Current Nationwide
Threat Level
Homeland
Security
ELEVATED
Daily Open Source Infrastructure
Report for 19 June 2009
Significant Risk of Terrorist Attacks
For information, click here:
http://www.dhs.gov
Top Stories

The New York Times reports that the EPA declared a public health emergency on
Wednesday in and near Libby, Montana, where over the course of decades asbestos
contamination in a vermiculite mine has left hundreds of people dead or sickened from
lung diseases. It was the first health emergency ever declared under the Superfund law.
(See item 7)

According to the Associated Press, water supplies for 33 million people could be
endangered if millions of acres of beetle-ravaged forests in the Rocky Mountains catch fire,
a U.S. Forest Service official told a House panel on Tuesday. Severe fires, fueled by these
trees, could damage or destroy reservoirs, pipes, and other infrastructure that supply water
in the region. (See item 25)
Fast Jump Menu
PRODUCTION INDUSTRIES
● Energy
● Chemical
● Nuclear Reactors, Materials and Waste
● Critical Manufacturing
● Defense Industrial Base
● Dams Sector
SERVICE INDUSTRIES
● Banking and Finance
● Transportation
● Postal and Shipping
● Information Technology
● Communications
● Commercial Facilities
SUSTENANCE AND HEALTH
● Agriculture and Food
FEDERAL AND STATE
● Government Facilities
●
Water Sector
●
Emergency Services
●
Public Health and Healthcare
●
National Monuments and Icons
Energy Sector
Current Electricity Sector Threat Alert Levels: Physical: ELEVATED,
Cyber: ELEVATED
Scale: LOW, GUARDED, ELEVATED, HIGH, SEVERE [Source: ISAC for the Electricity Sector (ES−ISAC) −
[http://www.esisac.com]
1. June 18, Lagos Daily Independent – (International) Niger Delta – Chevron evacuates
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350 staff. Over 700 oil workers on Wednesday fled platforms in the Niger Delta in fear
of their lives, as the Joint Task Force (JTF) denied accusation by the Movement for the
Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) that troops were sent in to prosecute a
Northern agenda. Chevron alone evacuated about 350 staff and contractors in an early
morning airlift from Escravos to Ozubi in Warri and other parts of the region, following
repeated attacks on its facilities. The evacuation by Chevron was triggered by plans by
the MEND to bomb its other facilities, insurgent targets since hostilities broke out in
May between the JTF and militants over hostage taking and the killing of soldiers. The
group on Tuesday bombed, for the second time this year, the Abiteye oil pipeline
belonging to the company.
Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/200906180507.html
2. June 18, Associated Press – (North Dakota) Sinkholes appear near pipeline.
Sinkholes — some of them swallowing pine trees — have developed in the scenic
Pembina Gorge of northeastern North Dakota along the route of TransCanada Corp.’s
Keystone pipeline. Officials have found seven sinkholes in an area where crews used
horizontal drilling to bury pipe. The first was discovered in March on the pipeline right
of way along the Cavalier-Pembina county line. The sinkholes are about 40 feet deep,
and some have swallowed a handful of 20- to 30-foot pine trees. The sinkhole area is
fenced off, and crews are working to clean it up. Besides the environmental reclamation
at the Pembina Gorge, crews will spend this summer testing the welds along the
pipeline, a Keystone spokesman said. He expects the North Dakota work to be finished
next fall.
Source: http://www.bismarcktribune.com/articles/2009/06/18/news/state/187833.txt
3. June 16, Mille Lacs County Times – (Minnesota) Bomb found in Bock, possibly two
more. A bomb left behind at a gas station in Bock, Minnesota, prompted the evacuation
of residents and businesses within a three block radius Sunday, June 14. According to
Mille Lacs County sheriff, his office received a report from the TNT Gas Station that
an explosive device had been found outside and dropped off at the gas station. Deputies
responded to the location and began an evacuation of the area until the Crow Wing
County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Disposal Unit arrived and could make the device safe.
