Cyber Security Awareness Month

Today marks the beginning of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, which is a good opportunity to remind our readers of the importance of protecting yourselves and your businesses against the growing threat of cyber attacks.

Worldwide, cyber attacks are increasing in sophistication and frequency every day. We have seen stories in the news recently of countries engaging outright in cyber warfare. Over the summer, authorities also uncovered the largest case of identity theft in U.S history, involving the theft of more than 40 million credit card numbers stolen from the computer systems of several major U.S. retailers. These acts have very real consequences for ordinary Americans, as any victim of identity theft can attest.

We take the threat of cyber attacks seriously at the Department. Working with other agencies, we have embarked on a major effort across the government to protect federal systems and networks. This includes reducing the number of external access points to our systems and improving our intrusion detection capabilities. We’ve established a new National Cyber Security Center to improve coordination and information sharing. We are expanding our 24-hour watch and warning system – the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team – and hiring new cyber professionals. And we’re taking steps to prevent compromised computer products and electronics from entering the global supply chain and reaching our country.

But the reality is we can’t meet these challenges by ourselves. We don’t own the Internet or our nation’s IT or communications infrastructure. Most of our nation’s cyber assets are in private sector hands. Protecting them will require a new level of partnership with businesses and companies of all sizes, as well as individual citizens.

What can you do to help? Start by making sure you are practicing good cyber security in your home or office. This means ensuring your antivirus software is properly functioning and up-to-date. Change your computer passwords regularly, and when you do, make sure you don’t write them down or leave them near your computer where someone can easily exploit them. Don’t open suspicious e-mail or visit suspicious websites. And make sure you know exactly what you’re downloading.

These are all common-sense recommendations, but unfortunately too many Americans fail to take even these basic steps. I hope over the next month you’ll do your part to increase our nation’s cyber defenses from the ground up and help us mitigate the impact of a major cyber attack. The alternative could be a very serious disruption of a vital part of our society and our nation’s economy. Like other areas of homeland security, the time to prepare is now.

Michael Chertoff

Ike Response

I’ve spent the past two days in Texas meeting with state and local leaders and visiting evacuees and distribution centers in Houston and surrounding areas. From what I’ve seen during my two visits, there’s no question that Ike was an extremely strong storm that has left much of Galveston temporarily uninhabitable and affected millions of residents along the Texas coast.

While I can understand people’s desire to return to their homes, this environment provides a stark reminder that it’s often the after-effects of a hurricane that pose the greatest danger to health and safety. With limited electrical power, healthcare, and basic services, it’s imperative that evacuees remain patient until officials get things such as water, sewage, and electricity up and running.

Despite the widespread destruction, however, I can tell you that emergency managers and relief workers – including FEMA employees, faith-based organizations, and hundreds of volunteers – are working feverishly to provide supplies as quickly as possible to those in need. The resilience of Texas residents affected by this storm was evident in a Houston shelter I visited yesterday, where I met with several evacuees while their children played with one another in a local church (which had also been used to house Katrina and Rita evacuees three years ago).

As we work collaboratively to get these services up and running, it’s important to keep in mind an old saying, “they don’t call it a disaster for nothing.” In other words, emergency management is never an exact science and responders at every level must be prepared to adapt to unforeseen challenges. For example, earlier this week electrical workers from Ohio and other Midwestern states who were restoring power in Texas were called back to their home states following widespread power outages caused by Ike’s remnants. This reinforces the need to remain flexible, nimble, and adapt to changing circumstances.

Michael Chertoff

Yes We Are Safer

Last week, the nation marked the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in solemn fashion, focusing on memorials and reflection, rather than on point scoring. Too bad Richard Clarke couldn’t manage to do the same.

Clarke, the official in charge of antiterrorism efforts before 9/11, commemorated the anniversary of the attacks by publishing a finger-pointing screed in U.S. News and World Report.

Clarke’s argument went something like the following: Here we are, seven years after 9/11. We haven’t been attacked. But we could be. Al Qaeda still exists, Bin Laden remains at large, and terrorists still commit terrorism. We’re backsliding, and no safer now then we were then. On the home front, our borders are still porous, we’re still not screening people, and security grants are too much about pork and not enough about real risk.

