DETECTION > TSA could begin searching for explosives hidden inside you

photo courtesy of HSNW

[2 mins read] 

TSA could begin searching for explosives hidden inside you 

Published 7 July 2011

Government intelligence officials are now warning airlines that terrorists could be using surgically implanted explosives to bypass security measures; there is no information regarding a specific plot or threat, but airlines could begin to implement additional screening procedures as the current body scanners cannot effectively detect bombs hidden inside an individual; last year, al Qaeda operatives in Iraq implanted two dogs with explosives, but the dogs died before they could be loaded onto a U.S.-bound plane.

According to the Los Angeles Times, U.S. officials have received new information that suggest terrorists may be seriously considering surgically implanting explosive devices to circumvent existing screening procedures.

In response, Nicholas Kimball, a spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), said airline passengers flying into the United States will likely face additional screening measures.

“These measures are designed to be unpredictable, so passengers should not expect to see the same activity at every international airport,” Kimball said. “Measures may include interaction with passengers, in addition to the use of other screening methods such as pat-downs and the use of enhanced tools and technologies.”

Current body scanners cannot detect explosive materials hidden in body cavities or below the skin, so airport screeners will rely on explosive trace detection swabs.

In 2009, in a failed suicide bomb attack aimed at assassinating Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef, the head of Saudi Arabia’s counterterrorism operations, an al Qaeda operative hid a pound of high explosives and a detonator in his rectum.  Read more

DISASTER OFFICIALS > Use Disaster Assistance Grants Wisely

WORDS OF ADVICE FROM DISASTER OFFICIALS: USE DISASTER ASSISTANCE GRANTS WISELY

courtesy runningtree.net

ATLANTA — Disaster survivors who receive state and federal assistance payments are advised by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): Be cautious, use funds wisely and only for their intended purpose. Misuse could result in loss of funds.  Full article

Historic, desperate measures to control Mississippi River

Opening the Bonnet Carre Spillway // Source: nola.com

The historic levels of water swelling the Mississippi River required the Army Corps of Engineers to take historic measures to prevent catastrophic flooding of Baton Rough and News Orleans: first, the Morganza control structure, located 186 miles upriver of New Orleans and completed in 1954 as part of the Army Corps of Engineers' broad flood-protection upgrades in the wake of the Great Flood of 1927, was opened for only the second time to allow water to flow out of the river and into the Atchafalaya basin, a designated flood relief area; the Corps says that Saturday marked the first time in history that all three floodways built by corps after 1927 flood -- the Morganza Floodway, the Bonnet Carre Spillway, and the Birds Point floodway in Missouri -- have been in operation at the same time; about 25,000 people and 11,000 structures are in harm's way, as up to 25 feet of flooding is expected in a 3,000 square-mile area of Louisiana  For full article  (2 minute read)

Emergency Alert System Expanding > Targeted cell phone emergency alerts unveiled in New York City

Great article if you haven't already seen it on TV.  NYC and DC will be test platforms soon. 

The Personal Localized Alerting Network (PLAN) is a free service offered voluntarily by wireless carriers that will allow customers with specially equipped mobile devices to receive geographically-targeted, text-like messages alerting them to imminent safety threats in their area. Cell phones have to be equipped to receive the messages that will come in three versions: Presidential Alerts, alerts involving imminent threats to safety of life; and Amber Alerts. Carriers can opt out of offering the last two, but must carry the presidential alerts, the spokeswoman said.