An area of approximately three city blocks was evacuated and the surrounding areas
searched by ground and air for any secondary explosive devices. In addition, traffic on
Highway 23 was re-routed for approximately three hours. On Wednesday night,
investigators found evidence of two more potential bomb devices near Bock.
Source:
http://millelacscountytimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2049
&Itemid=87
For another story, see item 25
[Return to top]
Chemical Industry Sector
4. June 17, West Virginia Gazette – (National) Rockefeller bill responds to Bayer’s
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secrecy. Chemical companies like Bayer CropScience would not be able to cite federal
anti-terrorism rules to avoid public discussions of plant safety lapses or to stifle debate
over dangerous chemicals, under a bill proposed by a U.S. Senator from West Virginia.
The Senator said he drafted the legislation to address Bayer’s efforts to use obscure
Coast Guard security rules to keep Kanawha Valley residents in the dark about methyl
isocyanate safety issues at the company’s Institute plant. “When an industrial
emergency happens in a community in West Virginia threatening the lives of residents,
workers and first responders, I absolutely believe the public has a right to receive
important information about what it means for them and their health. Period,” he said in
a prepared statement.
Source: http://wvgazette.com/News/200906170787
[Return to top]
Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste Sector
5. June 17, Associated Press – (Missouri) Former worker says AmerenUE, NRC
dropped inquiry. A former AmerenUE engineer is accusing the utility and the federal
agency that regulates nuclear power of failing to adequately investigate a 2003 incident
that led to a two-hour unplanned shutdown at the Callaway reactor in Columbia,
Missouri. A Nuclear Regulatory Commission investigation found that control room
operators delayed a move to insert control rods — equipment required to keep the
reactor shut down — since the error occurred just before a scheduled shutdown for
maintenance. The NRC called the delay “not prudent,” but noted it did not threaten
human safety. After discovering the problem four years after it occurred during a
routine review and alerting plant managers, the nuclear engineer claimed retaliation by
his supervisors, including a negative performance review and the loss of his operators’
license. The engineer was paid more than $500,000 in a confidential settlement in
exchange for his resignation in 2008 and an agreement to not pursue any future legal
claims against the St. Louis-based utility, documents obtained by the Associated Press
show. But he continues to push his discrimination claim with members of Congress,
state lawmakers, and the NRC, which ended its investigation after the settlement. While
his complaint spurred the NRC review, the engineer argues in the documents that had
he known the agency would drop its investigation, he would not have accepted the
company’s payment.
Source: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/06/17/ap6557065.html
6. June 16, United Press International – (Illinois) Tritium leak isolated at Ill. power
plant. A 24-inch aluminum pipe at an Illinois nuclear power plant has been identified
as the source of a tritium leak, officials say. Engineers for Dresden Generating Station
owner Exelon said the leak was traced to the pipe using ultrasonic testing and will be
repaired, the Joliet Herald-News reported Tuesday. Exelon told federal regulators last
week that workers found tritium-contaminated water in one monitoring well, in nearby
storm drains, and in a concrete vault. The source of the leak was subsequently traced to
a 24-inch aluminum pipe that carries tritiated water between storage tanks and plant
systems, the Herald-News said. “At no time has there been a threat to public or
employee health and safety,” the Dresden Station site vice president said in a written
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statement.
Source: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/06/16/Tritium-leak-isolated-at-Ill-powerplant/UPI-89761245167621/
[Return to top]
Critical Manufacturing Sector
7. June 17, New York Times – (Montana) U.S. cites emergency in asbestos-poisoned
town. The Environmental Protection Agency declared a public health emergency on
June 17 in and near Libby, Montana, where over the course of decades asbestos
contamination in a vermiculite mine has left hundreds of people dead or sickened from
lung diseases. It was the first health emergency ever declared under the Superfund law,
the 1980 statute that governs sites contaminated or threatened by hazardous substances.