Clarke is mostly wrong.

In fact, we are safer today than we were seven years ago. We haven’t been attacked since 9/11 in part because we have destroyed al Qaeda’s headquarters, enhanced our intelligence assets across the globe, captured and killed terrorists on nearly every continent, and partnered with our allies on information sharing and other security-related efforts.

Today, al Qaeda no longer has a state sponsor. Contrary to Clarke’s claims, most of its original leadership has been captured or killed. It is losing in Iraq -- thanks to the surge and to the Awakening movement among the Sunni tribes--and its savage attacks on innocents have reduced its popularity there and across the Muslim world. Muslim scholars and clerics are increasingly condemning its beliefs and behavior as a desecration of Islam.

This progress has come because we abandoned the practice of treating terrorism solely as a criminal matter – exactly the kind of September 10 policy that Clarke celebrates in his article.

Closer to home, the Department of Homeland Security has made clear progress that belies Clarke’s claims.

At the border that Clarke thinks is so porous, DHS has built hundreds of miles of fence and will double the size of the Border Patrol. We’ve also deployed fingerprint-based screening and radiation portal monitors at all of our border entry points.

To protect against a repeat attack, DHS has built nearly two dozen layers of security into our aviation system, and it has developed comprehensive security plans for other critical infrastructure.

Clarke claims that the executive branch has proved incapable of managing new terrorism programs to success. Tell that to US-VISIT – a massive government IT project that compares fingerprints of travelers to a database of millions and does it in 30 seconds for officials all across the country and the world. We got it up and running from scratch, despite the doubters. And it’s so successful that we’re expanding it to collect all ten prints and to compare them to prints found in terrorist safe houses around the world. We’ve done all that since Dick Clarke left government – and without a word of support from him.

Despite his claims of backsliding, it’s DHS that has been battling complacency, and Clarke who seems to have been sitting on the sidelines.

We’re the ones who’ve been fighting for the carefully targeted, risk-based homeland security grants he favors. It’s Congress that has added billions and made them less risk-based. Has Clarke criticized Congress or praised DHS for our risk based approach? If so, I missed it.

On our southern border, DHS’s fence-building and increased border enforcement have been hampered by local NIMBY (“not-in-my-backyard”) forces and advocates for illegal immigration. Did Dick Clarke speak out against them? Not so I’ve noticed.

To secure our northern border, we’re implementing tougher document standards, and we were ready to require all travelers to produce a passport or passport-equivalent by the end of this year. Where was Dick Clarke when Congress decided to push back that deadline to mid-2009? I don’t remember an op-ed then complaining about how porous this would make our Canadian border.

Clarke says that terrorists who look European have been trained by al Qaeda and may have European Union passports and clean identities unknown to intelligence agencies. He thinks such people could enter the United States almost as easily as did the 9/11 hijackers. It’s indeed true that during Dick Clarke’s tenure, Europeans could come to the US without any opportunity to screen them before they were in the air. As of this January, though, no foreign travelers other than Canadians will be able to come to the US without supplying -- in advance -- the information we need to screen them. At last, we’ll have the time and information we need to investigate risky travelers (and to prepare a rude surprise for terrorists who try this route). That’s all happened since Dick Clarke left government, and without any support from him.

There’s no question that Dick Clarke contributed to strengthening our national security, but his recent assertions are not only incorrect, they disrespect the work of many national security professionals he once called colleagues. That is indeed unfortunate.

Stewart Baker
Assistant Secretary for Policy

Gustav Preparations

As we closely monitor Gustav's landfall from Baton Rouge's Emergency Operations Center and remain poised to begin response efforts, I want to briefly update you with some of what I saw on the ground as we finalized our preparations yesterday.

People are taking this storm seriously. More than a million residents have evacuated well ahead of landfall, and those with special needs have been moved out of harm's way.

I've been spending time with Governor Jindal and Mayor Nagin and have been in close communication with Governor Barbour, as well as other state and local officials. I can tell you that preparations for this storm were well coordinated at every level, and everyone is now focused on responding as quickly as possible.

