NEWS : north america,
April 2010

FEMA launches new mobile website
FEMA has launched m.fema.gov, a new mobile website which will help people quickly get the information they need when disaster strikes. The new site is laid out in a user friendly, question and answer format, walking users through the important issues they face when dealing with disasters.
•Date: 30th April 2010 • Region: US •Type: Briefing
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Military develops new multipurpose decontaminants for terrorist attack sites
Chemists with the United States military have developed a set of ultra-strength cleaners that could be used in the aftermath of a terrorist attack. The new formulas are tough enough to get rid of nerve gas, mustard gas, radioactive isotopes, and anthrax. But they are also non-toxic, based on ingredients found in foods, cosmetics, and other consumer products. Read more in this article: ‘All-Weather Hydrogen Peroxide-Based Decontamination of CBRN Contaminants.’
•Date: 30th April 2010 • Region: US •Type: Briefing •Topic: Terrorism
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US major disaster declaration for State Of Mississippi
FEMA has announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to the State of Mississippi to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding during the period of April 23-24, 2010.
http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=51151
•Date: 30th April 2010 • Region: US •Type: Briefing •Topic: DR general
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US and Australia sign emergency management coordination agreement
Information and human resource exchanges will strengthen response to major disasters of all kinds.
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•Date: 29th April 2010 • Region: Australia/US •Type: Article •Topic: Emergency plan
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North Carolina State University research offers ‘key to resolving virtualization and cloud computing hypervisor security issues’
New ‘HyperSafe’ solution, leverages existing hardware features to secure hypervisors.
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•Date: 28th April 2010 • Region: US/World •Type: Article •Topic: ISM news
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BÖWE BELL + HOWELL awarded patent for disaster recovery solutions
BÖWE BELL + HOWELL has announced that it has been awarded a patent for using electronic means for delivering billing and statement information in the event that a disaster affects a mailer’s traditional mail delivery capabilities. The patent also includes notifying customers via one or many options including phone, e-mail and company websites of the availability of secure electronic information. www.bowebellhowell.com
•Date: 28th April 2010 • Region: US •Type: Briefing •Topic: BC markets
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Senators Lieberman, Collins introduce pre-disaster mitigation grants reauthorization
US Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman, ID-Conn., and Ranking Member Susan Collins, R-Me., have introduced legislation ‘to renew a highly effective, competitive grant program to help prevent disaster-related damage before it happens’. The Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) reauthorization bill provides grants to state and local governments for projects to mitigate the risk of hurricanes, floods, and other natural disasters. The bill codifies the PDM program as a competitive grant program in an effort to provide the program with stability. Without the authorization, the program would expire.
•Date: 28th April 2010 • Region: US •Type: Briefing
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US major disaster declarations
State Of Connecticut
FEMA has announced a major disaster exists in the State of Connecticut and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe storms and flooding beginning on March 12, 2010, and continuing.

West Virginia
FEMA has announced that federal disaster aid has been made available for West Virginia and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe winter storms and snowstorms during the period of February 5-11, 2010.
•Date: 28th April 2010 • Region: US •Type: Briefing •Topic: DR general
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‘The Financial Management of Cyber Risk: An Implementation Framework for CFOs'
New guidance from the Internet Security Alliance and the American National Standards Institute.
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•Date: 27th April 2010 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: ISM news
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The macroawareness challenge
Macroawareness of risk – is this really a reasonable expectation of executive leadership and the board? By Joe Long.
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•Date: 23rd April 2010 • Region: US/World •Type: Article •Topic: Operational risk
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Cloud Communications Alliance to bring voice communications to the cloud
Newly created alliance to drive first US-wide hosted-IP high-definition enterprise voice and data network.
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•Date: 23rd April 2010 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: Telecoms continuity
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Federal partnership will address wildfire threats
US Secretaries of Agriculture, Interior and Homeland Security announce partnership to develop comprehensive wildfire management strategy.
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•Date: 22nd April 2010 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: Emergency planning
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A glimpse of the future of resilient computing?
