**October 13, 2006 FEMA Emergency Management Higher Education Project
Activity Report**

\(1\) CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS:

Hari, Johann. \"Salman Rushdie: His Life, His Work and His Religion.\"
The Independent, October 13, 2006. Accessed at:
[[http://news.independent.co.uk/people/profiles/article1868548.ece]{.underline}](http://news.independent.co.uk/people/profiles/article1868548.ece)

\[From subheading: \"\...as the force of Islamist fury reverberates
around the world, the acclaimed Anglo-Asian novelist tells Johann Hari
why we\'re all living under a fatwa now.\"\]

Khaleej Times (UAE, Editorial). \"Sickness in the Heart of Europe.\"

October 12, 2006. At:

<http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/editorial/2006/October/editorial_October25.xml&section=editorial&col>=

\[Excerpt: \"THE world\'s 1.6 billion Muslims almost did not notice the
fact that it\'s been a year since a little known Danish rag attacked the
Prophet unleashing worldwide outrage. The sick elements of the Danish
society responsible for the outrage last year did not miss the
anniversary though. And this time around, it is a video abusing the man
who epitomised all that is best in mankind: love, compassion and
generosity. Clearly, even if the Muslims are prepared to forgive and
forget those targeting their faith and the Prophet, they are not willing
to let go of the past themselves\.... Clearly, there is a method in the
madness. In fact, these disturbing acts of vandalism are not limited to
Denmark. They are part of what has become a disturbing trend across
Europe as the right-wing media and politicians whip up paranoid frenzy
against everything Islamic. There is sickness in the heart of Europe.
And the all-pervasive war on terror unleashed by the US neocons appears
to have boosted it\.... What is going on? Can you blame the anguished
Muslims if they see a clever and concerted campaign being conducted
across the continent to vilify their faith and its revered figures and
teachings? And can you blame the Muslims if they come out on the
streets, from Morocco to Malaysia, in anger and frustration?\...
Whatever the explanation for these growing attacks on Islam and Muslims,
they could have dangerous and far-reaching consequences for the whole
world. The leaders of Denmark and other European countries cannot hide
behind the fig leaf of the freedom of expression as these acts of
intellectual vandalism and intolerance are unleashed on Muslims,
Europe\'s second largest religious community. The freedom of speech is
fine and Muslims respect it too just as they respect all other rights.
However, the freedom of speech mustn\'t be abused to insult other
people\'s beliefs and sensibilities. As the OIC has argued, it is the
responsibility of politicians, governments, media and civil society
organisations in the West to oppose all such attacks. This is essential
if we want to avoid a dangerous clash of civilizations - between West
and Muslim world.\"\]

\(2\) FEMA:

BayouBuzz (LA). \"U.S. Senators Ask President Bush For Disaster
Reform.\"

October 12, 2006. Accessed at:
[[http://www.bayoubuzz.com/articles.aspx?aid=8507]{.underline}](http://www.bayoubuzz.com/articles.aspx?aid=8507)

\[Excerpt: \"In a letter to President Bush, a bipartisan group of United
States Senators today said the President\'s \'signing statement\'

accompanying a key Homeland Security bill disregards \'provisions in the
bill intended to protect against further mistakes such as those that
plagued the 2005 hurricane response.\' The letter was signed by Senator
Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., and by the Chairman and Ranking Member of the
Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, Senators Susan
Collins, R-Maine, and Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn. \'The bottom line is
that we need FEMA leadership that meets high standards,\' the Senators
wrote.

