Newsroom
Bioterrorism planning study focuses on traffic and public access to points of dispensing (PODs)
IEM scientists, led by Computational Epidemiologist Dr. Sid Baccam, published a paper in the June issue of the journal Biosecurity and Bioterrorism entitled “Mass Prophylaxis Dispensing Concerns: Traffic and Public Access to PODs.” Points of Dispensing, or PODs, are used by emergency responders to quickly dispense post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to the public following a bioterrorism […]
Enrst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, US Airways Flight 1549 and 2011 Gold Cup: a Triple Celebration in the Queen City
Earlier this month I was on my way to the Queen City (Charlotte, NC) to celebrate the accomplishments of our company’s founder and CEO, Madhu Beriwal, a finalist in the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards for the Carolinas region. Another 15 of my colleagues and IEM partners were also converging on North […]
Disaster Commodity Donation to Alabama from Japan
Report from the Field: Maxwell AFB, ISB, Alabama Tornado Disaster, DR – 1971 After the recent tornado disaster in Alabama, IEM supported federal disaster logistics operations as a member of the disaster response teams stationed at Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, AL, ISB (Incident Support Base). The process during this mission involved tracking over 500, 53 foot […]
Ethanol: A Growing Market with New Firefighting Challenges
Ethanol, also known as “grain alcohol” and derived primarily from a corn fermentation process, is being embraced by federal and state governments through numerous subsidies as a viable bio-fuel. Today, ethanol joins biodiesel in a growing demand for reduced emissions nationwide, resulting in increased ethanol production, distribution and transportation. One consequence of increasing ethanol blends […]
Thoughts on the Flood Control System for the Mississippi River
In this blog post, I wanted to express some thoughts on the flood that is presently moving south along the Mississippi River. I grew up in Vicksburg, Mississippi, where some of the worst flooding has been observed, and my father was a civil engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District. I […]
The Mississippi River Flood: How bad could it get?
By now, many Americans are aware of the major flooding of the Mississippi River. The river’s water level is reaching record heights not seen since the 1920s and 30s. How bad is it? This blog post tries to answer this question for the lay reader. In short, it’s very bad. The news to date has […]
Early Thoughts on the Mississippi River Flooding of 2011
Since 1986, I have lived in southern Louisiana just 2 miles from an Atchafalaya Basin Levee and crossed the mighty Mississippi River at least twice a day. Given this, it is only natural to consider the risk of flooding where my family and I live, particularly in the springtime. We all knew from watching the […]
Chemical Company Safety and Security Mandates with Feds on All Sides
In a country with many regulatory measures, chemical companies face federal mandates from all sides. Such mandates include operational safety, increased security measures, emergency preparedness and reporting. Some of these mandates from different federal agencies are in conflict with one another. Every federal law related to hazardous materials has its own unique definition. Common terms […]
6 Vital Catastrophic Planning Considerations
Maintaining a high degree of preparedness for conducting emergency management operations has gone through many iterations of planning paradigms in the recent past. New incidents, both domestic and international, have called attention to the policies, protocols, and procedures that shape response and recovery activities. These incidents highlight the need for catastrophic planning, that is, planning […]
Radiation Exposure Explained: Putting Japan in Context
This is a very good, easy-to-understand discussion of how much radiation we are typically exposed to and what the regulatory limits are, to help put into context the radiation levels being reported in Japan and even now in the US. http://people.reed.edu/~emcmanis/radiation.html Author: Justin Krometis, Transportation Analyst