‘Bizarre matter’ could find use in fault-tolerant quantum computers.
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•Date: 22nd April 2010 • Region: US/World •Type: Article •Topic: IT continuity
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US major disaster declarations
- Nebraska
FEMA has announced that federal disaster aid has been made available for Nebraska and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe storms, ice jams, and flooding during the period of March 6 to April 3, 2010.
- North Dakota
FEMA has announced that federal disaster aid has been made available for the state of North Dakota and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area struck by a severe winter storm during the period of April 1-3, 2010.
•Date: 22nd April 2010 • Region: US •Type: Briefing •Topic: DR general
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IIROC postpones business continuity test again
Test which was rescheduled from 2009 to 2010 now postponed until September 2011.
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•Date: 20th April 2010 • Region: Canada •Type: Article •Topic: Testing & Exercising
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US needs new national strategy in era of cyberaggression
According to a new University of Cincinnati paper.
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•Date: 20th April 2010 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: Terrorism
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US National Flood Insurance Program extended
The US Congress has passed an extension of the National Flood Insurance Program through May, 31, 2010
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•Date: 20th April 2010 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: DR general
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Stratus4Uptime contest winner's server is 17 years running... and still counting
To help mark its upcoming 30th anniversary, Stratus Technologies conducted the Stratus4Uptime contest to find the Stratus servers with the records for longest in production and longest without unplanned downtime. Customers from around the world submitted nominations. The winning companies were Double Eagle Steel Coating Company, a Dearborn, Michigan, manufacturing plant, which has been running critical applications on the same Stratus server for 17 years; and Pittsburgh-based Highmark, Inc. whose server has operated with no unplanned downtime since February 2001: in fact, it hasn't been rebooted for more than four years. www.stratus.com
•Date: 20th April 2010 • Region: US •Type: Briefing
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US major disaster declarations
- FEMA has announced that federal disaster aid has been made available for the State of New York. The assistance will supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe storms and flooding during the period of March 13-15, 2010.
http://www.fema.gov/news/event.fema?id=12629

- FEMA has announced that federal disaster aid has been made available for Minnesota and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area struck by flooding beginning on March 1, 2010, and continuing.
http://www.fema.gov/news/event.fema?id=12648
•Date: 20th April 2010 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: DR general
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In-crisis decision making: majority rules decision making
Part five of Dennis Hamilton’s series on effective crisis management.
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•Date: 16th April 2010 • Region: US/World •Type: Article •Topic: Crisis management
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Enterprise risk management surveyed
Survey of actuaries indicates focus on systemic risks and importance of corporate culture when adopting enterprise risk management.
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•Date: 16th April 2010 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: Operational risk
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New Business Continuity Alliance to continue work of MSU CIP Program
The Security Executive Council and Michigan State University have partnered to continue and expand the work of the MSU Critical Incident Protocol program, which lost its federal funding last spring.
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•Date: 15th April 2010 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: BC general
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Physical Security Criteria for Federal Facilities: new US standard
Establishes baseline physical security measures for all federal buildings and facilities.
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•Date: 13th April 2010 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: BC facilities
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ASIS CSO Roundtable publishes white paper on enterprise security risk management
‘Enterprise Security Risk Management: How Great Risks Lead to Great Deeds’.
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•Date: 9th April 2010 • Region: US/World •Type: Article •Topic: Operational risk
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‘Growing sophistication of cyber attacks pose greatest risk to US infrastructure’: Clarus Research Group survey
Federal IT personnel believe that the possibility is ‘high’ for a cyber attack by a foreign nation in the next year.
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•Date: 9th April 2010 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: ISM news
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Above average 2010 hurricane season expected
Colorado State University forecast team predicts 15 named storms to form in the Atlantic basin between June 1 and Nov. 30 with eight expected to be hurricanes and four developing into major hurricanes.
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•Date: 9th April 2010 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: Warnings
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‘Shadows In The Cloud: Investigating Cyber Espionage 2.0’
A joint report by The Information Warfare Monitor and the Shadowserver Foundation has highlighted how the public cloud is being utilised by advanced hackers.