\'Disregarding provisions of the Act that are intended to strengthen
those standards is a move in the wrong direction\'.\"\]

\[Note: Full copy of Senatorial letter is at:
[[http://landrieu.senate.gov/news/sstmtletter.pdf]{.underline}](http://landrieu.senate.gov/news/sstmtletter.pdf)
\]

Marino, Jonathan. \"Bush, Lawmakers At Odds Over Qualifications For FEMA
Chief.\" Government Executive, 12 Oct 2006. At:

[[http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=35255&dcn=e_gvet]{.underline}](http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=35255&dcn=e_gvet)

\[Excerpt: \"Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., ranking member of the House
Homeland Security Committee, said in an Oct. 6 letter to the White
House\.... \'Choosing an appointee without an emergency management
background to manage federal emergency management is both reckless and
dangerous\'\...\"\]

\(3\) GLOBAL WARMING:

Scherer, Ron. \"New Combatant Against Global Warming: Insurance
Industry.\" Christian Science Monitor, October 13, 2006. Accessed at:

[[http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1013/p01s01-usec.html]{.underline}](http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1013/p01s01-usec.html)

\(4\) MATERIALS RECEIVED FOR REVIEW:

Disaster Prevention and Management - An International Journal, Vol. 15,
No. 4, 2006. (MCB University Press North America 875 Massachusetts Ave.,
Suite 82, Cambridge, MA 02139. (888) 622-0075, (617) 354-6875 (fax),
URL: [[http://www.mcb.co.uk]{.underline}](http://www.mcb.co.uk/),

e-mail: <help@mcb-usa.com>.)

\(5\) MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY \-- INVESTIGATING EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT PROGRAM:

Talked today with Dr. Randall Little and others, via a conference call
set-up, in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Mississippi State
University. Dr. Little and others have received a mandate \"from on
high\" to investigate the development of some sort of hazards, disasters
and what you do about them (emergency management) program at MSU. I
noted that I knew of no reason why being in a Department of Agricultural
Economics would make the development of such a program problematic.

Other programs have started and been successful in collegiate locations
which I, at first, found surprising. Given the size and growth of
agro-business and the fact that most traditional emergency management
students get jobs in the private sector, I said I would bet on the
success of a well-marketed program at MSU in the Ag Dept. For additional
information about this new initiative, Dr. Little can be reached at \--
<Little@AgEcon.msstate.edu>. I could not help Dr. Little much with his
question concerning upper division undergraduate versus graduate level
as the best level to start a new program \-- since new starts at both
levels have proven successful. Thus, if a reader has any thoughts on
this subject to share with Dr. Little I would urge contact with him at
the email address noted.

\(6\) 9/11 WASTE FRAUD, ABUSE:

House Committee on Homeland Security. An Examination of Federal 9/11
Assistance to New York: Lessons Learned in Preventing Waste, Fraud, and
Lax Management (A Staff Report, Subcommittee on Management, Integration,
and Oversight). Washington DC: US Government Printing Office,
August,2006. Accessed at:

[[http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/house/cp109-c.pdf]{.underline}](http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/house/cp109-c.pdf)

\(7\) NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION - NORTH KOREA:

Khaleej Times (UAE, Editorial). \"After The Bang.\" October 11, 2006.

Accessed at:

<http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?col=&section=editorial&xfile=data/editorial/2006/October/editorial_October23.xml>

\[Excerpt: \"Honestly speaking, the world community has no alternative
but live with another nuclear weapons state. After all, we had been
living with seven of them all these years. Indeed, it is this paradox
that must have forced North Korea to develop the Bomb. Apparently,
building the Bomb is the only way for a country to protect itself from
big powers with a penchant for regime change. Dangerous logic but
nonetheless true.\"\]

\(8\) PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE:

American Highway Users Alliance. Emergency Evacuation Report Card 2006.

