Blog

Yesterday, Secretary Napolitano visited Minot, North Dakota to see firsthand the damage caused by the recent severe flooding. Her visit follows Deputy Administrator Serino’s visit to Minot on June 29. The Secretary encouraged Minot residents to continue to register for federal disaster assistance and reiterated the federal government's commitment to continue supporting Minot for the long haul. She also encouraged anyone  interested in helping the people of Minot and across North Dakota to send donations through organizations like the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army or the Minot Area Recovery Fund.

Minot, ND, July 13, 2011 -- Secretary Janet Napolitano speaks to the media and holds up a sign with the FEMA registration information. She strongly urged affected residents in eligible counties to apply for assistance.

We wanted to provide you with a brief overview of her day -- and her thoughts on helping North Dakota in the long recovery process ahead. 

An Aerial Tour
The Secretary began her visit with a helicopter tour over Minot and surrounding areas impacted. She witnessed the extensive flood damage to hundreds of homes, schools, churches, farmland, and other community areas devastated by the disaster. 

Learning from Local Leaders

Minot, ND, July 13, 2011 -- Secretary Janet Napolitano listens to Minot Mayor, Curt Zimbelman, at a meeting with North Dakota Gov Jack Dalrymple and local officials after doing an aerial survey of the areas still under water in Minot and surrounding towns. Napolitano and other FEMA officials promised to continue to provide assistance to residents affected by recent floods. 

Secretary Napolitano also met with the state and local officials leading the recovery efforts, including Governor Jack Dalrymple, the mayors of Minot and Burlington, and many other local officials. They discussed some of the priorities the state and community are facing as they move forward, such as reopening schools and grocery stores. With so many homes flooded, temporary housing that can withstand the harsh winters of North Dakota is another major concern. The Secretary ensured that the government would work quickly with the state to provide temporary housing to survivors that meets their needs. 

A Visit with the Media
After the meeting, the Secretary joined the governor and mayors for a press conference for local media. 

Secretary Napolitano thanked the Governor and local officials for their hard work, and explained: "We are all standing behind the people of Minot, behind the people of the surrounding area, and the people of North Dakota… We will make sure that everything that can be done is being done, and is being done as quickly as possible."

Minot, ND, July 13, 2011 -- Secretary Janet Napolitano and North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple appear at a press conference with local, state and other federal officials. Napolitano and Dalrymple did an aerial survey of the areas still under water in Minot and the surrounding towns. Napolitano and FEMA officials promised to continue to provide assistance to residents affected by recent floods.

At FEMA, we remain committed to supporting the survivors and local officials in recovering from the devastating floods in Minot. FEMA officials on the ground have been working hard to register survivors for temporary housing assistance, low-interest loans, and other forms of disaster assistance, and we’ll be there as long as it takes to help the Minot community recover and rebuild.

On Wednesday, June 29, members of the DHS Blue Campaign were honored to host the State Department’s 2011 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Heroes at our headquarters to learn more about their incredible work to help fight human trafficking. Each year, the Department of State honors individuals around the world who have devoted their lives to the fight against human trafficking. These individuals are NGO workers, lawmakers, police officers, and concerned citizens who are committed to ending modern slavery. They are recognized for their tireless efforts – despite resistance, opposition, and threats to their lives – to protect victims, punish offenders, and raise awareness of ongoing criminal practices in their countries and abroad.

This year’s heroes traveled to Washington D.C. from countries including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Guatemala, Namibia, Nepal, the Philippines and Singapore to share their stories and be honored by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the release of the State Department’s 2011 TIP Report on Monday, June 27th. 

During the meeting, hosted by Senior Counselor to Secretary Napolitano Alice Hill, the heroes each spoke briefly about their backgrounds and work to help end modern slavery—from Ms. Charimaya Tamang of Nepal, a human trafficking survivor who, at 16, was the first person in Nepal to personally file a human trafficking case with the Nepalese district police and eventually won her case in a landmark decision, to Mr. Leonel Dubon from Guatemala, who established the Children’s Refuge House, which provided shelter and services to 51 girls in 2010 alone. Ms. Bridget Lew Tan, a TIP Hero from Singapore who whose Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics has provided food, shelter, advocacy and legal counsel to more than 50,000 migrants since 2004, spoke to the need of governments to make NGOs equal partners in anti-human trafficking efforts. 

These stories help shed light on the state of international efforts to end human trafficking throughout the globe, and provided important insight into how differences in government structure, culture, and public resources can play a role in each society’s anti-human trafficking efforts.

The discussion was candid and, for many Blue Campaign members, touching. Senior Counselor Hill closed the session by noting that many of the members of the DHS Blue Campaign work “behind desks” for the majority of their workday. “Sometimes it is hard to believe you are making a difference,” Senior Counselor Hill said to the TIP Heroes, “but meeting with all of you today, who work tirelessly and directly with victims across the globe, we are reminded that, yes, with commitment and passion each of us can make a difference.”

Last week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate awarded a SAFETY Act designation to Visual Defence USA, Inc. for its blast-resistant video system designed for use in mass transit vehicles. This marks the first time a product has received both a SAFETY Act designation and a SECURE certification.

The Support Anti-terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies (SAFETY) Act is designed to ensure that legal liability does not deter potential manufacturers or sellers of anti-terrorism technologies from developing, deploying, and commercializing potentially life-saving technologies, while also guaranteeing that a technology works as advertised and effectively supports a homeland security mission. Virtual Defence’s Blast Resistant Autonomous Video Equipment (BRAVE) camera achieved this designation because of the support it provides to investigators in the event of a mass-transit incident. Similar to the well-known “black box” recording devices found in airplanes, BRAVE cameras could be installed in trains, buses and subways.

In April 2011, BRAVE became the first technology to receive SECURE certification. This program promotes cooperative relationships between DHS and the private sector in developing products or services that meet homeland security needs in the context of a dynamic marketplace. Such a joint designation is just one example of successful public-private partnerships that are supporting the homeland security mission.