The Libby site has been designated a Superfund priority since 2002. A spokeswoman
for the EPA said that in anticipation of the declaration, the Department of Health and
Human Services had agreed to make $6 million available to the Lincoln County Health
Clinic, which provides care to residents of the area, to finance treatment of people with
asbestos-related conditions. She said the declaration also authorized the environmental
agency to remove vermiculite, whose uses include insulating, from buildings there. The
Libby mine, originally operated by the Zonolite Company, at one time provided 80
percent of the nation’s vermiculite insulation, according to the EPA. W.R. Grace &
Company bought the mine in 1963 and, according to the agency, sold vermiculite
insulation from there until 1983. Grace closed the mine in 1990. The company and
three of its former executives were acquitted in federal court last month of charges that
they had knowingly contaminated Libby with asbestos and then conspired to cover up
the deed.
Source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/18/science/earth/18libby.html?_r=1&ref=globalhome
[Return to top]
Defense Industrial Base Sector
8. June 17, Wall Street Journal – (National) GPS satellite glitches fuel concern on next
generation. Technical problems are degrading the accuracy of signals from the last
GPS satellite launched by the Pentagon, sparking concerns among U.S. military and
aerospace industry officials that the next generation of the widely used satellites could
face similar troubles. The Air Force’s Southern California space acquisition center on
June 16 announced that a Global Positioning System satellite, manufactured by
Lockheed Martin Corp. and launched in March, is experiencing performance problems
in orbit. It has not become part of the “operational constellation” of more than two
dozen other GPS satellites, and is slated to undergo a battery of tests expected to stretch
through October to try to resolve the problems, according to an Air Force news release.
The GPS system, which serves both military and civilian users, provides precise time
and location coordinates for everything from military missile launches and “smart”
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bombs to automated bank-teller machines to aircraft, ships and everyday vehicles. The
Lockheed satellite is the first to include a new civilian frequency, dubbed L5, designed
for, among other things, use by future nationwide air-traffic control systems. But that
signal, part of a test package, apparently is interfering with other signals from the
satellite and reducing their accuracy, according to industry and Air Force officials. The
degraded signals are accurate only to about 20 feet, versus about two feet for typical
GPS signals, industry officials said. The issue is significant, according to these
officials, because it could complicate deployment of a new family of Boeing Co. GPS
satellites currently being built that also feature the L5 signal. Already years behind
schedule and hundreds of millions of dollars over budget, the 12 satellites, which are
scheduled to replace satellites currently in orbit, could face further testing and delays to
ensure that they are free of interference problems. The Boeing satellites have a history
of quality-control and manufacturing problems unrelated to the latest concerns.
Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124520702464422059.html
9. June 17, WJXT 4 Jacksonville – (Florida) Chemical scare at Northrop Grumman
plant. St. Johns County firefighters had to treat some workers at a manufacturing plant
on June 17 because of a chemical scare. Shortly after midnight, a sensor at the Northrop
Grumman plant near the St. Augustine airport went off. That triggered the plant’s fire
suppression system. The system then started spraying a chemical foam that is used to
fight fires. Some workers were exposed to the foam. Rescuers evaluated those
employees, and treated them at the scene. Nobody was taken to the hospital.
Source: http://www.news4jax.com/news/19782254/detail.html
10. June 16, U.S. House Armed Services Committee – (National) Committee improves
defense cybersecurity efforts. On June 16, the U.S. House Armed Services Committee
approved legislation to further support DOD’s efforts to defend itself and its interests
from cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities. “As the Department makes plans for
establishing a sub-unified Cyber Command under STRATCOM, I believe that we must
provide both the proper tools, and the proper oversight, to ensure it can carry out its
mission effectively and responsibly,” the House Armed Services Committee Chairman
said. “With the work done in this year’s bill, I believe this committee continues to give
DOD the tools it needs to address the increasingly sophisticated threats of cyberspace.”
