Training & Events
- Thursday, November 05, 2 pm ET
Webinar: Ohio’s Secretary of State & More Discuss Cybersecurity Infrastructure (Pew Rt. Fifty / Nextgov) What can agencies do during this uniquely trying time to shore up cyber vulnerabilities and prevent threats? This webcast will explore what it would take to put the ransomware protections and cybersecurity infrastructure in place in order to have a secure, remote workforce. We’ll dive into newly released ransomware guidance across federal agencies and discuss what the guidance may hold for the future.
- Tuesday, November 10, 2020, 3:00 – 4:00 PM EDT
Resources
The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, House of Representatives, Interim Staff Report on key findings during its first six months of the federal response to COVID-19. As a reminder, EM CoP shares these resources to share important perspectives, in this case, from our client. The EM CoP does not endorse any of the findings or messages, but shares this information for those whom it may be useful. See EM CoP Resources folder / COVID19 FY21_ALL_STAFF-#139890
Master Question List for COVID-19 [caused by SARS-CoV-2] (DHS S&T) The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) developed the following “master question list” that quickly summarizes what is known, what additional information is needed, and who may be working to address such fundamental questions as, “What is the infectious dose?” and “How long does the virus persist in the environment?” The Master Question List (MQL) is intended to quickly present the current state of available information to government decision makers in the operational response to COVID-19 and allow structured and scientifically guided discussions across the federal government without burdening them with the need to review scientific reports, and to prevent duplication of efforts by highlighting and coordinating research.
Critical Drug Shortages Further Complicate Pandemic Response (CIDRAP) The report from the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at found that 29 out of 40, or approximately 73 percent, of drug treatments for COVID-19 are experiencing shortages. On top of spikes in treatment in hotspots, multiple factors contribute to shortages such as manufacturing halts, supply chain disruptions and international export restrictions. CIDRAP discusses the overarching consequences of drug shortages, the need for better transparency, and reliance on foreign sources and how a series of events (intentional or natural) could put us at even higher risk. This is part six in a series on COVID-19. See the CIDRAP website for the other reports in the series.
2020 Wildfire Risk Report — CoreLogic released the 2020 Wildfire Risk report, which takes a look at some of the new wildfire challenges faced, new ways to examine risk, losses from the year to date and methods of reducing those losses. According to the report, up to the end of September this year over 7 million acres have burned in the United States. Responding to wildfires in 2020 has been extremely challenging not only due to new challenges from COVID-19 but also because of the number and size of fire. Recovering from them may also be more challenging. The report also shares the 10 cities Core Logic found as having the highest rate of potential risk of loss from wildfire, including Denver; Austin and San Antonio, Texas; Los Angeles, San Diego, Thousand Oaks, Truckee, Riverside, and Sacramento, Calif.
State Public Health Authorities and COVID-19 Legal Challenges (ASTHO blog) The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) drafted an explainer of several legal challenges currently faced in states around the emergency powers invoked by governors and health officials to order physical distancing measures. Common issues faced include: challenges to the underlying legal authority of state executives to respond to public health crises; claims that “public health” falls outside state emergency powers; COVID-19 not qualifying as an emergency per state law; and judicial deference to landmark legal cases including Jacobson v. Massachusetts.
EESI Policy Recommendations for Coastal Community Resilience— The Environmental and Energy Study Institute published a report detailing policy recommendations for improving coastal community resilience in the face of natural hazards and climate change. The report is divided into six sections: community at the forefront; land use and development; cultural heritage; climate adaptation and resilience data; disaster preparedness; and financing adaptation and resilience. Including 30 specific coastal resilience policy recommendations, this document may be useful when developing BRIC applications. View their coastal resilience briefing series and the full report here.
Confronting Urgent Threats to Human Health & Society: COVID-19 and Climate Change (NAM Annual Meeting) The recordings of the entire 2020 National Academy of Medicine (NAM) Annual Meeting are available above.
Articles
All-Hazards:
Shift Needed to Impact-Based Weather Forecasting (HS Today) and NOAA Partners with Google to Boost Weather Forecasts with AI (Pew: Rt. Fifty)
Resilience:
How Does the Environment Impact COVID-19? (DHS S&T)
Land Managers Can’t Burn the West Fast Enough (Pew: Rt. Fifty)
How the U.S. Could Be Smarter About Insuring Against Extreme Weather-Related Disasters (MarketWatch)
Public Health / Biosurveillance:
State Department: Reducing Revisionist State Biological and Chemical Weapons Threats (Global Biodefense)
Who Will Get the COVID Vaccine First? A New Tool Aims to Help States Decide (Pew: Rt. Fifty)
Increased and Imminent Cyber Threat to Healthcare and Public Health (DHS/CISA)
A Flu Shot Might Reduce Coronavirus Infections, Early Research Suggests (Sci. American)
‘Storm Tracker’ Maps Shows How Hurricanes Spread Invasive Species (Smithsonian)
How Indigenous Communities in Canada Organized an Exemplary COVID Public Health Response (Sci. American)
Critical Infrastructure & Cyber:
Federal agencies warn hackers targeting U.S. hospitals with ransomware attacks (The Hill) CISA, FBI, and HHS have credible information of an increased and imminent cybercrime threat to U.S. hospitals and healthcare providers,” the agencies wrote in a joint alert. These cyber-attacks have targeted healthcare networks in Vermont and New York, among other states.
Innovations & Interconnections:
Connecting People and Places: Exploring New Measures of Travel Behavior (Brookings)
What Should Crisis Leadership Look Like? (New Yorker)
From Brassville to... (working title) 