**July 26, 2006 FEMA Emergency Management Higher Education Project
Activity Report**

\(1\) DISASTER RESISTANT UNIVERSITY LIST SERVE:

Found out today that there is a \"Disaster Resistant University\" list
serve \-- for and by emergency management practitioners working at
institutions of higher education. Communicated with University of
Washington Emergency Manager, Steve Charvat, and received the following
information concerning list serve managed by Dr. Andre Leduc at the
University of Oregon:

\[\"DRU Listserv Description: The purpose of the Disaster Resistant
University listserv is to facilitate information-sharing among college
and university emergency management practitioners (those managing campus
disaster management programs). This list is open to all higher education
institutions \-- not just those who have participated in FEMA\'s DRU
grant program. We also welcome representatives from outside the US.

Members regularly share information on such issues as: Campus Disaster
Planning, EOC operations, NIMS compliance, campus OEM staffing
requirements and job descriptions/hiring, grants management and other
issues involving internal campus disaster resilience.

To Sign Up: To Subscribe to the Disaster Resistant University list serve

Before you can receive copies of messages sent to a list, you must be
\'subscribed\' to it.

1\. Address an email message to \'majordomo@lists.uoregon.edu\'.

2.. Note that you send the message to majordomo, not the list!

3.. The contents (body) of the message should be: subscribe dru end

Do not include your email address or \'real name\' in the subscribe
command. Majordomo will get the necessary info from the \'headers\' of
your email message.

The subject line will be ignored by majordomo and can be left blank.

A successful subscription should result in your receiving an
acknowledgement from majordomo via return email. The list owner will
also be notified that you have subscribed. Please be aware that you will
only receive messages that are sent after you subscribed to the list,
not ones that preceded your subscription.

To send a message to list members \-- 1. Address the message to
\'dru@lists.uoregon.edu\'

2.. Don\'t use words like \'help\', \'subscribe\', or other majordomo
commands in the subject line or first five lines of your message. Try to
use synonyms or paraphrases if necessary. majordomo does a very clumsy
\'check\' of these lines in the attempt to prevent propagating
misaddressed commands to the entire list.\"\]

\(2\) DISASTERS WAITING TO HAPPEN:

Young, Samantha. \"U.S. Corps Finds Some Sacramento Levees Not Up To
Standard.\" Associated Press, July 25, 2006. At:
[[http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/15120183.htm]{.underline}](http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/15120183.htm)

\(3\) FEMA:

New Orleans Times-Picayune. \"Paying For Others\' Crimes,\" July 26,
2006.

Accessed at:
<http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/editorials/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1153892508261240.xml&coll=1>

\[Excerpt: \"The agency\'s plan to clamp down on a helpful disaster
assistance program will punish future disaster victims for fraud
committed in the past \-- fraud that the agency could have minimized if
it had bothered to try.\"\]

Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs. The Post
Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (Staff Draft) - A Bill
To Amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 To Establish the United
States Emergency Management Authority, and for other purposes (S.3721).
Washington, DC: July 25, 2006, 232 pages. Accessed at:
<http://hsgac.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Legislation.Detail&Legislation_id=670>

\[Note: At the time of this note, S.3721 had not been uploaded to the
URL noted above. It will be accessible at this site, if not already.
From an IAEM communication on S.3721:

On July 25, Sen. Collins, Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and
Government Affairs Committee introduced \"The Post Katrina Emergency
Management Reform Act of 2006.\" This over 230 page bill includes Six
Titles as follows:

Title I, National Preparedness and Response (the FEMA structure bill
(with a few changes) which passed the Senate as an amendment to the DHS
Appropriations Bill. Replaces FEMA with US Emergency Management
Authority.

Title II\--Stafford Act Amendments

Title III\--Staffing Improvements

Title IV\--Planning, Preparedness and Training Title V\--Prevention of
Fraud, Waste, and Abuse During Emergencies Title VI\--Miscellaneous
Provisions

A list of highlights written by the Committee follows:

Clarifies presidential authority to direct federal agencies to
proactively assist in the response to and recovery from a major disaster
without specific. (Section 201)

Establishes a national disaster recovery strategy to assist with the
recovery from future catastrophes such as Hurricane Katrina. (Section
202)

Clarifies that mitigation programs can apply to man-made hazards in the

environment, -(Section 203)

Establishes a seamless national disaster housing strategy to better
organize and coordinate mass evacuations such as the one after Hurricane
Katrina. (Section 204)

Allows federal government to transfer resources, including fuel,
transport and equipment, to utility providers that are participating in
the response to and recovery from a natural disaster. All such transfers
are for compensation. (Section 205)

Increases mitigation funding for most disasters from 7.5% to 15%.
(Section 206) A sliding scale reduces funding available for the largest
disasters, and total funding for any single disaster is capped at \$3
billion.