H.R.2647 does the following: Directs the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the
heads of the military departments and defense agencies, to establish a process for
addressing hardware or software vulnerabilities to defense information technology
systems identified during an information assurance vulnerability assessment; Requires
DOD to establish a joint program office for cyber operations capabilities to assist in the
development of future capabilities including manpower development, tactics and
technologies for the services, defense agencies and combatant commands; Provides the
authority to allow private sector civilians to receive instruction at the Defense Cyber
Investigation Training Academy; and authorizes $5 million above the President’s
budget request to support K-12 and undergraduate Reserve Officer Training Corps
(ROTC) educational outreach programs in mathematics and computer science. This
supports long-term development of a highly educated and skilled future workforce for
cyber operations.
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Source:
http://armedservices.house.gov/apps/list/press/armedsvc_dem/cyberpr061609.shtml
[Return to top]
Banking and Finance Sector
11. June 18, Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel – (Maine) Phone scams hit area in
‘huge’ new wave. A phone scam is affecting residents of the Waterville area. An
unlisted number contacts an individual telling them that their account has been locked
to supermarket use only and they are instructed to press “1” to speak to a
representative. “There have been a huge number of telephone scams going on in the
area,” the Waterville chief of police said on June 17. “It is all over the place. It is
prolific.” New Dimensions Federal Credit Union has fielded numerous complaints, he
said. At least one complaint was filed with the Winslow Police Department on June 16,
from a resident who received the pre-recorded message at 9:45 p.m., asking for her
debit-card information. The woman contacted her bank, TD Banknorth, and was told
that others had made the same complaint that day, according to a police log. The
telephone scams, which are sometimes referred to as “phishing” calls, appear to involve
both a pre-recorded message claiming to be from a financial institution and another that
involves a live person, the Waterville chief of police said.
Source: http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/6487903.html
12. June 17, KPTV 12 Portland – (National) Text scam says Visa account closed. A
nationwide text messaging scam that aims to trick cell phone users into handing over
their bank account information has swept the country in recent weeks. Thousands of
people across the United States have received the same text message and some have
called the phone number. The victims have reported fake charges on their Visa cards
and others have had their accounts cleaned out. Because the scammers use phone
numbers for just a few days, it is difficult for investigators to track them down.
Consumer experts recommend never responding to text messages and always calling
the bank first. Experts have warned that the scammers often send the messages on a
Friday so they can use the bank account information over the weekend. The Federal
Trade Commission has taken control of some of the phone numbers used by the
scammers in hopes of getting the word out about the scam.
Source: http://www.kptv.com/news/19779428/detail.html
13. June 17, Insurance Journal – (Texas) Texas AG warns of scam targeting credit
union accounts. The Texas Attorney General has warned that Schlumberger
Employees Credit Union members should be aware of a “smishing” scam that has been
uncovered in the Houston area. Members of the Sugar Land-based credit union have
complained to the Office of the Attorney General about receiving fraudulent text
messages that claim their Schlumberger Employees Credit Union debit card has been
deactivated for security reasons. The text messages claim that cardholders must call an
800-number and provide personal information to reactivate their cards. The Attorney
General warned that personal information should never be provided in response to
unsolicited text messages, e-mails or telephone calls — even if they appear to be from a
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legitimate business. Recipients should never click on links provided in unsolicited emails or text messages. Banks do not send unsolicited electronic messages or make
unsolicited phone calls asking customers for their personal information. Customers
with questions about the validity of communication that claims to be from a financial
institution should contact the institution directly by telephone or in person.
