Michael Chertoff says that the eight year anniversary of 9/11 is a time to reflect on the progress that has been made with emergency preparedness and recognize the changes the U.S. still needs to make. (0:15)
Travis Martinez, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service
Former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff noted Thursday that while many improvements have been made in U.S. emergency response capabilities, more can be done to improve communication between different agencies.
“All of the groups need to make an agreement on the [technological] language used,” Chertoff said during a panel discussion at the National Press Club. “We still have a ways to go.”
To counter the current shortcomings of inter-agency communication, Chertoff suggested reserving part of the radio spectrum solely for emergency response, thus allowing responders to transmit voice, data, and video more efficiently through portable devices like BlackBerrys and iPhones.
The idea to scrap the system we have now or to wait for equipment to become obsolete is not a viable option, Chertoff warned.
$1 billion has been distributed to states and localities to promote interoperable communications.
At a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Disaster Recovery Subcommittee hearing on FEMA’s progress after Katrina, FEMA’s Deputy Administrator, Admiral Harvey E. Johnson, says the Administration is working hard to remove bureaucratic red tape. He says FEMA released a national response framework to create more streamlined, efficient responses. (0:54)
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery held a hearing on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) performance in handling disasters since Katrina. Chairwoman Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said there have been 169 major disasters and 250 federal emergencies since Katrina. (more…)