Authorizes the inclusion of cost-effective semi-permanent housing, such
as Katrina cottages, in Stafford Act housing assistance at the
discretion of the President. (Section 207)

Removes the subcaps on home repair and home replacement (\$5,000 and
\$10,000 respectively) in the individual assistance program. (Section
208) This provision does not alter the overall cap on assistance to an
individual or a household.

Conforms the Stafford Act to changes in title I that abolish the
Principal Federal Officer (PFO) under the National Response Plan (NRP).
(Section 209)

Adds or clarifies definitions in the Stafford Act on major disasters,
private nonprofit organizations, and individuals with disabilities.
(Section 210)

Creates a new title VII in the Stafford Act to apply to catastrophes.
(Section 211) To make a determination of catastrophic damage - which
triggers the other provisions in this title - the President conducts a
preliminary damage assessment after a declared major disaster. If the
preliminary damage assessment indicates that the damage caused by the
major disaster is catastrophic after comparison with a standard
established in regulation, the President may make a determination of
catastrophic damages. After a catastrophic damages determination, the
President has discretion to:

Double the amount of benefits available to individuals and households,
and may reduce state government co-payments applicable to those
benefits.

Provide assistance with individuals and households with rent or mortgage
payments if the person or household applying: 1) has lost at least 20%
of his or her income due to the disaster; 2) has a rent or mortgage
payment of at least 25% of his or her post-disaster income; and 3) has
received notice of eviction or foreclosure. Benefits under this section
are subject to the cap on individual and household assistance.

Provide up to 52 weeks of disaster unemployment assistance. Disaster
Unemployment Assistance now runs for 26 weeks after a major disaster.

Waive the caps on Community Disaster Loans under current law. These caps
currently limit a loan to the lesser of \$5 million or 25% of a
jurisdiction\'s annual revenue.

Reimburse communities for food, hygiene products, clothes and other
essential products distributed to survivors. The reimbursement is for
90% of the cost of the items provided.

Assists individuals with disabilities by requiring the USEMA to issue
standards for the accessibility of shelters and disaster-related
services; prepare guidelines to prevent discrimination against the
disabled; and clarify accessibility of services and participation of
individuals with disabilities in several parts of the Stafford Act.
(Section 212)

Requires the USEMA Administrator to appoint a Disability Coordinator to
ensure that individuals with disabilities are properly addressed in
emergency preparedness and disaster relief. (Section 213)

Sets-aside not less than 7% of all post-disaster housing (such as
trailers, mobile homes, and under this bill, Katrina cottages) be
accessible for people with disabilities. (Section 214) The President has
discretion to increase this amount from 7%, which is the set-aside

now applicable to public housing construction.

Directs GAO to conduct a national survey of emergency shelters to

determine their accessibility. (Section 215)

Establishes within the National Center for Missing and Exploited
Children a center for locating children separated from their families
after a disaster. (Section 216)

Establishes a voluntary registry to help reunite families separated by a
disaster. (Section 217)

Requires the USEMA to: 1) establish rules to manage the division of
benefits to shared households that have separated after a disaster; 2)
allow rental assistance to be used for utility payments (as HUD does for
its rental assistance programs); and 3) provide prompt and
easy-to-understand guidance on eligibility to disaster victims. (Section
218)

Expands the scope of the present crisis counseling program (which
provides grants to governmental and private mental health organizations,
but does not provide direct services to individuals) to include mental
health and substance abuse services for up to 18 months. (Section 219)

Requires the USEMA to prepare disaster warning materials for significant
populations of non-English speakers in communities where a disaster
occurs (incorporating these considerations into disaster planning for
those communities) and provide disaster warning materials in formats
that are accessible to individuals with disabilities. (Section 220)

Directs that consideration be given to people with disabilities or
special needs and people with pets in preparedness and evacuation plans,
and in training exercises. The USEMA may provide financial assistance
and must provide technical support for these plans. (Section 221)

Provides authority to the President to: 1) relocate individuals that
have been evacuated as the result of a major disaster or emergency so
they can get home; and 2) provide case management services (such as
those provided using foreign contributions after Hurricane Katrina).
(Section 222)

Provides for the effective coordination of gifts from foreign sources
after a major disaster (Section 223) and for the effective coordination
of foreign military assistance after a major disaster. (Section 224)\"

{I would also draw attention to Section 303, \"National Homeland
Security Academy\" (pp. 161-179)}\]

\(4\) GLOBAL WARMING?

