This message was sent to ##Email## December 14, 2017   |   Home  |   About  |   Membership  |   Education & Training  |   Resources  |        TOP NEWS Los Angeles inferno wraps up 2017's year of disasters By Michelle R. Matisons There's no rest for the weary, is there? 2017 has been a year of natural disasters related to climate change. We ended hurricane season barely intact, as Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico are recovering from a string of hurricanes. Then, we had the northern California wine country fires in a year when California has witnessed 1 million acres burn — the most in any one year, ever. But that record number is still growing as the Los Angeles area is up against four massive wildfires.  READ MORE Sandy Hook shooting anniversary: How schools have changed security NBC News Buzzers for the front door. Security cameras. Bulletproof glass. These are among the physical reinforcements that have become more common in schools across the country in the five years since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary, as more and more schools try to address security concerns.  READ MORE    SPONSORED CONTENT Promoted by ACL Services Ltd. [eBook] 7 key trends in enterprise risk management [Whitepaper] How to master risk with data-driven GRC [Report] How a government organization recovered $2.9 million in vendor overpayments using technology [eBook] How to combat government fraud, waste and abuse: A focus on government programs   When emergency management programs morph into government policies EDM Digest There have been a number of programs in the history of emergency management that were so successful they were developed into national policies. The Incident Command System, a program originally started by firefighters fighting the wildfires in California, moved from a departmental-wide policy to a federal policy initiative when it was implemented in emergency management agencies throughout the country.  READ MORE US flood risk 'severely underestimated' BBC Their work reveals 40 million Americans are at risk of having their homes flooded - more than three times as many people as federal flood maps show. The UK-US team say they have filled in "vast amounts of missing information" in the way flood risk is currently measured in the country.  READ MORE Bill to elevate and rename DHS Cyber Division passes House Nextgov A bill that would reorganize and rename the Homeland Security Department’s cybersecurity and infrastructure protection division passed the House on a voice vote Monday. The bill, sponsored by Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, would rename the division, which is now called the National Protection and Programs Directorate, to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Agency. It would also give the renamed division a director who reports directly to the Homeland Security secretary along with a deputy director of cybersecurity and infrastructure security and assistant directors for cybersecurity, infrastructure protection and emergency communications.  READ MORE    MISSED AN ISSUE OF RISKWATCH? VISIT AND SEARCH THE ARCHIVE TODAY.     .  SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT     How to protect your pets when disaster strikes azcentral As officials relax evacuation orders prompted by California's sprawling Lilac Fire, shelters and animal-rescue organizations are working to reunite people with pets lost in the chaos. And workers say lessons learned in Vista, Bonsall and Oceanside — where the blaze destroyed more than 65 structures — could help Arizona residents prevent similar scares.  READ MORE Yes, Boston faces a very real earthquake risk Route Fifty While New England’s largest city doesn’t face the same kinds of seismic risks that the West Coast does, Boston can’t necessarily breathe easy. New England has experienced moderate earthquakes previously and Boston, in particular, could be devastated not just due to the age of its buildings, but also because of the ground much of the city is built on.  READ MORE Preventing infectious disease outbreaks following natural disasters EDM Digest Natural disasters generate ideal conditions for the development and outbreak of infectious diseases. For example, respiratory, diarrheal and vector-borne diseases are most common after a natural disaster. Severe storms, flooding and other natural catastrophes affect both the physical and social environment of disease victims. Infrastructures such as homes that are compromised, for example, can lead to unsafe drinking water and unsanitary conditions.  READ MORE   Excess Liability Insurance exclusively for Public Entities States Self-Insurers Risk Retention Group, Inc provides quality, cost-effective excess liability coverage and superior, personal service to our public entity owners in order to promote a long-term risk management partnership. MORE   Beyond gadgets: Public safety in a digital world Route Fifty Data has become a key factor in 21st century policing, but with the rapid pace of technological change, and our increasing dependency on a technological footprint to live in society, where does the private digital stream end and the greater public sea of data begin? How do police search for the proverbial “needle” in a haystack of data that is growing by terabytes every minute?  READ MORE The art of disaster response by drone AOPA Few people in the world have more firsthand experience flying drones in disaster areas than Justin Adams, the man behind the wheel as we worked our way along the Mount Baker Highway, winding through thick forest, approaching an active volcano that the U.S. Geological Survey considers a "very high" potential threat. The plan was to fly drones in various locations that will be in the path of the lahars expected when this glacier-capped stratovolcano once again blows its top.  READ MORE Creative leaders: Make time for inspiration by Catherine Iste We often overlook things that are too simple, delaying them for a time that never comes or not making the time because it does not seem big enough to add to a list or calendar. Yet taking some simple steps, regularly, can prove to be the difference between being a creative leader and a stressed manager. Try these three simple ways to add more sustainable creativity into that leadership bag of tricks.  READ MORE    TRENDING ARTICLES Missed last week's issue? See which articles your colleagues read most. Wind is the culprit in 2017's horrific wildfire season (Los Angeles Times) Good and bad news for Houston's post-Harvey rebuilding efforts (By Michelle R. Matisons) Top emergency management official: Hit the 'reset button' on disaster recovery roles (Route Fifty) FEMA staffers told they might be billed for working too much (Bloomberg) How the Internet of Things can prepare cities for natural disasters (Harvard Business Review) Don't be left behind. 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