Washington DC: AHUA, October 12, 2006, 34 pages. Accessed at:

[[http://www.highways.org/pdfs/evacuation_report_card2006.pdf]{.underline}](http://www.highways.org/pdfs/evacuation_report_card2006.pdf)

\[Subtitle: \"25 Urban Areas Could Face Greater Challenges than New
Orleans Experienced After Hurricane Katrina.\"

\[Press Release Excerpts: \"Today, the American Highway Users Alliance
announced a first-of-its-kind research study that provides a clear and
understandable rating system for planners, homeland security experts,
and the public to use when considering the evacuation challenges facing
the nation\'s urban areas. The Report\...evaluates the 37 largest urban
areas in the country - those with more than 1,000,000 in population - to
identify the evacuation challenges facing planners and residents in each
area. The evaluation index grades urban areas by reviewing internal
traffic flow, highway capacity of major exit routes, and automobile
accessibility. The research findings also include information on
planning for the transit dependent. In general, areas that scored higher
have lower population densities, more substantial evacuation routes, and
do not have major geographical barriers obstructing evacuation
exits\.... This report is intended to identify key factors needed for
reviewing evacuation readiness plans and making short and long-term
improvements on the ground\.... In the new Report, only one urban area
received an \"A\" for its evacuation capability - Kansas City. Columbus,
Memphis, and Pittsburgh each received a \"B\". Seven areas were graded
as a \"C\" and six received \"D\" grades. Twenty of the 37 urban areas
examined received an \"F\" for their evacuation abilities. The lowest
scoring areas were Detroit, Washington, DC, Phoenix, Seattle, San Diego,
San Francisco-San Jose, Miami, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles - with
Los Angeles facing the most difficult challenge of all 37 areas\....
\'Much can be done today and in the coming years to provide better
mobility in the event of a sudden evacuation,\' said {a spokesman}.
\'Additional highway capacity on exit routes can be provided with new
\'intelligent\' technology, relief at traffic bottlenecks, and the
physical construction of new highway capacity; many solutions are
available to improve internal traffic flow in urban areas, and better
community coordination can improve automobile access for those who do
not own their own vehicles\'.\"\]

RESPONSES TO AHUA EVACUATION REPORT:

Bachelet, Pablo. \"South Florida Gets \'F\' For Evacuations.\" Miami
Herald, October 12, 2006. Accessed at:
[[http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15745038.htm]{.underline}](http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15745038.htm)

\[Excerpt: \"Florida\'s emergency management chief expressed skepticism
over the study\'s findings. \'You ever notice how there seems to be all
these groups that will do these studies that will justify what their
association wants to have done?\' asked Craig Fugate, who heads the
state\'s emergency operations. Fugate said the study assumes an extreme
scenario in which an entire major urban area is evacuated, something he
said was unlikely to occur even in a worst-case hurricane. He said
that\'s because vulnerable coastal populations are moved to shelters
within the counties, and building codes allow homes to withstand strong
winds.\"\]

BayouBuzz (LA). \"New Orleans Receives \'D\' For Disaster Evacuation
Plan.\" October 13, 2006. Accessed at:
[[http://www.bayoubuzz.com/articles.aspx?aid=8517]{.underline}](http://www.bayoubuzz.com/articles.aspx?aid=8517)

\[Excerpt: \"U.S. Sen. Landrieu (D-La) said: \'This report demonstrates
the need to get serious about disaster preparation and evacuation
planning along American Coasts. We need a national commitment to
developing a comprehensive coastal evacuation plan. More than 53 percent
of America\'s population lives along or near a coast, and 3,600 people
move there each day \-- yet coastal populations remain in jeopardy. It
is disappointing, but comes as no surprise that more than half of the
\"Ds\" and \"Fs\" in this report were given to coastal cities. In the
highway bill Congress passed last year, I included authorizing language
for a Coastal Evacuation Report for the Gulf Coast, which was released
in June 2006. It creates a framework for federal and state governments
to work together on effective coastal city evacuation plans - a level of
coordination and cooperation that is sorely needed. The lesson of
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita is that when disasters strike, be they
natural or manmade, our coastal cities must be ready to evacuate
efficiently, swiftly and safely\'.\"\]

Holland, Nancy. \"Mayor Says Houston\'s Evacuation Rating Is Wrong.\"
KHOU (Houston), 12Oct06. At:

<http://www.khou.com/news/local/houstonmetro/stories/khou061012_cd_evacrating.30df2041.html>

\[Excerpt: \"\'They\'re a bunch of people who have never evacuated
anything and who don\'t know what they\'re talking about,\' said Mayor
Bill White.\"\]

Ruse, Caroline. \"Atlanta Poorly Prepared For Emergency Evacuation.\"
Scripps Howard, 13Oct2006.