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•Date: 7th April 2010 • Region: N.America/World •Type: Article •Topic: ISM news
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Rentsys Recovery relocates a portion of its Mobile Recovery Center fleet to California Bay Area
The MRC units are located on the premises of Herakles, a data center company, as part of a new partnership agreement.
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•Date: 7th April 2010 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: Recovery facilities
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NōtiFind for hospitals
NōtiFind for Hospitals has been introduced by SunGard Availability Services to enable hospital management and administrators to locate, inform and coordinate responses with doctors, nurses, support staff and public safety officials in addressing disasters, and other facility and security incidents. SunGard’s NōtiFind for Hospitals, powered by the Varolii Corporation, is specifically designed to provide hospitals with pre-configured emergency notifications, based on business continuity planning and healthcare industry best practices. The notification content helps hospitals stay compliant with regulatory guidelines such as the Joint Commission and Hospital Incident Command System (HICS). The solution also helps hospitals manage the unpredictable nature of rotating and remotely located personnel, helping hospitals quickly assemble available staff. www.availability.sungard.com
•Date: 7th April 2010 • Region: US •Type: Briefing
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Everbridge selected by CityCenter for emergency notification
Everbridge has announced that CityCenter, an 18-million-square foot, $8.5 billion gaming, entertainment, retail, hotel, and resort destination that opened in December 2009, has implemented the Everbridge Aware emergency notification system to ensure critical communications during unforeseen business disruptions. CityCenter uses the Everbridge system to communicate with operations and security personnel and keep them informed during unexpected incidents, including network interruptions, power outages and other facilities-related events. http://www.everbridge.com/
•Date: 7th April 2010 • Region: US •Type: Briefing •Topic: BC markets
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OSHA advice on sandbag use floods
OSHA has provided manual handling guidance for when employees are filling, moving and placing sandbags during flooding disasters. Read
•Date: 7th April 2010 • Region: US •Type: Briefing •Topic: DR general
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Major disaster declared for New Jersey
FEMA has announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to the State of New Jersey to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas struck by severe storms and flooding beginning on March 12, 2010, and continuing. William L. Vogel has been named as the federal coordinating officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. http://www.fema.gov/news/event.fema?id=12609
•Date: 7th April 2010 • Region: US •Type: Briefing •Topic: DR general
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Private Cloud-Based Managed Data Protection Solution launched by Verizon and IBM
New Backup-as-a-Service offering.
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•Date: 1st April 2010 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: IT continuity
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US major disaster declarations
- Delaware
•Date:1st April 2010 • Region: US •Type: Briefing •Topic: DR general
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Every contact point counts
Why multi-modality is essential to emergency notification. By Tony Schmitz.
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•Date: 31st Mar 2010 • Region: US/World •Type: Article •Topic: Crisis communications
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US Congress allows National Flood Insurance Program to lapse
Issue highlighted by Marsh.
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•Date: 31st March 2010 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: DR general
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COOP Systems adds new features to myCOOP
COOP Systems, the developer of myCOOP, an advanced business continuity management software package, has added three new capabilities to it.
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•Date: 31st March 2010 • Region: US/World •Type: Article •Topic: BC software
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US major disaster declarations
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
- New Hampshire
- West Virginia
•Date: 31st March 2010 • Region: US •Type: Briefing •Topic: DR general
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Web Planner Express business continuity planning tool enhanced
Web Planner Express, an easily affordable business continuity planning tool, has been significantly enhanced with support for BIA and risk metric management, expanded database lists, and planning template upgrades. http://www.waypointadvisory.com/
•Date: 31st March 2010 • Region: US/World •Type: Briefing •Topic: BC software
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The Business Continuity Institute announces that it will accept other associations’ credentials as part of an ‘Alternative Route to Membership Program
MBCP, CBCP or ABCP holders will no longer have to take the BCI’s official exam.
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•Date: 30th March 2010 • Region: US/World •Type: Article •Topic: BC general
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