FEMA has pre-positioned assets and personnel in strategic locations and is poised to move in as soon as it's safe to assist with response and recovery operations. Other DHS personnel including ICE, CBP, TSA and Coast Guard teams have been deployed to assist with evacuations and are standing by to begin search and rescue operations as needed. Additional federal partners, including the Department of Defense and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, have also deployed assets and personnel to the region and are preparing for response activities.

This will be a severe hurricane and is having a major impact as it continues to move ashore. While the levees around New Orleans have been strengthened since Katrina, there is a still a real risk of flooding because of possible overtopping and rain.

For those who must shelter in place, I hope that you heeded advice to be prepared to sustain yourself for at least 72 hours. This means having enough food, water, and medicine to last for three days.

I'll continue monitoring the storm from Louisiana and will update you as time and circumstances allow. I encourage you to visit www.ready.gov for additional preparedness information.

Michael Chertoff

Hope Restored

In his remarks at the Jackson Barracks in New Orleans last week, President Bush said that “hope is being restored” throughout the Gulf Coast. As we pause to reflect on the third anniversary of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and remember the lives that were lost and the heroism that ensued, I think it’s important to acknowledge the progress that has taken place in the wake of one of our nation’s worst natural disasters.

Of course, it’s also important to apply the lessons we’ve learned along the way, and to that end, we’re working closely with our federal, state, and local partners to prepare for Hurricane Gustav’s potential impact. But I want to take just a moment to share some stories of progress along the Gulf Coast.

The hope that President Bush was referring to can be found in places like Boothville/Venice High School, which endured tremendous damage due to Katrina’s storm surge. But thanks to more than $8 million in repairs made possible by FEMA Public Assistance grants, the school now serves more than 200 students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade.

Additional signs of progress can be seen at St. Margaret’s Daughters Nursing Home in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward, where flood waters rendered the health care facility uninhabitable. With the help of an initial $5.59 million payment for a temporary facility, and an additional $3.7 million, St. Margaret’s was able to reopen in a newly renovated facility last September. All told, FEMA has committed more than $15.9 million in Public Assistance funds for this project.

And to ensure that the city’s law enforcement operations are efficiently coordinated, the New Orleans Police Department moved into its remodeled headquarters earlier this year, thanks in large part to repairs from $6.8 million in FEMA funding. This, of course, is just a portion of the $21.8 million granted to restore the justice complex.

But our goals are not just short-term fixes. We’re focused on rebuilding the region and making structures safer and stronger. For example, just last month FEMA approved the use of more than $96.9 million in Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds to elevate nearly 3,000 homes in Louisiana. This was one of the largest single HMGP project obligations to date, and represents successful collaboration at the federal, state, and local levels.

We also recognize that the road to recovery involves flexibility and innovation. To that end, we fully supported President Bush’s decision to grant Governor Bobby Jindal’s request that Louisiana be allowed to pay their share of levee improvement costs over 30 years instead of just three.

These examples are just a fraction of the work that is being done and the decisions that are being made on a daily basis in New Orleans and across the Gulf Coast. To be sure, there is much work ahead. But by focusing on priorities such as education, health care, public safety, and housing, we’re helping rebuild lives and communities – and the results are beginning to show. All told, FEMA has provided $11 billion for debris removal, reconstruction, and protective measures, in addition to more than $6 billion in individual assistance grants. (Of course, it is ultimately up to state, parish, and local leaders to decide where and what to rebuild).

But our progress three years after Katrina goes beyond dollars spent and structures restored. We’ve learned invaluable lessons from the storm’s devastation, and as a result, have vastly strengthened our nation’s preparedness and response capabilities. FEMA now is a forward-leaning agency, with 21st century tools capable of handling any type of disaster. Following Katrina, we placed a greater emphasis on building stronger partnerships, preparing for emergencies before they happen, and responding quickly and efficiently when they do occur. As I mentioned, this forward-leaning approach is guiding our preparations for Hurricane Gustav.

So as we mark Katrina’s third anniversary and acknowledge the progress we’ve made (as well as how much work remains), I encourage everyone involved in this endeavor to continue their efforts and recommit themselves to rebuilding this vital region of our country.

