Los Angeles became the first city in the nation to approve seismic standards for new cellphone towers.

Rutgers University has created a new center for public safety and homeland security to prepare for and respond to natural disasters and terrorist threats. The center will include a one-stop online portal showcasing the collaborations among Rutgers experts across all statewide locations.

Insurer payouts for weather-related catastrophes rose from $15 billion a year between 1980 and 1989 to a staggering $70 billion annually between 2010 and 2013.

“Security is about enabling a mission. Business leaders are able to take our tools and apply them to a variety of settings to create success. Our job is to create an environment of success for the enterprise. It is not what we do, rather, it is how we enable the enterprise to achieve its goals,” shares Frank Taylor, Vice President and Chief Security Officer for The General Electric Company. It is important to note that as you read this, one of America’s (not just security’s) greatest leaders and thinkers will have retired, again.

If IT departments are any indication, disaster recovery is a major focus for businesses – almost 50 percent of respondents in the Quorum Disaster Recovery survey indicated 11 to 25 percent of their companies’ IT budget is allocated to disaster recovery this year. 

Most states don’t require four basic safety plans to protect children in schools and child care from disasters, according to aid group Save the Children.

Recent tornadoes in Oklahoma and Texas have sparked interest in storm shelters across the Midwest.

FEMA funding and donations will provide the $3.1 million needed to build a safe room for Victoria County during natural disasters. 

Infrastructure and systems to deliver health care after catastrophic events such as earthquakes and widespread disease are rudimentary at best, a report says.