From the Washington Post, on a new FEMA working group focused on the needs of children during a disaster:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is going to plan more broadly for children and their needs as the government prepares for disasters.
"Children are not small adults," FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate said Monday.
Most disaster plans are crafted around adult populations, and people with specific needs - such as children - are often an afterthought, Fugate said in an interview with The Associated Press.
A new FEMA working group will work with the congressionally mandated National Commission on Children and Disasters, created in 2007. The FEMA group will focus on specific guidance for evacuating, sheltering and relocating children; helping childcare centers, schools and child welfare programs prepare for disasters; and making disaster preparation part of the Homeland Security Department's grant programs.
The working group's findings could mean changes to the country's blueprint for disaster response, known as the National Response Framework, Fugate said.
From the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, on some new equipment at the Greater Rochester International Airport:
The federal Transportation Security Administration has started using advanced imaging technology to scan passengers at the Greater Rochester International Airport.
The new machine, a backscatter X-ray scanner, is expected to remain in Rochester for a 60-day test period, said John McCaffrey, federal security director of the Greater Rochester International Airport. When using the machine, security officials can quickly and unobtrusively screen passengers without any physical contact. The machine is being used in one of the airport's six security lanes, in place of a metal detector.
"We're very excited to have this equipment in Rochester," McCaffrey said Monday. "This is an additional layer of security that gives our officers the tools to detect threats and has privacy protections built in for the traveling public."McCaffrey said the machine reduces the need for pat-down searches for passengers with joint replacements or other medical conditions, because the machine scans for metal and nonmetal objects in a person. Use of the machine is safe for all passengers, he said.
From the Associated Press, on a terrorism drill in New York City today:
Law enforcers on boats are holding a terrorism drill south of the Verrazano Bridge.
The goal is protect the area from a potential "dirty bomb" or nuclear device.
Participants on about 17 vessels will practice checking for radioactive material.
The exercise is being held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday.
It's part of an NYPD-led initiative called Securing the Cities. The funding comes from the federal Department of Homeland Security.
Leadership Events
8:45 AM EDT
Secretary Napolitano will deliver remarks at the U.S. Secret Service Global Cyber Security Conference
JW Marriott Hotel
Capitol Ballroom
1331 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, D.C.
Public Events
10:30 AM EDT
Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate will testify before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery about the needs of children in disasters
342 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C.