The daily work of our Office for Gulf Coast Recovery in Baton Rouge is indicative of our long-term commitment to work side-by-side with the people of the Gulf Coast as they rebuild their homes and communities.

Through the strong partnerships we’ve forged during the past three years, I’m confident that our progress will continue full steam ahead.

General Douglas O’Dell, USMC (Ret.)
Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding

Stay Healthy in a Crisis

This week, Tropical Storm Fay has been a reminder to us all that we are in the heart of hurricane season. But, even as it lingers in the Gulf many Americans do not believe that a disaster can really happen to them. Unfortunately, too often, people learn the hard way that they could have done more to prepare.

From the wildfires in the West, to the floods across the Midwest, to tornadoes that tear through the center of the country, Americans often find themselves thrust into an emergency. September is National Preparedness Month, a time when we highlight the simple steps we can take now to prepare for the unexpected.

As many Americans can attest, such planning can make recovering from a disaster a bit easier. Still, many don't spend enough time getting ready.

This kind of planning is particularly important when it comes to staying healthy in a crisis. As the Chief Medical Officer for the Department of Homeland Security, part of my job is to provide guidance about how our employees can protect themselves in an emergency.

Our advice goes out to everyone, from TSA security officers to the federal agents who protect our borders, even to our Secretary. Each of my coworkers must feel confident that they are prepared and that their families are weathering a crisis, so they can focus on performing their core duties. This same kind of preparedness goes on in many of the homes of first responders, law enforcement and government officials at all levels.

In a crisis, doctors, nurses, paramedics and other first responders rush to help their neighbors. A community's resilience – the nation's resilience -- depends largely on the individual preparedness of all of our vital workers and many others. Utility crews who get the power back on, truck drivers who keep food and other supplies moving, and the heroic people who look after their neighbors who have special needs all mitigate suffering and speed the recovery – if their own family is safe.

As we are told during our safety briefing before every airline flight, we must take care of ourselves before we can take care of others. I encourage you to go to http://www.ready.gov/ for information on getting an emergency supply kit, making a family emergency plan and being informed about the different types of disasters and their appropriate responses. But don't forget the medical issues that are individual to every family and every family member. In addition to water, food, etc., these are my "medical must haves:"

1. An extra supply of prescription drugs; don't forget the over the counter medications that you may need such as analgesics, antacids, anti-diarrheal, etc.


2. A good medical record for each family member that includes medications they take, allergies to medications, past surgeries and other key medical information a doctor might need to treat them in an emergency.


3. Key contact names and phone numbers on a laminated card that includes relatives, friends, personal physician and emergency work and school contacts.


4. For those with special medical needs, extra oxygen and batteries for equipment might be needed to survive away from home for a few days. An extra wheelchair, walker or cane might be needed to evacuate. Simple repair equipment, such as a bicycle repair kit, help keep a wheelchair rolling.


5. A basic first aid kit.

A more detailed checklist for people with disabilities and other special needs is available.

As an emergency physician, I have seen firsthand how important being prepared is and how the American spirit is strongest when we come together to weather an unforeseen challenge. We're proud to help prepare the nation to react with strength and compassion.

Thanks for reading. I look forward to your comments.

Dr. Jon Krohmer,
Assistant Secretary (acting), Office of Health Affairs, and Chief Medical Officer

A Wake Up Call

Tuesday’s earthquake in California was yet another reminder for Americans that mother- nature can strike an instant leaving little time for citizens who aren’t prepared to get prepared. Fortunately, there were only a handful of injuries and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said it best “this earthquake reminds us to be prepared.”

Since early spring, Americans have been faced with an onslaught of severe weather from tornadoes, wildfires, flooding, a hurricane and now an earthquake all of which have put Americans on the front lines to face mother-nature. But despite the news coverage of these disasters Americans still seem to remain complacent when it comes to personal preparedness. Many believe that it won’t happen to them or if it does there isn’t anything they can do to protect themselves or their homes. This is simply untrue.

