Power was finally restored at my house when our neighbor stopped a DP&L truck yesterday. How long did it take to restore power? 15 minutes! The greatest irony though was our neighbor talking to DP&L on her cell phone when she spotted the truck while customer service was pointing out that our area still was not scheduled.
I guess that bit of cognitive dissonance set the stage for this strange item. The Fox News website has an article posted on “MALINTENT” a new system under development by Department of Homeland Security. The system supposedly can detect non-verbal cues to predict hostile intentions by passengers. You can read the article here.
I’m not a conspiracy type nor do I believe “The Matrix” was somehow allegorical. The development of MALINTENT does make me what to reconsider those positions. Human beings tend to experience a wide range of emotions at any given time. These emotions can lead to any number of micro-expressions and other non-verbal cues. Cultural and ethnic differences cause people to react to emotions differently. Accurately reading non-verbal cues by means of a computer program leaves me skeptical. The potential for errors in reading something as vague as non-verbal cues and reacting to computer assessments on such esoteric constructs is great.
I’m neither an attorney nor a constitutional expert but this seems to be akin to invasion of privacy. My thoughts and emotions are my own and I share them only with those I choose. MALINTENT would appear to take that vestige of privacy away from airport passengers. Air travel has never really recovered from the events of 9-11. Increased security procedures have made checking-in a hassle. To reduce costs, airlines have eliminated all in-flight perks and now charge in some cases even for pillows and blankets. These factors alone have contributed to the decline in air travel; if nothing else MALINTENT would be just one more disincentive to commercial air travel.
After World War I, the French constructed a line of concrete fortifications known as the Maginot Line. The intent was to keep Germany from invading France again. When the Germans invaded Belgium in 1940, they simply drove around the Maginot Line. I wonder if the same thing isn’t happening with the DHS obsession with airport security. Are they creating another Maginot Line that the terrorists will simply drive around?
“If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing.”--Benjamin Franklin
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Did we learn anything?
Day 9 continues much as the other days do, no electric and no sign of utility workers. I dutifully call in my outage, per DP&L, each day and each day I get to hear we still are not schedule for a repair crew.
Enough of that nonsense, here is really what I’ve been thinking about. You can have all of the bottled water, food and batteries in the world but it doesn’t help if your are alone. Friends, family and neighbors looking out for one another is what really helped during this emergency. Better health care means or population continues to live longer. More and more people require some type of in-home medical care that relies on electricity. When the power goes out, these people’s health becomes at risk. Checking in on you friends and neighbors with medical conditions during power outages or storms is an important part of everyone getting through tough times.
You can’t underestimate the importance of having working flashlights available. I usually have a small SureFire pocket flashlight on my person and several flashlights throughout the house. Don’t fall victim to letting your flashlights become repositories for dead batteries. Keep fresh batteries in you flashlights by changing them whenever you change your smoke detector batteries.
Ready.gov has good list of items to keep on hand as part of your emergency kits. In addition to water, food and first aid supplies don’t forget about prescription medications and pet food. The time of course to stock up is before and not after the emergency so paying attention to the weather is critical. Keep as much of your supplies in a kit or bag that you can take with you in the event you have to vacate your home.
Make sure you and your family have ways of communicating that doesn’t rely on cellular phones (which work so long as there is power to the towers). You may have a pre-determined rally point where everyone gathers at a pre-agreed time in the event of no communication. In the event you had to leave the area (say due to a chemical hazard), you will need a rally point outside the immediate area as well.
As we get ready for winter, let me mention having a possibles bag. The term comes from Colonial times and a possible bag was a small bag woodsman carried to handle a wide variety of possibilities. A possibles bag is smaller than you home emergency kit but basically address some of the same issues.
A good possibles bag would contain a way of creating fire, a small space blanket, water purification tabs, first aid kit, and a knife. You possibles bag needs to contain those items you would need to survive 24-48 hours without assistance. Other items might be some protein bars, a compass and candles. Don’t make it too big, it needs to be something that you could carry around with you. I recommend keeping it in your car in the event you get stranded in a snow storm.
Basically though, apply what you learned from this emergency to allow you to handle the next one.
Enough of that nonsense, here is really what I’ve been thinking about. You can have all of the bottled water, food and batteries in the world but it doesn’t help if your are alone. Friends, family and neighbors looking out for one another is what really helped during this emergency. Better health care means or population continues to live longer. More and more people require some type of in-home medical care that relies on electricity. When the power goes out, these people’s health becomes at risk. Checking in on you friends and neighbors with medical conditions during power outages or storms is an important part of everyone getting through tough times.
