article thumbnail

Covid-19: Elements of a Scenario

Emergency Planning

It is now more than ten years since there was a general push to induce countries to plan for pandemics (WHO 2005). US Homeland Security Council 2005, UK Government 2008), while in others it did not. That was at a time when an influenza pandemic with devastating consequences was greatly feared.

Pandemic 130
article thumbnail

State of the Nation - a UK Perspective on Covid-19

Emergency Planning

Since the start of the crisis, I have constantly affirmed that the key to understanding the effects of this pandemic is the UK Government's failure to give adequate weight to emergency planning and management (Alexander 2020a, 2020b). The scenario for this pandemic (excluding the recovery) was fully formulated over the period 2003-2009.

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

A Proposed Strategy to Advocate for Improved Civil Protection in the United Kingdom

Emergency Planning

The lessons of the Covid-19 pandemic, alas largely negative, show that a good civilian system designed to protect the public against major hazards and threats can save thousands of lives and billions in losses and wasted expenditure. Non-seasonal influenza retains the potential to cause a pandemic on the level of that of 1918-1920.

article thumbnail

Managing Emergencies: The Challenges of the Future

Emergency Planning

But in 2008 floods stretched from Alnwick in Northumberland to Tewksbury in Somerset, nearly 500 km away. Oddly, it was sidelined during the pandemic as the Cabinet Office Minister, Michael Gove, judged it to be 'too extreme'. They lack consistent funding and have little executive authority. Was this not a disaster?

article thumbnail

Interpreting Covid-19 as a Disaster

Emergency Planning

Image: US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases In terms of its scope, Covid-19 is like no other disaster that has occurred in the last 100 years, since, in fact, the influenza pandemic of 1918-1920 killed more people than both world wars combined, and contributed to the end of the First World War. IRDR Report 2020-01.

article thumbnail

What Dave Komendat, Boeing CSO and ISC West Keynote Speaker, Says Was His Hardest Career Challenge

Security Industry Association

I’ve had the honor of being the chief security officer for Boeing since 2008, so my list of challenging events is fairly long. There were several times throughout the pandemic where I had to do a personal “gut-check” and recalibrate my thought process and outlook to prepare for the long-game.

article thumbnail

Risk Managers: Is Today’s Violence Worse than the 1960’s? Yes, and Why You Should Care (Sorry, Jim and Max)

Alternative Resiliency Services Corp

The 2008 hotel attacks in Mumbai would have been difficult if not impossible without technology. The attackers even used technology to deliver disinformation to the authorities – “hey guys, we’re going to XYZ” when they were really going to ABC. High-profile symbols of authority or opposing views?