predicts widespread flooding in much of the U.S. this spring. NOAA says major to moderate flooding is likely in 23 states from the Northern Plains south to the Gulf Coast, with the most significant flood potential in parts of North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota. However, the flooding is not expected to be as severe or as prolonged overall as it was in 2019.
The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness has published an Intelligence Note on Khalid Batarfi, who was recently appointed leader of the infamous al Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) following the death of former head Qassim al-Rimi. As discussed in the Intelligence Note, Batarfi joined AQAP in 2010 as a senior commander. He has played an important role in AQAP propaganda by calling for attacks in the West. In 2018, he released a video threatening the U.S. after it announced it would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Two researchers from the International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism have published their findings from interviews they conducted with 220 Islamic State defectors, returnees, and prisoners. The purpose of these interviews was to learn about their recruitment history, motivations for joining, travel, experiences inside the group, disillusionment over time, and defection, return, or capture. The most common vulnerabilities to Islamic recruitment for the entire sample were poverty, unemployment, and underemployment.
The United Kingdom’s Counter Terrorism Police have released a short, 60-second video that identifies signs of potential terrorist activity and explains what the public can do to help law enforcement personnel. Called “Look Again,” the video encourages members of the public to dismiss concerns they might be wasting a police officer’s time with their report and instead think of the lives they may save. “As the film says, reporting won’t ruin lives but it could save them,” said Counter Terrorism Policing Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu.
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