By having an emergency supply kit, an emergency plan, and being informed about the different types of emergencies that can happen and the appropriate responses, you will be able to make better choices when faced with an emergency in which you have only seconds to respond. Also, you are the first line of defense to any emergency or disaster and by taking steps to prepare you will not only be able to sustain yourself and your family for up to 72 hours or 3 days; but you will be freeing up valuable resources and allowing first responders to get to those who can’t take care of themselves first. Therefore, personal preparedness also becomes a civic responsibility.

But what does “being prepared” mean? The Department of Homeland Security’s Ready Campaign encourages everyone to have an emergency supply kit with basic essentials like food and water and unique family needs such as medication; to make an emergency plan that allows you and your family to establish meeting places, key contact information as well as plan ahead for an evacuation--you can find an emergency plan at www.ready.gov; and to be informed about the different types of emergencies that can happen in your area and learn the appropriate responses to them.

For example, earthquakes are sometimes believed to be a West Coast phenomenon, but there are actually 45 states and territories throughout the United States that are at moderate to high risk for earthquakes including the New Madrid fault line in the central U.S.

The federal government has taken many steps to improve our coordination with state and local authorities in times of emergencies and disasters. But it is also up to our citizens to take responsibility and make sure they and their families are prepared to deal with everything from power outages to large scale events such as Hurricane Dolly.

So let yesterday’s earthquake serve as a wake up call to you – visit www.ready.gov and make sure you are protecting yourself and your family for the unexpected.

David Paulison
FEMA Administrator

Don't Procrastinate - Get Prepared

Bill Munro, owner of a dry cleaning and safety apparel business in Texas, had an emergency plan when Hurricane Rita hit. The problem was, it was outdated. It took him a week to reopen. Munro took this lesson seriously. Today he will tell you that not only is his plan updated, but, if faced with another disaster, he will back open in 48 hours.

America's businesses form the backbone of our nation's economy. Their ability to survive and recover from a disaster--like the floods we are seeing the Midwest--is critical. One in four businesses never reopen following a disaster, according the Institute for Business and Home Safety. This statistic is startling especially when you consider small businesses alone account for more than 99% of all companies with employees.

Unfortunately, emergency preparedness planning for many falls at the bottom of the to-do-list due to lack of time and resources. But as the country watches the devastation taking place in the Midwest, I want to urge all business owners and managers to take some simple steps to protect their companies in the case of an emergency so their businesses will have a stronger chance of survive - don't be the one and four.

A commitment to planning today will help support employees, customers, the community, the local economy and even the country. The Department's Ready Business Campaign provides practical steps and easy-to-use templates that will allow organizations to plan to stay in business, talk to their employees and protect their assets.

It's important for businesses to identify operations most critical for survival and to find a mechanism to stay in communication with employees, suppliers, and customers. By doing this, companies will be making their communities more resilient.

Finally, workplace preparedness also spurs individual and family preparedness. By involving your employees in the planning process and practicing your plan, business owners and managers will be motivating their employees to take steps at home, too. This is important because it will help get employees back to work quicker and also helps raise the basic level of preparedness across the country. So, planning is a good business practice that helps your business, your employees and your community.

• Did you know that IRS can help you reconstruct your tax records and may be able to provide tax relief?
• Did you know that SBA can provide loans to business owners, homeowners and non-profits who have experienced a disaster?
• Did you know as a business owner, you can help local, state and federal governments during disaster response and recovery?

During this time of severe devastation we encourage all businesses, individuals and families to get prepared by visiting http://www.ready.gov/.

Alfonso Martinez-Fonts
Assistant Secretary for the Private Sector Office

Get Serious! Hurricane Prep

Every year, as hurricane season approaches, I take the time to make sure my home is ready. Like Americans in many coastal states, I make sure my supplies and plans are all up-to-date.

This year, I was joined by members of the media and showed them exactly what I do in the hope that they would get out our message to everyone: Get Serious, Be Prepared.

At my home we have a generator, and I make sure before the season starts that we have sufficient fuel on hand to run it. I bought new batteries for my flashlights and radio. I checked my storm shutters to make sure they were in good shape and also confirmed I had little things like tarps and duct tape that can be essential if my shutters, windows or roof are damaged by a storm. I made sure I had enough prepared food and water on-hand to support my family for at least three days.

