DHS works on internal disaster preparedness | 02.26.2008 | 10:14:55 | Views: 5538 | ID: February 26 '08: The Washington Post reported that DHS will be working with two area companies to make sure the federal agency itself is prepared to handle a disaster and to ensure a continuity of operations. The companies, ICF International and its partner Lockstep Consulting "will help the department identify its mission-critical functions. The plan also will incorporate daily business functions," the Post reported. The move is in step with earlier motions by the White House to establish a National Continuity Coordinator which would help to oversee state, local and tribal government operations and to help provide information to the private sector to keep a continuity of operations before, during and after disasters. Anita Tallarico, the senior vice president of emergency management and homeland security for ICF International told the Post, "DHS may have already addressed the disaster scenario, but have they though about how to keep payroll going? ... There are some mundane things DHS must continue to do in a disaster, like pay staff. ... Our assignment is directly within the department's management directorate, but we'll also be reaching out to the other agencies, such as the Secret Service, US Coast Guard, FEMA and all the other agencies that need to figure these out together." The Post reported that DHS and ICF International "will examine emergency scenarios - possibly the 15 catastrophic national scenarios developed by the White House - to help identify DHS's mission-essential functions. ... If a black out hit Washington and other major cities in the Northeast, for example, DHS needs to know what it will take for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be able to continue to deliver services to state and local officials," the Post reported. National Blueprint Tags: Intelligence & Situational Awareness, Legal & Intergovernmental(Click below to download file) national-response-plan.pdf
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