[EAS] The GAO Report / Generating support for overall warning improvement

[Richard Rudman]

Greetings.

Everyone should read the GAO report at: < http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-375 >

The report correctly identifies that FEMA and the FCC must do much more to work with state government emergency management to:

"...establish guidance for states to fully implement and test IPAWS components and implement a strategy for regular nationwide EAS testing. In response, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) concurred with GAO's recommendations and provided examples of actions aimed at addressing the recommendations. DHS, FCC, and the Department of Commerce also provided technical comments, which have been incorporated as appropriate."

This is only one piece of the warning puzzle. The United States still lacks the overall national warning strategy called for in the Partnership for Public Warning (PPW) report written ten years ago. Bringing back and passing legislation that died in the last Congress can help with other pieces, but much more beyond this will still need to be done.

The petition that is on line at
< http://tinyurl.com/EPI-strategy > calls for Congress and the executive branch to do just that. If we get enough petition support, I am hoping that it will not only get us closer to achieving the long term overall goal, but will also support near term efforts to pass legislation that provides for, among other things, congressional oversight for warning efforts, and funding for training and education about warnings.

If you have not already done so, please read the petition, and if you agree, sign it and add any supporting comments you might have. The petition (now ten pages long with signatures and comments already submitted) is nearing its second signature goal. The comments already made on the petition site are wonderful, but we need more.

Thanks if you have already signed, and thanks if you will go to the link and consider adding your digital signature and your comments in support.

Richard Rudman
Vice Chair, CA SECC
Core Member, BWWG
Former Trustee, PPW