Dr. Tara O'Toole, MD, MPH, the Under Secretary for Science and Technology, US Department of Homeland Security will be the honored guest speaker on December 15th at the Homeland Security Executive Luncheon sponsored by the National Defense Indusrtial Association.
Dr. O'Toole is internationally known for her work on biosecurity and on health and safety issues related to the U.S. nuclear weapons complex. Her publications in the biodefense field include articles on the response to anthrax, smallpox, and plague biological attacks; containment of contagious disease epidemics; biodefense research and development strategies; and hospital preparedness.
She was confirmed on November 4, 2009 as the Under Secretary for Science and Technology at the Department of Homeland Security.
In the summer of 1926, a cataclysmic flood began when heavy rains pounded the central basin of the Mississippi River. Swollen to capacity, the Mississippi broke out of its levee system in 145 places, flooding 17 million acres, and affecting an area the size of New England. Nearly a million people were displaced.
Of course the summer of 2005 levee failures driven by Hurricane Katrina, devestating New Orlean's Ninth Ward, are much fresher in the American psyche.
The fact is, there has not been an effective method or technology to seal a breached levee.
In response, the Science and Technology Directorate of the US Department of Homeland Security in cooperation with the US Army Corps Of Engineers have been developing a promising solution. The Portable Lightweight Ubiquitous Gasket or rapid repair of levee breach PLUG is ready for a full scale test!
