Government Security News

Texas disaster illustrates climate change as a security threat,
says Dr. George Lane, CEO, Emergency Response Technology
Climate change is not only a matter
of health, environmental concern
and international obligation, President
obama told the graduating
class of the U.S. Coast guard academy.
it is one of national security.
The latest devastating weather
in texas and surrounding states
serves as an unfortunate example of
this security threat, according to Dr.
george Lane, CEo of Emergency
Response technology, a two-time
Winner in gSN’s airport, Seaport,
Border Security awards.
“The driving factor in all this
(extreme weather) is the global
warming and climate change. it’s
basically weather driven by heat being
absorbed into the ocean,” said
Lane, explaining that the ocean acts
as an engine. “That engine’s increasing
energy, so whatever weather
takes place, it is going to have more
energy.”
This ramped-up engine brings
weather, such as the extreme weather
that made the water level rise
30 feet—roughly three stories—in
10 minutes in a small town outside
Houston. “You can’t respond
to that,” Lane said. “Nor could they
(first responders). No way. Nothing
could have been done in that particular
case.”
News reports described fatal
walls of water that knocked houses
off their foundations and submerged
vehicles, then hampered
rescue workers in attempts to save
people and to locate remains.
“They’ve (first responders) got
to get a lot more boats; there’s going
to be a lot more water rescue, there’s
no doubt about that,” Lane said, “We
need to have a better response for
evacuations. They’re going to get a
lot more flooding.”
going forward, Lane prescribed
changes both in construction
methods and public perception.
Weather-resistant houses will
need to be on legs, with garages on
the first floor and living areas on the
second floor. “That’s the only construction
way to prepare,” he said.
The nation also needs to
make more use of—and take better
heed of—technologically advanced
weather forecasts that can do more
than remind people to carry umbrellas.
“The meteorologists have
supercomputers, and people don’t
really believe them. They can pull up
three days in advance when a rainstorm
would be within 20 miles,”
Lane said. “Data collected is being
massively underutilized.”
But Lane also pointed out
that the meteorologists’ knowledge
comes with a certain responsibility—not
only to safeguard people
and property but to protect the
weather industry’s reputation. Forecasters
must be critically aware of
the damage to credibility in reporting
a false positive—or negative—
event, he said. “We’ve got to be very
conservative. if you’re not right,
then no one will take you seriously.”
in the aftermath of the flooding,
southern texas will find itself
in much the same dilemma as
Boston did this spring. Fighting
back against a record snowfall that
topped 108 inches, Boston had to
invent new ways to pile its snow
while digging out; photos of at least
one persistent snow pile made news
in May. Parts of texas will have a
similar issue with flood water, Lane
predicted. “There’s so much of it, it
will probably be the end of July till
they get back to normal,” he said.
This standing water will become
stagnant water mixed with
raw sewage runoff in a wider-thanexpected
area across the warm
South—compounding the situation.
“That’s called a breeding ground for
mosquitos,” Lane said. “There might
be epidemics of various diseases carried
by mosquitos because there are
going to be millions of them all over
the South. …Emergency responders
know this; the entire state now
has to be sprayed. There’s just not
enough material available to use—
which might be like running out of
salt for deicing the Northeast.”
Weather extremes could make
these kinds of scenarios—and their
problematic recovery—more prevalent
nationwide. Lest those living
outside the southern shoreline or
the storm-studded Midwest consider
themselves immune from the ravages
of climate change,
Lane shared tales of lake
effect snow hitting him
from three different directions
on the upper
Michigan peninsula.
“Don’t think ‘They’ve got
it made because they’re
inland.’”
Lane recalled how,
only two years ago, Hurricane
Sandy battered
the East Coast, and again emphasized
the power of a vast, overheated
ocean. “The takeaway is this is
what we’re seeing when you get heat
caused by global warming absorbed.
… The temperature in the oceans is
the driving factor in weather, period,
the driving factor in a hurricane.
The more energy you have, the more
extreme the swings in weather.”
Looking ahead, Lane provided
several scenarios illustrating
how weather extremes could impact
personal safety, safety of cities and
ports, even the economy—echoing
the warning obama shared with
the graduating guardsmen. The
president predicted impacts on the
economy, as rising oceans threaten
thousands of miles of highways, railways,
energy facilities and military
installations; greater risks of natural
disaster that increase refugee migrations
and heighten conflicts over
food and water; aggravation of poverty
and political instability that can
lead to terrorists and other violent
actions.
Leaders around the
world agree that climate
change is a security concern.
Secretary of State
John Kerry reported
that climate change and
security was a prime
discussion among leaders
on his recent trip to
George Lane asia. France’s influential
Environment Minister
Segolene Royal, in advance of
a meeting about reducing global
emissions, told the associated Press,
“The climate question is also at the
heart of the security question.”
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