Go to ready.gov for some helpful information to help you prepare.

Sadly, there are some who still wait until it’s too late. In fact, a recent Mason-Dixon poll shows 85% of coastal residents made no additional preparations for a Hurricane in the past year; 50% said they would not make any preparations until two days before a hurricane is predicted to hit them. On top of that, 13% said they would not evacuate even if ordered to do so. More on the Mason-Dixon poll.

FEMA is doing our part to get ready.

This year, FEMA has teams standing by to be on the ground within hours of a storm or other disaster striking. FEMA has worked with vulnerable states to identify where they will most need support. We have improved our logistics and can better get the supplies and resources to a disaster site more quickly than in the past. We have plans in place to coordinate our activities with our partners at every level of government as well as with the private sector. Simply put: we are all better prepared.

FEMA has also improved our ability to deliver assistance through simple and effective delivery mechanisms, while also minimizing possible waste, fraud and abuse. We have expanded our capability to register those in need for aid and have mobile registration centers that can be on hand to help those without access to phones or computers.

As the official Hurricane Season for 2008 opens, I hope all Americans will join me in building a culture of preparedness. Whether your home is at risk from a hurricane, tornado, flood, fire or earthquake, every community faces its own risks. Being properly prepared can make a big difference.

I took the time to prepare my home this weekend. Now it’s your turn.

David Paulison
FEMA Administrator

Securing Our Schools

Yesterday I visited a local high school in Northern Virginia to meet with school officials and local emergency managers to discuss school safety, and the federal government’s efforts to help schools prepare for emergencies – both man-made incidents and natural disasters. I was joined by Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, who outlined their respective departments’ efforts to enhance school safety.

The tragedies we saw at Columbine, Virginia Tech, and even earlier this month in Cleveland seem to point to an increased risk of violence in schools. But despite these high profile incidents, the fact remains that schools are some of the safest places for children in our country.

We would be remiss however, if we failed to acknowledge that our children do face a minimal amount of risk at school. We need only recall earlier this year when a tornado hit Enterprise High School in Alabama, tragically killing several students.

In light of this risk, teachers, parents, administrators, and local first responders should take a few common-sense steps to be prepared for an emergency of any kind. It’s important that schools have emergency plans in place, practice those plans, coordinate with parents and local first responders, and if an incident does occur, follow the plan to reduce potential harm to students.

DHS is actively engaged with our federal partners, as well as with state and local officials to help schools be prepared. We have a number of resources available for teachers, parents, and school administrators, including interactive threat assessment CDs, safe school design manuals, and funding available through our grant programs. I encourage you to visit our Ready Kids website at http://www.ready.gov/ for additional information and preparedness tips.

I’ll leave you with an important statistic from the U.S. Secret Service and the Department of Education’s Safe School Initiative. They found that in 81% of the cases of targeted school violence they studied, other people had some type of prior knowledge that an attack was being planned. The lesson here for everyone – students, teachers, administrators, coaches, and parents – is if you see something, say something.

We can’t completely eliminate violence in schools, and we certainly can’t prevent natural disasters or other emergencies from occurring. But we can ensure that our schools are as prepared as possible and that we’re all working together toward the common goal of safer schools for our children.

Thanks for reading.

Michael Chertoff

Responding to the California Fires

I’m writing this from the air as I make my way to southern California with Secretary Chertoff to take a closer look at the areas impacted by the wildfires. Later today, we’ll meet with the local officials on the ground that are fighting the fires and coordinating the emergency response to make sure they have everything they need to gain control of the situation. I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you about some of the steps the Administration is taking to support the emergency response effort.

Earlier today President Bush issued an emergency disaster declaration for California. FEMA began mobilizing resources on Sunday, and we are currently establishing a Joint Field Office in Pasadena. The Joint Field Office will coordinate federal, state, tribal, and local response to operations throughout the area.

FEMA has also established a staging area in southern California that will assist in mobilizing federal assets for emergency response operations. We have stood up our Regional Response Coordination Center (RRCC) which will function around the clock to support operations. The RRCC consists of federal agencies including the Department of Interior, Department of Transportation, United States Forest Service, United States Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Heath and Human Services, and the DHS Infrastructure Protection Office.