You can’t underestimate the importance of having working flashlights available. I usually have a small SureFire pocket flashlight on my person and several flashlights throughout the house. Don’t fall victim to letting your flashlights become repositories for dead batteries. Keep fresh batteries in you flashlights by changing them whenever you change your smoke detector batteries.
Ready.gov has good list of items to keep on hand as part of your emergency kits. In addition to water, food and first aid supplies don’t forget about prescription medications and pet food. The time of course to stock up is before and not after the emergency so paying attention to the weather is critical. Keep as much of your supplies in a kit or bag that you can take with you in the event you have to vacate your home.
Make sure you and your family have ways of communicating that doesn’t rely on cellular phones (which work so long as there is power to the towers). You may have a pre-determined rally point where everyone gathers at a pre-agreed time in the event of no communication. In the event you had to leave the area (say due to a chemical hazard), you will need a rally point outside the immediate area as well.
As we get ready for winter, let me mention having a possibles bag. The term comes from Colonial times and a possible bag was a small bag woodsman carried to handle a wide variety of possibilities. A possibles bag is smaller than you home emergency kit but basically address some of the same issues.
A good possibles bag would contain a way of creating fire, a small space blanket, water purification tabs, first aid kit, and a knife. You possibles bag needs to contain those items you would need to survive 24-48 hours without assistance. Other items might be some protein bars, a compass and candles. Don’t make it too big, it needs to be something that you could carry around with you. I recommend keeping it in your car in the event you get stranded in a snow storm.
Basically though, apply what you learned from this emergency to allow you to handle the next one.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
And still no power
Day 7 and still no power but I did see a utility truck this morning (that would be a grand total of 2 seen since the power went out Sunday). DP&L claims 90 percent of those without power will have power back by tomorrow. Looking at the map, I remain skeptical.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Blackouts, Plans, and Fire Stations
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, people who still don’t have power are becoming impatient. Tempers are becoming short in Venice Gardens (in Ross Township). There is a sense of frustration brought on by darkened neighborhoods not seeing a single utility truck all week. Both Cincinnati and Dayton residents have shared their frustrations on the reader comments pages of the websites of their local newspapers. It is apparent that the utility companies are making great strides as evidence by the increasing numbers of buildings and homes with power. Unfortunately this becomes more a point of frustration for those without power than a source of inspiration. I have seen only one utility truck come down our street in the last six days. It makes you wonder, where are all of the workers? Duke Energy released a statement today explaining how they work from major transmission lines, to substations down to neighborhoods and finally individual connections. The process makes sense but people do hold up for long without some sign of progress in their neighborhoods. Both Duke Energy and Dayton Power & Light stopped taking calls from customers days ago. Such tactics may save the energy companies headaches but it results in people creating their own answers as to why their homes remain dark. The utility companies need to open lines of communications at a time like this, not close off.
Butler County officials are discussing a new disaster plan. Concerns were raised this week when, according the Enquirer, a county fuel depot that did not have a generator to power the pumps, a lack of redundant computer systems, and limited access to water and ice. I have no idea what the old plan looks like but even with a new plan, nothing will be gained unless the county regularly exercises the plan. Shortfalls such as the lack of generators may never get identified during the planning process but certainly will during an exercise. You can’t plan for every contingency but you can test to see how well your agencies can react. Gap analysis allows you to identify deficiencies as well as identified solutions or alternatives. I hope other communities will dust off their response plans and exercise them soon if they haven’t already.
I had previously written about the locations of fire stations in the Greater Cincinnati area. Deerfield Township and Mason are getting into a squabble about that very issue. It appears both communities were planning fire stations within a mile of each other. The issue has become so contentious the county has resorted to arbitration. Each community is rightly concerned about the ability of their firefighters to respond, however the issue illustrates the need for addressing fire service on a more regional basis. Having spent most of my life dealing with federal and state bureaucracies, I know this concept is years from happening around here. Perhaps communities need to look into requiring residential fire sprinkler systems for new construction. While not a total solution, home sprinklers certainly reduce the risk from home fires which in turn would reduce the number of runs from fire stations.
