Who’s in Charge:Communication and Coordination in an Agriculture or Food Emergency

June 21, 2007 Dave Filson, Penn State University

Abigail Borron, Purdue University

The Importance of Food SafetyEDEN Survey

UrgentDrinking water security 78%

Food security 64%Individual’s role 57%

Government’s role 55%Animal biosecurity 50%Personal security 48%Farm security 45%

Financial security 42%Plant/crop biosecurity 37%

EDEN: Homeland SecurityHow likely do you think it is that an agricultural, food, or water bioterrorist attack will take place somewhere in the USA?

•Likely to Very Likely – 86%

•Unlikely to Very Unlikely – 14%

EDEN: Homeland Security

How likely do you think it is that an agricultural, food, or water bioterrorist attack will take place in your county?

•Likely to very likely – 22%

•Unlikely to very unlikely – 78%

Recent U.S. Disasters: Cost Estimates

2005 Hurricane Katrina/Rita $140 B1980 Drought $104 B1988 Drought $ 92 B2001 September 11 $ 44 B1992 Hurricane Andrew $ 45 B1993 Midwest Flooding $ 31 B1989 Hurricane Hugo $ 19 B

Disaster Cost estimates are difficult to acquire and vary by source. Estimates in 2005 dollars.

Foot and Mouth Disease

Great Britain costs

$32 Billion

U.S. Estimates

$24 to $140 Billion

Emergency Issues

An emergency is a situation

where the community can

resolve the problem with . . .

their own resources.

Disaster Issues

A disaster is a situation that

overwhelms a community's

ability to respond and recover

with existing resources.

Day-to-Day Incidents

On a day-to-day basis, incidents happen --

they are investigated, solved, or

determined not to be a threat.

For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretaryFebruary 3, 2004

Homeland Security Presidential Directive/HSPD-9 Subject: Defense of United States Agriculture and FoodJanuary 30, 2004

Purpose (1) This directive establishes a national policy to defend the

agriculture and food system against terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies.

Background (2) The United States agriculture and food systems are vulnerable to

disease, pest, or poisonous agents that occur naturally, are unintentionally introduced, or are intentionally delivered by acts of terrorism. Americas agriculture and food system is an extensive, open, interconnected, diverse, and complex structure providing potential targets for terrorist attacks. We should provide the best protection possible against a successful attack on the United States agriculture and food system, which could have catastrophic health and economic effects.

Emergency Support Function

Mitigation: Plant or Animal CareMitigation Task Resource SOP Citation1. Identify potentialhazard vulnerabilities,and severity. Includepopulation densities.

CoEMA

2. Identify animalpopulations of variousspecies.

CoACCARCDNRPUCESBOAH

•Prevention

•Mitigation

•Preparedness

•Response

•Recovery

Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan:

Interagency Communications

Interagency Communications in food or agriculture

emergencies and disasters

Action starts with detection!• Public safety• Economic safety

High Suspect Plant Information Flow

Regional NPDN DiagnosticLaboratory

First Detector:County Extension

Crop Advisers

Land Grant University

Plant DiagnosticLaboratory

Local StateDepartment of

Agriculture

USDA:NAPISAPHIS

Mitigation / ActionContainment and/or

Eradication

The silo philosophy

AG HEALTH EM HS

AG HEALTH EM HS

Time

Com

mun

icat

ion

Or

Act

ion

AG HEALTH EM HS

Com

mun

icat

ion

Or

Act

ion

Time

Various Risks

Spinach and Escherichia coli O157:H7

As of 1 PM (ET) October 6, 2006, Friday, 199 persons infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 have been reported to CDC from 26 states.Among the ill persons, 102 (51%) were hospitalized.  Three deaths in confirmed cases have been associated with the outbreak.Economic costs: $308 million

Peanut Butter

As of May 22, 2007, a total of 628 persons infected with an outbreak strain of Salmonella serotype Tennessee had been reported from 47 states since August 1, 2006.  Local and state public health officials in multiple states, with assistance from CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), are continuing to investigate this outbreak caused by peanut butter, a new food source for salmonellosis in the United States. All remaining jars of Peter Pan or Great Value peanut butter with a product code beginning with 2111 should be discarded.

Successes

The food and agriculture sector has been very successful, dating back to the Meat Inspection Act of 1906.

National Animal Health Laboratory NetworkCSREES Funding Distribution

Laboratories

CORE NAHLN Laboratories

Member NAHLN laboratories

Davis

Pullman

Albuquerque

Laramie

Ft. Collins

Manhattan

Ames

College

Station

Lansing

Athens

Brookings

St. Paul

Madison

Reynoldsburg

Kissimmee

Ithaca

Logan

Harrisburg

Jackson

Raleigh

Baton

Rouge

Tucson

Frankfort

Hopkinsville

Corvallis

USDA Program ManagementUSDA Program ManagementAPHIS: Dr. Barbara MartinAPHIS: Dr. Barbara MartinCSREES: Dr. Mark RobinsonCSREES: Dr. Mark Robinson

Lincoln Trenton

PurdueGeorgetown

Western Plant Diagnostic NetworkUniversity of California, Davis

Great Plains Diagnostic Network

Kansas State University

Southern Plant Diagnostic NetworkUniversity of Florida

North Central Plant Diagnostic Network

Michigan State University

North Eastern Plant Diagnostic NetworkCornell University

National AgriculturalPest Information System

Purdue University

National Plant Diagnostic NetworkNational Plant Diagnostic Network

Alaska, Hawaiiand Pacific Territories

PR

Challenges

• Action starts with detection.• County-state-federal entities make

communication more complex.• Silos impede communication

between agencies at all levels.• Cautions to prevent “panic or

scares” impede free-flow of information.

Challenges

• Emergency managers must understand food and ag.

• Agriculture must understand emergency management.

• ICS, NIMS and NRP help• County Comprehensive

Emergency Management Plans lack substance.

Challenges

• Complexity of the system

• Individual and agency abilities

• Understanding NRP-NIMS and CEMP

Solutions

• Accept there will never be zero.• Collect and share lessons learned• Bring back real life incidents; lessons

are often lost and/or not acted upon.• Analyze accountability and resource

allocation.• Remove barriers for internal and inter-

agency communication.

Solutions

• Improve interagency communications at the lowest level.

• Provide stop-gap measures. Find and address the weak spots.

• Use existing networks. Bring all of the players together.

Solutions

Develop real-world expertise sources that merge research and field applications to develop new solutions.

“Plans are nothing;

planning is everything.”

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Thanks to:

Kavita M Berger, PhD

Senior Program Associate

and the

David Filson

Penn State Cooperative Extension Emergency Preparedness and Response Coordinator

401 Agricultural Administration BuildingUniversity Park, PA 16802

Phone: 814-863-6424 Email: DFilson@psu.edu

Abigail Borron

Purdue University EDEN Communication Specialist

Department of Ag Communications615 West State Street Rm 211

West Lafayette, IN 47907

Phone: 765-494-4390 Email: aborron@purdue.edu