DoHS: The disabled disaster plan

Disaster plans leave disabled behind

Report finds little progress since Katrina
By Audrey Hudson (Contact) | Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Four years after Hurricane Katrina exposed major deficiencies in the capacity of governments to evacuate and care for the disabled during a natural disaster, America's most vulnerable citizens are barely considered in most emergency plans, according to a report being issued Wednesday by the National Council on Disability.
The report says huge gaps exist in those emergency plans despite an executive order issued by President Bush in 2004 urging federal and local governments, as well as private organizations, to consider the unique needs of the disabled when planning rescues and preparing to provide emergency shelter.
The 500-page report also criticized government disaster planners for failing to seek input about the needs of the disabled from the community and its advocacy groups. Among other problems the report cited were issues involving service dogs, relocation in trailers and mobile homes, the effectiveness of various warning systems and different transportation needs.

CTWG: HR 1178 - CAP and Homeland Security

Presently in Senate committee, HR 1178 is intended to expand CAPs ability to work with Homeland Security.

The bill was introduced by US Repreentative Charles Dent (PA). The bill requests an assesment of CAPs capabilies to support Homeland Security inititaves, assist in protecting our borders and critical infrastructure. This includes aerial surveilance, damage assesment, training services and becoming a critical part of a collective response to disasters, search and rescue operations and evacuations.

Previously, this bill was referred to as HR1333.

We at CTWG PA will keep our eye on it, however if you would like to track it too, go here: http://govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-1178

USAF: Danger on the web

WASHINGTON — Computer spies have broken into the Pentagon's $300 billion Joint Strike Fighter project — the Defense Department's costliest weapons program ever — according to current and former government officials familiar with the attacks.

Similar incidents have also breached the Air Force's air-traffic-control system in recent months, these people say. In the case of the fighter-jet program, the intruders were able to copy and siphon off several terabytes of data related to design and electronics systems, officials say, potentially making it easier to defend against the craft.
more here...

DoHS: Chinese Spy Chips in Us Aircraft?

Sceptical but wary...

WASHINGTON: The Chinese cyber spies have penetrated so deep into the US system — ranging from its secure defence network, banking system,
electricity grid to putting spy chips into its defence planes — that it can cause serious damage to the US any time, a top US official on counter-intelligence has said.

“Chinese penetrations of unclassified DoD networks have also been widely reported. Those are more sophisticated, though hardly state of the art,” said National Counterintelligence Executive, Joel Brenner, at the Austin University Texas last week, according to a transcript made available on Wednesday.
more here....