Unit 1 Flashcards
Executive Order 13228
On October 8, 2001, President Bush issued Executive Order 13228, titled “Establishing the Office of Homeland Security and the Homeland Security Council.”
Haymarket Riot of 1886
During Chicago’s Haymarket Riot of 1886, an anarchist threw a dynamite bomb at police officers, who then opened fire on protesters. Scores of officers and civilians were wounded.
Homeland security enterprise
Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano explained that a new comprehensiveness, termed the homeland security enterprise, serves as the core concept for the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review Report’s strategic framework.
Homeland Security Presidential Directives (HSPDs)
On October 29, 2001, President Bush released the first of many HSPDs, which implement policies and procedures constituting the homeland security enterprise.
Homestead Steel Strike of 1892
During the Homestead Steel Strike of 1892 on the Monongahela River near Pittsburgh, a strike by steelworkers resulted in a pitched gun battle between striking workers and hundreds of Pinkerton agents (in which the strikers prevailed). The strike was eventually suppressed following intervention by the Pennsylvania state militia.
Quadrennial Homeland Security Review Report: A Strategic Framework for a Secure Homeland (QHSR)
A document published by the Department of Homeland Security intending to consolidate the definition of homeland security by presenting the concept as encompassing a broader and more comprehensive mission than previously envisioned. The QHSR is a documentary acknowledgment that homeland security is evolving conceptually.
USA PATRIOT Act of 2001
On October 26, 2001, President George W. Bush signed the “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001,” commonly known as the USA PATRIOT Act, into law. It was an omnibus law whose stated purpose was, in part, to “deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world” by expanding the investigative and surveillance authority of law enforcement agencies.
Whiskey Rebellion
One of the early post-independence disturbances was popularly known as the Whiskey Rebellion, an anti-tax uprising in western Pennsylvania (1791–1794).
all-hazards umbrella
All-hazards preparation entails preparation for a wide range of natural and human-made disasters
CBRNE
Acronym for chemical agents, biological agents, radiological agents, nuclear weapons, and explosives.
cyclone
A hurricane in the Indian Ocean or South Pacific.
disaster
Conditions rise to the level of a disaster when emergency response institutions are unable to contain or resolve one or more critical services, such as fire management, the restoration of order, attending to medical needs, or providing shelter. Official declarations of disaster are made by the president of the United States after he receives a request from a governor.
emergency event:
An emergency event occurs when a hazard does, in fact, result in a condition of risk, necessitating intervention by emergency response institutions, such as law enforcement, medical personnel, or firefighting agencies.
emergency response operations
Coordinated interventions undertaken when emergencies occur
Enhanced Fujita–Pearson Scale
Reporting of tornado intensity is done in accordance with the Enhanced Fujita–Pearson Scale (Enhanced F-Scale) developed in 2007 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs)
Maps created, maintained, and regularly updated by the National Flood Insurance Program for “floodplain management and insurance purposes” that “generally show a community’s base flood elevations, flood zones, and floodplain boundaries.”
flood zones
National land areas differentiated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) according to their risk of flooding
hazard
A condition posing potential risks that can result in either an emergency event or a disaster
hurricane
A tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of 74 miles per hour or higher
Hurricane Andrew
In 1992, Hurricane Andrew struck the United States, causing an estimated $26 billion in damage. The federal response was widely criticized as unnecessarily slow and uncoordinated
Hurricane Katrina
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast of the United States, causing nearly 2,000 deaths and billions of dollars in destruction. The federal response was strongly criticized as unacceptably inadequate and ponderous.
Hurricane Sandy
At its peak, Sandy was a Category 3 hurricane, but its eventual merger with a frontal weather system made it an unusually large storm, eventually becoming the geographically largest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded. For this reason, Hurricane Sandy was given the popular nickname “Superstorm Sandy.”
mitigation of risk
“The effort to reduce loss of life and property by lessening the impact of disasters.”19 Mitigation mechanisms are pre-emergency initiatives that theoretically reduce the potential costs and destructiveness of disasters when they occur.
Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale
A measurement scale for earthquakes.
National Flood Insurance Program
A program initiated by FEMA that regularly disburses funds for flood-related insurance claims
natural hazards
Natural hazards and disasters are emergency incidents arising from nonhuman causes. Such incidents are the consequence of phenomena arising from natural environmental conditions. Events such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods are examples of natural hazards.
Non-Special Flood Hazard Areas
Areas that have a moderate to low risk of flooding
non-wildland fires
Fires that occur in populated areas and affect human-constructed infrastructure.
preparedness planning
The design and adoption of emergency management contingencies prior to the occurrence of an emergency situation. Preparations are made to increase the likelihood that an initial response effort and the subsequent recovery period will ultimately be efficient and successful
recovery systems
Recovery systems are implemented in the aftermath of emergency events and attempt to return affected regions to predisaster baselines. This requires, at a minimum, rebuilding damaged infrastructure and restoring affected populations to their pre-emergency norms of living. Recovery operations are often quite expensive and long term.
Richter Scale
A measurement scale for earthquakes.
Special Flood Hazard Areas
Areas that “are at high risk for flooding” and have “a 26 percent chance of suffering flood damage during the term of a 30-year mortgage.
storm surge
A wall of water pushed forward by an approaching hurricane.
tropical cyclone
A “rotating, organized system of clouds and thunderstorms that originates over tropical or subtropical waters and has a closed low-level circulation
tropical depression
A tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of up to 38 miles per hour.
tropical storm
A tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of 39 to 73 miles per hour.
tsunami
A series of massive waves created when seawater is displaced by earthquakes or other disturbances on the ocean floor.
typhoon
A hurricane in the western North Pacific
wildland fires
Fires that occur in woodland areas
Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996
The United States passed its first comprehensive counterterrorism legislation, titled the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, in 1996. The purpose of the Anti-Terrorism Act was to regulate activity that could be used to mount a terrorist attack, provide resources for counterterrorist programs, and punish terrorism
Convention to Prevent and Punish Acts of Terrorism Taking the Form of Crimes Against Persons and Related Extortion That Are of International Significance
A treaty among members of the Organization of American States that “sought to define attacks against internationally protected persons as common crimes, regardless of motives
Country Reports on Terrorism
The U.S. Department of State regularly publishes a document titled Country Reports on Terrorism, which identifies and lists state sponsors of terrorism and foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs)
Department of Homeland Security Act of 2002
President George W. Bush, in June 2002, initiated a process that completely reorganized the American homeland security community. This process led to the enactment of the Department of Homeland Security Act of 2002, which was signed into law on November 25, 2002. The new law created a large, cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security.
foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs)
Country Reports on Terrorism reports an updated list of organizations designated by the State Department as FTOs. This list is regularly revised in compliance with Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Hague Convention of 1970
This treaty required signatories to extradite “hijackers to their country of origin or to prosecute them under the judicial code of the recipient state
international conventions
Multinational agreements between partner countries that state that specified protocols and procedures will be respected among signatories. The underlying purposes of international conventions enacted during specific historical periods reflect the quality of terrorist threats existing at the time.
International Court of Justice
The principal judicial arm of the United Nations. The court hears disputes between nations and gives advisory opinions to recognized international organizations.
International Criminal Court
A court established to prosecute crimes against humanity, such as genocide. Its motivating principle is to promote human rights and justice.