Crampton, Thomas. \"Heat Spell Melts European Records.\" International
Herald Tribune, July 26, 2006. Accessed at:
[[http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/07/25/news/hot.php]{.underline}](http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/07/25/news/hot.php)

Hotz, Robert Lee. \"Hot? Yes. Global Warming? Maybe.\" Los Angeles
Times, July 26, 2006. Accessed at:
<http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-sci-heatwave26jul26,1,7540526,full.story?coll=la-headlines-frontpage&ctrack=1&cset=true>

\(5\) HOMELAND SECURITY:

Beckner, Christian. \"Atlantic Magazine Interviews Sec. Chertoff.\"
Homeland Security Watch, July 25, 2006. At:

<http://www.hlswatch.com/2006/07/25/atlantic-magazine-interviews-sec-chertoff/>

\[Excerpt: \"Stuart Taylor has a long interview with Sec. Chertoff on

the website of The Atlantic magazine. It\'s an insightful interview,
largely because of Taylor\'s well-researched questions and his
follow-ups to Chertoff\'s initial answers to certain questions. It\'s
behind The Atlantic\'s subscription wall, but below are some notable
excerpts:

On Chertoff\'s qualifications to run DHS:

Nobody doubts your intelligence, your dedication, \[or\] your legal
skills. But what qualifies you to run a brand new department
consolidating 22 sub-agencies with 184,000 employees? Is there anything
that you\'ve learned the hard way that you wish you had known from the
start?

Yeah. I think that, when I took the job, what I had in mind was my
experience when I was at the Department of Justice, having to bring a
lot of different teams together-whether it was the FBI or the IRS, state
and local law enforcement-to build a case or to build an investigation
and drive it through the conclusion. And I felt that the key to success
in the job I did as a prosecutor was bringing a lot of groups together
and forcing them to identify their mission and driving them to
accomplish the mission. The one thing about being a prosecutor is that
it\'s a very unforgiving job. You know when you\'ve won and you know
when you\'ve lost. And so you have a very clear sense of the fact that
success in the end is the only real measure that counts.

So that was the philosophy I think I brought into that role \[and\] into
this job. And although the scale here is much greater, in some ways the
challenge is the same. You\'ve got a lot of different components, and
you\'ve got to transform them from agencies that are focused on doing
their own jobs to a team of agencies that are focused on an overall
mission. And I do think the experience I had making cases and making
tough cases and working with a lot of different agencies has been a real
help in this job.

On what he sees as the greatest homeland security threats:

I prioritize nuclear and biological events at the top of the heap. And
radiological and chemical close behind because they have the largest
capacity to affect the largest number of people and to really be
earth-shattering in terms of the impact on the United States. That\'s
not to say we don\'t also look at bombings in subways and bombings in
supermarkets and shopping malls, but as bad as those things are, they
are the kinds of threats we have dealt with previously and we are
well-equipped to deal with. The catastrophic event is the kind that has
never happened before and that could really be just transformative in
its disastrous effect. So I think that, from a federal standpoint in
particular, where we add real value is in developing the tools to
prevent, protect against, and respond to those catastrophic events. We
still want to be mindful of the less catastrophic and work across the
board to raise the level of terrorism \[preparedness\], but nuclear and
biological are, to me, at the top of the heap in terms of
consequence\....