The American Red Cross is also playing a crucial role in assisting our operations. Currently it has opened shelters in five counties throughout southern California. Numerous Red Cross assets have been mobilized and deployed to the affected areas.

My biggest concern is the safety of the firefighters, individuals and families of those impacted in the area. I want to stress how important it is for all individuals and families to have a plan in place in case of an emergency such as this. Whether it’s a hurricane, wildfire or terrorist attack, families need to be prepared. I encourage everyone to visit http://www.ready.gov/ and learn what you and your family can do to be prepared.

We’re fully committed to assisting state and local responders and officials on the ground, and will provide whatever assistance they need to control these dangerous wildfires.

Thank you.

R. David Paulison
FEMA Administrator

Exercising the Team

This week we’ll conduct a major counterterrorism exercise, so I want to take an opportunity to fill you in on just what it will entail, the benefits it will produce, and why we conduct exercises in the first place.

The Top Officials 4 exercise (or TOPOFF 4 as it’s commonly called) is a week-long endeavor that starts today and focuses on simulated terrorist incidents occurring in Arizona, Oregon, and the U.S. territory of Guam. It’s the fourth of a series of congressionally-mandated exercises that involves participants at all levels of government, the private sector, as well as some of our international partners. In fact, TOPOFF 4 will be the largest and most comprehensive national-level exercise to date, and will include more than 15,000 participants.

It will not only test our ability to respond effectively to multiple attacks, but also provide a realistic environment in which to assess our preparedness efforts and enhance coordination among federal, state, local and international partners.

A full-scale exercise like TOPOFF 4 is incredibly valuable. Responding to and effectively managing a terrorist attack or natural disaster requires close coordination with a variety of people and organizations. Problems with logistics, personnel, and information flow can cost lives and must be worked out before a disaster strikes, rather than in the middle of a crisis. Exercises are a welcome opportunity to address these issues.

Similar to the way football teams practice for game day, we prepare for real world disasters by constantly conducting small exercises throughout the year, and applying what we learn to larger and more complex events like TOPOFF. Our goal is to push our systems to the breaking point--and beyond--to help us better understand what things perform well and what areas need work.

After we complete an exercise, we review the results, address any problems that arose, and share the lessons learned with our homeland security partners throughout the government and private sector. While not released to the general public, we do circulate these results promptly to our state and local partners to reduce vulnerabilities identified within the exercise. Most importantly, we apply these lessons learned to real-world situations.

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Michael Chertoff

For Yourself, Your Family and Your Community

As part of my job, I am frequently reminded of the dangers America faces from disasters, both natural and man-made. From hurricanes to terrorist attacks, they can strike suddenly and without warning, leaving behind a devastating trail of lost lives and property.

Astonishingly (to me), according to a recently released Harvard study, 31 percent of people in high-risk coastal areas would refuse an evacuation order in the event of a major hurricane. Even as Hurricane Dean approached, one-fourth of potentially at-risk Texans surveyed said they would not evacuate, either.

Over the past year, people across America have lost their lives and property due to damage caused by floods, tornadoes and wildfires. Today many Americans remain in a state of denial when it comes to disaster preparedness. Americans must be prepared for all types of disasters including the threat from terrorists, who can attack without warning and cause catastrophic damage and loss of life.

To help America handle disasters better, our Department is striving to promote a new culture of preparedness.

One way we’re doing this is through our annual National Preparedness Month, which we promote every September. Throughout this month, with the help of our Ready campaign, we have been encouraging everyone to develop their own individual and family preparedness plan, including an emergency supply kit, a family emergency plan, and emergency information. This is common sense which we owe our families.

But is it enough to encourage people to help themselves and their families in the event of an emergency or disaster? Shouldn’t we also want them to help their neighborhoods and communities? That’s why, throughout this month, we’ll also be highlighting our work with Citizen Corps, a nationwide movement of volunteers who are donating their time in precisely that way. (See my op-ed for further discussion.)

