Official website of the Department of Homeland Security
Andre Hentz, S&T Deputy Under Secretary and Robert Kolasky, Director, National Risk Management Center, DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) will be presenting at SXSW on “Building Resilient Cities,” with former Maryland Governor, Martin O’Malley and Rachel Horn from the Consumer Technology Association.
Several S&T technologies, already in place in many communities, deployed with emergency managers, first responders, and decision makers to predict storm activity, provide alerts, support timely decisions, and keep communication lines open during recent major hurricanes, including Florence and Michael.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are concerned about the potential impact of Hurricane Michael to the East Coast of the United States, where Florida and Alabama are under states of emergency. Our highest priority remains the preservation of life and safety. In consideration of these circumstances, there will be no immigration enforcement initiatives associated with evacuations or sheltering related to Michael, except in the event of a serious public safety threat.
This week, DHS S&T co-hosted an outreach event with the Congressional Smart Cities Caucus to highlight how new technology can support hurricane resilience and save lives.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is warning drone owners and operators they may face significant fines if they interfere with emergency response operations in the areas affected by Hurricane Florence. Many aircraft that are conducting life-saving missions and other critical response and recovery efforts are likely to be flying at low altitudes over areas affected by the storm. Flying a drone without authorization in or near the disaster area may unintentionally disrupt rescue operations and violate federal, state, or local laws and ordinances, even if a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is not in place. Allow first responders to save lives and property without interference.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are concerned about the potential impact of Hurricane Florence to the East Coast of the United States, where North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia are under states of emergency.
Residents along the East Coast are urged to follow the direction of local officials and monitor news, check your local government website every 30 minutes in order to get the latest updates and emergency instructions. Life-threatening conditions include significant coastal and inland flooding, storm surge, damaging winds. Local areas have already begun to issue mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders. If told to evacuate, do so immediately.
On August 23, 2018, FEMA announced that federal emergency aid has been made available to the state of Hawaii to supplement state and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions in the areas affected by Hurricane Lane beginning on August 22, 2018, and continuing.
On August 3, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen M. Nielsen traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico and St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands to discuss ongoing hurricane recovery and preparedness efforts.
/science-and-technologyHurricanes, in particular, brought great devastation to many communities last year and with the beginning of hurricane season on June 1, DHS Components as well as our state and local government partners stand ready to respond this season.