Since he mentions blogs, I\'ll respond to this with a bit of friendly
advice: DHS can use blogs and other new media to its advantage if it
makes the effort. I try to assess DHS fairly, based on the facts, in a
way that acknowledges that the people running DHS have a very tough job.
But when issues like the NY/DC grant controversy and the National Asset
Database IG report come along, it\'s difficult for me (and I would
imagine, for the DHS beat reporters) to respond positively, because the
backdrop to these issues and decisions are kept opaque, and it seems
like the only information coming out of the DHS press office at these
times is spin or snarky criticism. Similarly, on the Dubai Ports World
issue, I wanted to write more posts that were sympathetic to the
Department\'s perspective, but DHS was slow to publicly circulate
information about the scope of the deal that would have made it possible
for me to write timely, favorable posts. A greater effort to increase
transparency at DHS - something that can be done without \"helping the
terrorists\" - would go a long way to improving the favorability of
media and blogosphere commentary on the Department\....\"\]

Government Technology. \"Securing the State of Iowa From Potential
Threats and Disasters\" (News Release). July 25, 2006. Accessed at:

[[http://www.govtech.net/magazine/channel_story.php/100303]{.underline}](http://www.govtech.net/magazine/channel_story.php/100303)

\[Excerpt: \"Governor Vilsack outlined three main areas in which the
Department of Homeland Security needs to improve regarding state
assistance:

All-Hazards approach to Homeland Security: DHS must realize that each
state faces unique threats, threats beyond the commonly assumed focus of
international terrorism. Resources must be allocated accordingly to
prepare for all possible incidents, such as disasters like Hurricane
Katrina, an animal health emergency or the natural disasters that Iowa
faces each year.

Adequate funding and flexibility: In order to carry out an all-hazards
approach, the specific and unique needs of each state needs to be
addressed. State and local governments require greater flexibility to
figure out how funding can best be used to enhance their capabilities.

Encourage and build local and regional partnerships: There needs to be a
genuine partnership that involves all segments of our communities and
all levels of government. Everyone has a role in keeping our community
safe, and partners in the private sector bring many assets to the table.

Iowa has served as a leader in regional collaborations and heads efforts
such as a multi-state partnership to address threats to our nation\'s
food systems. Governor Vilsack has encouraged DHS to recognize the
importance of such collaborations and to continue support of these
partnerships.\"\]

\(6\) MATERIALS RECEIVED:

Earthquake Quarterly, Fall 2005. Western States Seismic Policy Council,

121 Second Street, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105, (415) 974-6435,

URL: [[http://www.wsspc.org]{.underline}](http://www.wsspc.org/),
e-mail: <wsspc@wsspc.org>.

11th Annual Disaster Resource Guide, 2006-2007. Information at:
[[http://www.disaster-resource.com]{.underline}](http://www.disaster-resource.com/)

\(7\) PANDEMIC:

Martinez, Michael. \"Federal Officials Urge Immediate Preparation For
Pandemic.\" National Journal, July 25, 2006. Accessed at:

[[http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=34627&dcn=e_hsw]{.underline}](http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=34627&dcn=e_hsw)

University-specific pandemic information. Thanks go to Valerie Lucas,
Emergency Manager at the University of California at Davis, for pointing
out to me the pandemic section of the university\'s emergency management
website \--
[[http://safetyservices.ucdavis.edu/emergencymgmt/AvianInfluenza.cfm]{.underline}](http://safetyservices.ucdavis.edu/emergencymgmt/AvianInfluenza.cfm)

\(8\) PREPAREDNESS:

Anderson, Ed. \"\[La\] Guard Has More Troops, State-Of-Art Gear For
Storms.\" New Orleans Times-Picayune, July 26, 2006. Accessed at:
<http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/capital/index.ssf?/base/news-4/115380696538320.xml&coll=1>

Hall, Mimi. \"Cities\' Disaster Plans Lacking - Survey Paints Grim
Picture of Preparedness.\" USA Today, July 26, 2006. Accessed at:

[[http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20060726/1a_lede26.art.htm]{.underline}](http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20060726/1a_lede26.art.htm)

\[Excerpt: \"Eight in 10 cities say their emergency responders still
can\'t communicate with each other or area towns, 44% have not created
or updated their evacuation plans, and nearly three-quarters say
they\'re not prepared to handle a flu pandemic outbreak. A survey of 183
cities by the U.S. Conference of Mayors set to be released today paints
a grim picture of the nation\'s disaster preparedness nearly five years
after the 9/11 attacks and nearly one year after Hurricane Katrina.\"\]

\[Note: See U.S. Conference of Mayors document down below for more on
the survey noted in this article.\]

MacDowell, Michael A. \"Flood Scare Reminds What Sets Us Apart.\" State
College Centre Daily (PA), July 26, 2006. At:

[[http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/opinion/15123699.htm]{.underline}](http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/opinion/15123699.htm)

\[Note: Article is about how \"Ready Campus\" program helped in recent
flood event. Michael A. MacDowell is president of College Misericordia
in Dallas.\]

Simerman, John. \"Cities Rate Themselves Low\" \[Disaster Plan Survey\].