Butler County officials are discussing a new disaster plan. Concerns were raised this week when, according the Enquirer, a county fuel depot that did not have a generator to power the pumps, a lack of redundant computer systems, and limited access to water and ice. I have no idea what the old plan looks like but even with a new plan, nothing will be gained unless the county regularly exercises the plan. Shortfalls such as the lack of generators may never get identified during the planning process but certainly will during an exercise. You can’t plan for every contingency but you can test to see how well your agencies can react. Gap analysis allows you to identify deficiencies as well as identified solutions or alternatives. I hope other communities will dust off their response plans and exercise them soon if they haven’t already.
I had previously written about the locations of fire stations in the Greater Cincinnati area. Deerfield Township and Mason are getting into a squabble about that very issue. It appears both communities were planning fire stations within a mile of each other. The issue has become so contentious the county has resorted to arbitration. Each community is rightly concerned about the ability of their firefighters to respond, however the issue illustrates the need for addressing fire service on a more regional basis. Having spent most of my life dealing with federal and state bureaucracies, I know this concept is years from happening around here. Perhaps communities need to look into requiring residential fire sprinkler systems for new construction. While not a total solution, home sprinklers certainly reduce the risk from home fires which in turn would reduce the number of runs from fire stations.
Butler County
I am always looking for articles to reinforce topics covered in my courses. I had just finished a section on the tendency for local governments to save money by eliminating the emergency manager and reassigning those duties to the fire or police departments. The sheriff of Butler county had the same thoughts apparently and his suggestion of taking over the emergency management function was not embraced. Link
My comments here are not an argument for or against the performance of the county EMA director. Most of Southwestern Ohio is still struggling with getting power back to the residents. Butler county has been especially hard hit and it would premature to gauge how effectively the county EMA director and other agencies responded. There is plenty of time for that later.
My point here is only to show the need, where fiscally possible, to have a county EMA director who is separate and distinct from the fire chief and police chief. It may seem possible for a sheriff or fire chief to handle emergency management responsibilities when things are situation normal. However, once a disaster strikes law enforcement and fire/EMS will be dealing with the immediate response actions. The EMA director assumes the role of resource director, helping to identify what is needed and then coordinating with the appropriate agency to obtain the needed resources.
The sheriff is too busy during a tornado or blackout helping maintain peace. Fire and EMS are busy rescuing victims and provided urgent care. Neither of those agencies benefit by having their senior leader trying to do two jobs at once. I hope as Butler county works through their recovery operations that cooler heads will prevail. They need to maintain a separate emergency manager who is NOT also a dual-hatted fire chief of police chief.
My comments here are not an argument for or against the performance of the county EMA director. Most of Southwestern Ohio is still struggling with getting power back to the residents. Butler county has been especially hard hit and it would premature to gauge how effectively the county EMA director and other agencies responded. There is plenty of time for that later.
My point here is only to show the need, where fiscally possible, to have a county EMA director who is separate and distinct from the fire chief and police chief. It may seem possible for a sheriff or fire chief to handle emergency management responsibilities when things are situation normal. However, once a disaster strikes law enforcement and fire/EMS will be dealing with the immediate response actions. The EMA director assumes the role of resource director, helping to identify what is needed and then coordinating with the appropriate agency to obtain the needed resources.
The sheriff is too busy during a tornado or blackout helping maintain peace. Fire and EMS are busy rescuing victims and provided urgent care. Neither of those agencies benefit by having their senior leader trying to do two jobs at once. I hope as Butler county works through their recovery operations that cooler heads will prevail. They need to maintain a separate emergency manager who is NOT also a dual-hatted fire chief of police chief.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
And the darkness continues
Around 1:30 PM on Sunday we lost power at our house. It was astonishing, the sun was shining but the wind was fiercely blowing (later news reports clocked gusts at over 75 mph). The trees and debris blowing around were something you would see during a sever thunderstorm. No rain, no thunder and no tornado just the steady wind. Four hours later when the wind stopped, they entire town was without power. The electric company was swamped with calls. In the Cincinnati area, over 800,000 homes were without power. In Dayton, over 225,000 homes were without power which was further exacerbated by the fact 700 electrical contractors had been sent to Texas to help out with relief efforts for Hurricane Ike.