<http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=32&url_article_id=20401&url_subchannel_id=&change_well_id=2>

\[Excerpt: \"Georgia Emergency Management Agency spokesman Buzz Weiss
said he felt the report had no merit. \'It doesn\'t reflect in any way
what we have accomplished here,\' he said. \'We have a good highway
system, a good mass transit system and good emergency management
agencies.\' Weiss said the agency was comfortable with its plans and was
also confident in the abilities of the local governments it works with.
He said GEMA had experience coordinating evacuations - including one
that moved 3.5 million people from the Georgia coast in 1999 to escape
Hurricane Floyd - and it conducted two evacuation exercises this
year.\"\]

Wronge, Yomi S. \"Bay Area Escape Routes Get An \'F\'.\" Mercury News
(San Jose), October 13, 2006. Accessed at:

[[http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/15744128.htm]{.underline}](http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/15744128.htm)

\[Excerpt: \"San Jose City Councilman and ABAG President Dave Cortese
said\...\'Had we anticipated Loma Prieta and had people been told to
evacuate, certain parts of the Bay Bridge itself would have been full of
cars and the death toll would have been astronomical,\'\...referring to
the Bay Area quake in 1989. \'Those are serious considerations. Do you
push people out onto bridges or tell them to stay put\'?\'\'\]

\(9\) WAR ON TERROR \-- IRAQ:

McSmith, Andy. \"Army Chief Says British Troops Should Be Pulled Out of
Iraq.\" The Independent (UK), October 13, 2006. Act:

[[http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article1868137.ece]{.underline}](http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article1868137.ece)

\[Excerpt: \"Tony Blair has received a public warning from the
country\'s most senior military commander that the British presence in
Iraq is threatening disaster there and in the UK. General Sir Richard
Dannatt, who took over as Chief of Staff six weeks ago, has warned the
commitment to Iraq \'exacerbates\' problems faced by the UK in other
parts of the world. He urged Mr. Blair to give up his ambition to see a
liberal democracy established in Iraq and settle for a \'lower
ambition\', warning that British troops were not invited into Iraq and
the time when they were welcome has passed\...\'Let\'s face it, the
military campaign we fought in 2003 effectively kicked the door in.
Whatever consent we may have had in the first place may have turned to
tolerance and has largely turned to intolerance\'.\"\]

B.Wayne Blanchard, Ph.D., CEM

Higher Education Project Manager

Emergency Management Institute

National Emergency Training Center

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Department of Homeland Security

16825 S. Seton, K-011

Emmitsburg, MD 21727

\(301\) 447-1262, voice

\(301\) 447-1598, fax

wayne.blanchard@dhs.gov

[[http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu]{.underline}](http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu)

\* To subscribe to the Hi Ed Activity Reports go to the Higher Education
Project homepage at <http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/edu/>. Scroll to
the fourth paragraph and click on the link to send a blank e-mail to our
list server. You do not need to enter any information on the Subject
line or in the Message area. If you want to remove yourself from this
mailing list, you can send a blank email to
<leave-emi-hi-ed-reports-205686A@lyris.fema.gov> or visit:
[[http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/edu/]{.underline}](http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/edu/)

If you are unsubscribing from a different email address than the one you
originally subscribed with, send your email to <lyris@lyris.fema.gov>
and include the next line of text in the subject line of your message:

Unsubscribe emi-hi-ed-reports <Barbara.L.Johnson@dhs.gov>

.

**"Please note: Some of the Web sites linked to in this document are not
federal government Web sites, and may not necessarily operate under the
same laws, regulations, and policies as federal Web sites."**