Monterey Herald, July 25, 2006. Accessed at:

[[http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/news/15116192.htm]{.underline}](http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/news/15116192.htm)

\[Excerpt: \"Nationally, the federal agency \[DHS\] gave higher ratings
to far more cities and states than it downgraded. \'That\'s no
surprise,\'

said Annemarie Conroy, head of San Francisco\'s Office of Emergency
Services. \'Nobody really knew what it\'s going to be used for, so you
didn\'t really want to give yourself a (top grade) because funding might
be tied to it,\' she said. \'No one is going to say they\'re 100 percent
in an area\'.\"\]

United States Conference of Mayors. Five Years Post 9/11, One Year Post

Katrina: The State of America\'s Readiness - 2006 Survey on Homeland
Security and Emergency Preparedness, A 183-City Survey. Washington, DC:
US Conference of Mayors Homeland Security Monitoring Center, July 26,
2006, 16 pages. Accessed at: Hall, Mimi. \"Cities\' Disaster Plans
Lacking - Survey Paints Grim Picture of Preparedness.\" July 26, 2006.
Accessed at:
[[http://www.mayors.org/uscm/home.asp]{.underline}](http://www.mayors.org/uscm/home.asp)

\[Note: A Press Release summarizing this report is also accessible via
the noted URL.\]

WJZ-TV Online (Baltimore, MD). \"Nursing Homes Meet To Discuss Disaster
Plans.\" July 26, 2006. Accessed at:
[[http://wjz.com/topstories/local_story_206143442.html]{.underline}](http://wjz.com/topstories/local_story_206143442.html)

\[Excerpt: \"The group was also addressed by Joseph Conchess, the
executive director of the Louisiana Nursing Home Association, who
offered insight from his experience during last year\'s Gulf Coast
hurricanes. \'What happened with Katrina was that even though a lot of
people came to the nursing home to work, when they were trapped there
after the floods, they eventually became concerned with their own
property, their own family and left to go check on them and never
returned,\' said Conchess.\"\]

\(9\) WAR ON TERROR:

Haykel, Bernard. \"The Enemy of My Enemy Is Still My Enemy.\" New York
Times, July 26, 2006. Accessed at:
[[http://www.nytimes.com/ref/opinion/26haykel.html]{.underline}](http://www.nytimes.com/ref/opinion/26haykel.html)

\[Excerpt: \"WITH Israel at war with Hezbollah, where, you might wonder,
is Al Qaeda? From all appearances on the Web sites frequented by its
sympathizers, which I frequently monitor, Al Qaeda is sitting, unhappily
and uneasily, on the sidelines, watching a movement antithetical to its
philosophy steal its thunder. That might sound like good news. But it is
more likely an ominous sign\....For Al Qaeda, it is a time of panic. The
group\'s Web sites are abuzz with messages and questions about how to
respond to Hezbollah\'s success\....Al Qaeda, after all, is unlikely to
take a loss of status lying down. Indeed, the rise of Hezbollah makes it
all the more likely that Al Qaeda will soon seek to reassert itself
through increased attacks on Shiites in Iraq and on Westerners all over
the world - whatever it needs to do in order to regain the title of true
defender of Islam.\" Note: Bernard Haykel, an associate professor of
Islamic Studies at New York University, is the author of \"Revival and
Reform in Islam.\"\]

Morarjee, Rachel. \"Taliban Goes For Cash Over Ideology.\" Financial
Times, July 25, 2006. Accessed at:

[[http://www.ft.com/cms/s/c3b3fa7a-1c06-11db-a555-0000779e2340.html]{.underline}](http://www.ft.com/cms/s/c3b3fa7a-1c06-11db-a555-0000779e2340.html)

\[Excerpt: \"The Taliban has found a way to recruit fighters that is
less about winning hearts and minds and more about the enduring appeal
of cold hard cash. They are paying fighters up to \$12 a day to fight
the fledgling Afghan National Army, which pays only \$4 a day to its
soldiers in the field, according to military officials.\"\]

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, N-430

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)

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