One aspect of physical safety and wellbeing that isn’t always prioritized is extreme weather. Lately, national headlines have been made of tornado warnings and extreme storms posing a serious safety hazard — from winter snowstorms to spring and summer flooding.
National attention from the government
Now, the Biden Administration is issuing warnings that prioritize just how much serious storms pose national physical security risks.
Security Magazine reports President Joe Biden met with his cabinet staff and officials to detail just how important severe weather preparedness is. This also touched on the continued wildfire season and the importance of minimizing wildfire risks nationwide.
“The President and his team discussed ongoing efforts to prepare for these extreme weather events and what is being done to improve response and resilience. They also spoke about investments including funding to increase community resilience to drought, flooding and wildfires,” the magazine reports.
Focus on the local level
Just how crucial weather is when it comes to issues around safety is a major concern for governments at the local level as well.
The city of Oakland, California, released a wildfire detection pilot program, which outlined how the city’s fire department is collaborating with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate and tech company N5 Sensors.
“Understanding the year-round threat, the Oakland Fire Department is committed to seeking out any and all strategies to prevent wildfires within our jurisdiction,” Chief Dr. Reginald Freeman said in the release. “Whether it’s by ensuring we have adequate staffing, developing new regional partnerships, acquiring new equipment and apparatus, or through new piloting of new technology that may prevent the loss of properties and save lives. Early detection and suppression of fire is critical in the prevention of catastrophic wildfire.”
Security threats from the natural world
These announcements pinpoint how something that many take for granted or sometimes discount — natural weather events — pose a major physical security threat.
Floods, tornadoes, wildfires, mudslides, among other concerns, can damage personal property, put a company’s personnel at serious risk, and can affect a town or city’s infrastructure.
Climate change also means there will only be more extreme weather events, not just nationwide, but globally in the years to come. That’s why it’s important to stay on top of local and national weather alerts and have personal and company-wide storm and disaster preparedness plans.
It’s something the U.S. government has been thinking about acutely.
In the Security Magazine article, it’s revealed that the White House delved into the need for better national security investments to address weather threats. This includes strengthening the power grid and using “stronger materials like concrete poles and burying utility lines.”
In ongoing discussions of public safety and physical security, threats don’t just come from bad actors and cyber hackers. They can come from the natural world itself.
Peter Cavicchia II 