October 2013


www.hamptonroadsmessenger.com


American Red Cross, Dominion Virginia Power Urge Households


to Prepare for Emergencies Developing an Emergency Plan is the First Step


The Hampton Roads Messenger


3


It’s A Plane, It’s A Drone: It’s All the Same to the Justice Department


BY ERIC BOEHM Drones can go places that


traditional airplanes cannot go, and see things that people flying in traditional airplanes cannot see.


But the federal


Department of Justice is using the same policies for drones and other “unmanned aerial vehicles” as it uses for traditional aircraft. The Justice Department’s Inspector General says that raises some privacy concerns because of the unique capabilities of drones.


“Unlike manned aircraft, RICHMOND--Disasters can strike


quickly and often without warning. During National Preparedness Month, the American Red Cross, Eastern Virginia Region and Dominion Virginia Power encourage all households to get ready for the next emergency or disaster.


Setting the tone, Bill Bolling,


Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, said, “I urge all Virginians to participate in National Preparedness Month by taking time to put together a household emergency plan and create an emergency kit. Start by downloading the Red Cross free mobile app that provides information on preparedness. Preparation can make a critical difference in the outcome of emergency situations. Do not delay in taking steps to better protect yourself and your loved ones.”


“Having a game plan in place is


essential for all households so everyone knows what they should do when an emergency occurs,” said Reggie Gordon, CEO of the Eastern Virginia Red Cross. “National Preparedness Month is a perfect time for Virginia residents to create or update their plan.”


Dominion Virginia Power also


urges customers to have an emergency plan and disaster kit. “It’s our business to be prepared for severe weather and respond safely and quickly when storms hit,” said Rodney Blevins, vice president of distribution operations. “Make it your business to stay prepared and keep your loved ones safe.”


MAKE A PLAN: It is important


that everyone in the household helps put the emergency plan together and knows what they should do if something occurs. Household members may not be together when a disaster happens – during the day many people are at work and school. The plan should include ways to contact one another and two predetermined places to meet – one near the home in case of a sudden emergency like a fire, and one outside the neighborhood in case circumstances prevent people from returning home. People should also identify an emergency contact person from outside the area in case local telephone lines are overloaded or out of service.


Any emergency plan should


also include decisions about where family members will go if ordered to evacuate and what route they will take to get there. It’s a good idea to include alternate routes in case roads are closed.


If pets are part of the household, make sure to include plans for them such as pet-friendly hotels and animal shelters along the evacuation route.


RED CROSS APPS: The Red


Cross has free mobile apps that provide information on what to do before, during and after emergencies including developing an emergency plan. “People can use the ‘Make a Plan’ feature in the apps to create their plan and then share it with their loved ones,” Gordon said. “The preloaded content in the apps gives people access to vital information to use during emergencies, even if they can’t connect to the internet.” The apps can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for Android by searching for American Red Cross.


Dominion Virginia Power’s


preparedness focuses on severe storms and power outages. Dominion offers extensive information online. Real-time electric outage maps and restoration information, safety tips and more are posted on Dominion’s website, www. dom.com, its online storm center at www.dom.com/storm-center/index. jsp and through www.twitter.com/ DomVAPower and www.facebook. com/dominionvirginiapower. Outages also can be reported and monitored via smartphones by logging on to dom. com.


OTHER WAYS TO GET READY:


Another step to get one’s household ready is to build an emergency kit (see Dominion’s kit preparation video) in a container that is easy to carry so the family can use it at home or take it with them if asked to evacuate. It should contain a three-day supply of water (one gallon, per person, per day), nonperishable food, a flashlight, battery-powered or hand-crank radio, extra batteries, a first aid kit, a 7-day supply of medications, a multi-purpose tool, sanitation and personal hygiene items and copies of important personal documents. The Red Cross also recommends having at least two weeks worth of emergency supplies at home.


Everyone also needs to stay


informed about what types of disasters are most likely to occur where they live or where they plan to visit. It is also important to take a First Aid and CPR/AED course—a vital component of disaster preparedness in case emergency help is delayed.


For more information on how to


prepare for emergencies, people can visit redcross.org


(drones) can be used in close proximity to a home and, with longer-lasting power systems, may be capable of flying for several hours or even days at a time, raising unique concerns about privacy and the collection of evidence,” auditors wrote in the report released this month.


The auditors recommended that


the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other law enforcement agencies inside the Justice Department develop drone-specific policies.


Four agencies within the


Department of Justice have plans to deploy drones in the United States. The FBI has already done so, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms have plans to use drones in future operations.


The Drug Enforcement


Administration and the U.S. Marshals have begun testing drones, but told auditors they have no current plans to deploy them.


In response to the audit, the


Office of the Deputy Attorney General convened a working group in August to study the privacy concerns of drone technology.


“This working group will make Start-up Challenge FROM PAGE 1


said Marc Hurlbert, executive director of the Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade Exit Disclaimer. “In addition to improving public health, we hope to spur economic growth and provide universities a platform to develop their entrepreneurship-learning portfolios.”


The challenge will begin on Oct.


1, 2013, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, with a call to universities to establish challenge teams. Teams accepted into the competition will have until January 2014 to submit a business plan for judging. Selected finalists will receive an award of $5,000 and will present a comprehensive business plan. Winning start-ups will be recognized in June 2014. It is anticipated that up to 30 successful start-ups will apply and be awarded funding from venture and other sources, which could range from $100,000 to over 1 million dollars.


“In addition to making an impact


on breast cancer health, I believe this Challenge will fundamentally change the commercialization of NIH


LOOK OUT ABOVE: The FBI is already using drones and other federal law enforcement agencies plan to follow.


a recommendation to DOJ leadership on the need for any DOJ policies or guidance specific to UAS, and will work to develop any such policies or guidance as needed,” wrote Trisha Anderson, an attorney for the Justice Department, in an official response to the audit.


Jay Stanley, senior policy analyst


for the American Civil Liberties Union, said no federal agency should be allowed to use drones without strong guidelines to protect Americans’ privacy.


“We urge the Justice Department


to make good on its plans to develop privacy rules that protect Americans from another mass surveillance technology,” he said.


Stanley said Congress should pass


legislation to require law enforcement to get judicial approval before deploying drones.


From 2004 to May 2013, the


Justice Department spent $3.7 million on drone technology, with the FBI accounting for 80 percent of the total, auditors reported.


innovation and the business model of healthcare philanthropic funding,” said George Tidmarsh, M.D., Ph.D. President, Chief Executive Officer and Secretary, La Jolla Pharmaceutical Co.


organizations


“Having worked with several that


launched


monumental efforts, it's been exciting to see this Herculean startup challenge successfully catalyzed! I look forward to the outcomes that this Challenge will create,” said Nick Donofrio, a retired IBM Executive Vice President of Innovation and Technology.


“The Business Plan and Start-up


Challenge will create a new paradigm to link venture philanthropy and translational research to ignite economic growth and advance public health,” said Rosemarie Truman, founder and CEO of The Center for Advancing Innovation. “The Avon Foundation for Women, the Technology Transfer Center of the NCI and The Center for Advancing Innovation are pioneering novel innovative models to create start-ups for promising inventions arising out of breast cancer research.”


For more information about the


Business Plan and Start-up Challenge or to field a team, visit www.breastcan- cerstartupchallenge.com.


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