Through a network of state and local councils, Citizen Corps programs give volunteers a chance to do such things as assist law enforcement, acquire terrorism awareness education and basic emergency response skills, provide medical and public health expertise, and support fire and rescue departments.

Clearly, judging from that list, those who wish to join Citizen Corps will have a good menu of opportunities to help. They will also be satisfied in knowing that they are building community pride and patriotism, acquiring skills to help them take better care of themselves, their families, and their neighbors in a crisis, and reducing the burden on fire fighters, police officers, emergency medical technicians, and others who risk their lives and safety for all of us each day.

If you want to learn more about how you can help yourself, your family, and your community to be better prepared, feel free to contact Ready and Citizen Corps.

Michael Chertoff

Brazenly Prepared

Maybe the New York Times is miffed because I’ve criticized their article about the 9/11 anniversary ("As 9/11 Nears, a Debate Rises: How Much Tribute Is Enough?" Sept. 2, 2007). But Thursday's editorial page featured a broadside against our Department of Homeland Security that was a perfect storm of misrepresentation and misunderstanding. Titled, “Department of Brazen Bureaucracy,” the Times charged that we had “flouted” Congressional lawmakers by “claiming” that the Secretary (whether me or my successors) has the responsibility to coordinate national emergencies. The Times also editorialized that our proposed national response framework worsens bureaucratic inertia by creating 15 regional disaster areas with 15 separate plans.

I wish the writers had done their homework. They’ve misread the law and the new national response framework. Worse yet, they are arguing against the very type of detailed planning that is required if we are to successfully confront the wide range of emerging catastrophic threats that can surface in our new century. And this is where the danger of pre-9/11 thinking arises.

First, let’s clear the legal underbrush. Contrary to the Times, the Secretary of Homeland Security has the legal authority to coordinate federal domestic emergency response. This is made clear in both the Homeland Security Act of 2002 which established the Department and the 2006 Amendments to the Act mentioned in the Times editorial. The amendments state that the Administrator of FEMA “shall report to the Secretary” and “is the principal advisor to the President, the Homeland Security Council, and the Secretary for all matters relating to emergency management in the United States.”

All of these statutory elements are captured in – and consistent with – the new national response framework.

Accusing us of flouting laws which they misread is, however, the tip of iceberg of what’s wrong with the Times editorial piece. There appears to be something deeper going on as well.

It’s revealed by a parting shot in the editorial, where it charges that DHS will feed “bureaucratic inertia” by creating “15 regional disaster areas with separate operational and strategic plans.” This just misreads the new policy. The national response framework, in fact, does not create 15 new geographic regions with separate plans. What we are doing is creating 15 different nationwide plans to deal with 15 very different types of disaster scenarios that are concrete threats to our country. This planning effort includes not only upgrading plans for traditional disasters, such as major earthquakes and major hurricanes. It embraces planning to address newly emerging risks, such as multiple attacks by improvised explosive devices; an attack by radiological (“dirty”) bombs; food contamination; cyber attack; and pandemic influenza.

Developing, training to, and exercising plans for multiple threats and very different threat scenarios isn’t a recipe for “bureaucratic inertia” as the Times asserts. It’s simple common sense. The plan for mass evacuation from an approaching major hurricane must be very different from the plan to shelter in place and minimize human contact during a biological attack. And both of these plans would be very different from the plan to mitigate a cyber attack. It would be reckless indeed to believe that one plan can fit all these varied threats.

Why are we broadening the nature of planning like this? Simply put, before 9/11, the main focus of FEMA was natural disasters. But our current 15 planning scenarios reflect the fact that we live now in a post-9/11 world. Natural disasters remain at the forefront of preparation. But so, too, must bomb attacks like those in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Biological threats also cannot be ignored. Congress’ purpose in establishing a broad-gauged Department of Homeland Security was precisely to integrate the ability to respond to all hazards, including those posed by 21^st century terrorism and the existence of weapons of mass destruction. We owe the public a planning process that takes account of these new hazards.

Perhaps this truth is inconvenient to the Times writers. But nostalgia for a time when terrorist WMDs were not a real risk is not a reason to return to pre-9/11 thinking.

Michael Chertoff

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