The situation here was something we’ve never seen before. If you live anywhere near tornados, you are used to seeing bursts of high winds associated with severe thunderstorms but the duration is relatively short. These winds lasted all day and were constant. Trees were felled throughout Southwestern Ohio. The governor declared a state of emergency with nearly 1.9 million people without power. Schools closed yesterday and today due to the power outages. Food was spoiling in refrigerators in supermarkets and cafeterias. Gas prices soared as people descended on those stations still with power looking to fill up. My daughter and I walked around out town Sunday night. It was completely black, only the occasional candle lit homes. The only ambient light was provided by the numerous vehicles out on the roads (I have to ask, where were you all going?).
The weather on Sunday was created by a unique combination of a cold front come from the Northern Plains encountering the remnants of Hurricane Ike. The one-two punch re-energized what was left of Ike to produce the strong winds. The events of the last days made appreciation how devastating a full-blown hurricane must be like. It really looks like a major outbreak of tornados ripped through Southwestern Ohio, yet except for the high winds it was a rather typical September day.
I’m typing this on my laptop, which I recharged at the office. Oil lamps are producing the only light in my living room. The refrigerator has been purged of all its contents. I don’t know when we will get power back at the house, some estimates go out to the weekend. Fortunately we have a gas stove and water heater so we still can cook and have hot water. Some communities weren’t as fortunate, the lack of power also shut down their water treatment plants.
Once the events of this week become yesterday’s news, I will be looking to having a back-up generator installed in the house to power the furnace and refrigerator. A back-up generator had been on my list of improvements but just had not gotten around to it. That will change here shortly. The other emergency supplies on hand for disasters worked just fine although batteries do run out quickly with a entire household using flashlights and battery-operated radios. Water wasn’t a problem (this time). If we had to have this happen, this was the perfect time with mild temperatures. I can’t imagine what would have happened if this occurred during the middle of winter.
The situation here was something we’ve never seen before. If you live anywhere near tornados, you are used to seeing bursts of high winds associated with severe thunderstorms but the duration is relatively short. These winds lasted all day and were constant. Trees were felled throughout Southwestern Ohio. The governor declared a state of emergency with nearly 1.9 million people without power. Schools closed yesterday and today due to the power outages. Food was spoiling in refrigerators in supermarkets and cafeterias. Gas prices soared as people descended on those stations still with power looking to fill up. My daughter and I walked around out town Sunday night. It was completely black, only the occasional candle lit homes. The only ambient light was provided by the numerous vehicles out on the roads (I have to ask, where were you all going?).
The weather on Sunday was created by a unique combination of a cold front come from the Northern Plains encountering the remnants of Hurricane Ike. The one-two punch re-energized what was left of Ike to produce the strong winds. The events of the last days made appreciation how devastating a full-blown hurricane must be like. It really looks like a major outbreak of tornados ripped through Southwestern Ohio, yet except for the high winds it was a rather typical September day.
I’m typing this on my laptop, which I recharged at the office. Oil lamps are producing the only light in my living room. The refrigerator has been purged of all its contents. I don’t know when we will get power back at the house, some estimates go out to the weekend. Fortunately we have a gas stove and water heater so we still can cook and have hot water. Some communities weren’t as fortunate, the lack of power also shut down their water treatment plants.
Once the events of this week become yesterday’s news, I will be looking to having a back-up generator installed in the house to power the furnace and refrigerator. A back-up generator had been on my list of improvements but just had not gotten around to it. That will change here shortly. The other emergency supplies on hand for disasters worked just fine although batteries do run out quickly with a entire household using flashlights and battery-operated radios. Water wasn’t a problem (this time). If we had to have this happen, this was the perfect time with mild temperatures. I can’t imagine what would have happened if this occurred during the middle of winter.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
For Families and Loved Ones
Ohio is one of the first states to allow next of kin registration. Any holder of a Ohio driver’s license, commercial driver’s license, temporary permit or Ohio identification card now has the option of identifying a person to contact in the event the individual is involved in an accident is unable to respond. Up to two individuals may be identified and for those over 18 that person can be a relative, friend or co-worker. Those under 18 have to identify either a parent or guardian. Next of kin information can be submitted either on-line or at a BMV office.
Dayton Bar Association is offering Wills For Heroes. The programs provide free wills and other estate planning documents to first responders and their spouse or domestic partner. Qualified first responders include firefighters, police officers, paramedics, corrections and probation officers from federal, state, county, city and town departments and agencies.
Dayton Bar Association is offering Wills For Heroes. The programs provide free wills and other estate planning documents to first responders and their spouse or domestic partner. Qualified first responders include firefighters, police officers, paramedics, corrections and probation officers from federal, state, county, city and town departments and agencies.
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