Source: http://www.claimsjournal.com/news/southcentral/2009/06/17/101495.htm
14. June 17, Reuters – (National) FDIC’s Bair says big firms “can and will fail.” Market
participants should clearly get the message that large financial institutions “can and will
fail” under the Presidential Administration’s regulatory reform proposal, the top U.S.
bank regulator said on June 17. The chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp
said addressing the idea of “too big to fail” is “of primary importance.” “Market
participants should understand that large institutions can and will fail and that an
effective resolution mechanism will be uniformly applied to institutions in a fair,
transparent and consistent manner,” the chairman said in a statement. The U.S.
President’s sweeping plan to reform financial regulation, which was unveiled on June
17, included a proposal to make the FDIC the resolution authority responsible for
unwinding troubled financial firms. The chairman has told lawmakers that an effective
resolution regime could discourage banks from growing too large and complex because
they would no longer view government bailouts as a backstop.
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/GCABarackObama/idUSTRE55G6LD20090617
[Return to top]
Transportation Sector
15. June 18, Homeland Security Today – (National) General aviation poses little security
threat, IG says. Terrorists are not likely interested in the small aircraft found at U.S.
general aviation facilities, which generally meet recommended security guidelines
anyway, according to an investigation by the Inspector General of the Department of
Homeland Security, which concluded that general aviation airfields do not represent a
security vulnerability. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says, “We
determined that general aviation presents only limited and mostly hypothetical threats
to security,” the report read. “We also determined that the steps general aviation airport
owners and managers have taken to enhance security are positive and effective. TSA
guidelines, communication forums, and alert mechanisms, coupled with voluntary
measures taken by the owners and operators of aircraft and facilities, provide baseline
security for aircraft based at general aviation sites.” The TSA Office of Intelligence has
not found any evidence of a terrorist threat to general aviation facilities nor have there
been a history of security breaches at them, the report concluded, therefore the IG
found no need for increased regulation of the facilities. General aviation technically
refers to any flight not scheduled by a major airline from commercial airports or
military flights. General aviation flights actually comprise about 77 percent of all U.S.
flights, covering air cargo transport, medical operations, flight schools, corporate
aviation, and others.
Source: http://www.hstoday.us/content/view/9002/128/
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16. June 18, Victoria Advocate – (Texas) KCS’s revamped Marconi Line reopens in
Victoria. Kansas City Southern Railroad (KCS) opened the Victoria to Rosenberg rail
line June 17 with six to eight freight trains a day expected to use the stretch of railroad
that includes the newly revitalized tracks. The tracks also pass through Wharton, El
Campo, and Edna. “We encourage all citizens to be vigilant since these lines haven’t
been operational in many, many years. Safety is the No. 1 issue,” said the Victoria
County judge. Bypasses proposed in both Victoria and El Campo that would divert the
train traffic away from major roadways is still on the drawing board. The opening
brings rail service to the communities along the line and needed rail capacity to South
Texas to reduce highway congestion and the number of trucks on Texas highways.
Source: http://www.ble.org/pr/news/headline.asp?id=26568
17. June 18, Chisago County Press – (Minnesota) Bridge closure in Pine City halts rail
service into Chisago County, Peterson’s and Rush City Mill impacted. A railroad
bridge across the Snake River, at Pine City, has been shut down due to deterioration
and it is affecting at least two large businesses in Chisago County. Peterson’s Mill in
North Branch and Amber Milling of Rush City ship product and receive materials via
rail cars that must cross this deteriorating bridge. A third major enterprise alongside
this rail line — ZinPro in Harris — is not using rail at this time, according to its
manager. ZinPro is set-up with a “spur” to the rail if it opts to utilize railroad transport
in the future. ZinPro produces organic trace minerals that go into animal feed. St. Croix
Valley Railroad leases the route stretch from North Branch to Hinckley/Pine City from
Burlington Northern Sante Fe (BNSF). The rail line has been non-operational for about
a month, with everyone awaiting a decision on whether to repair the bridge.
Source:
http://www.chisagocountypress.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&Article
ID=10914&TM=34023.07
18. June 17, Aviation Herald – (South Carolina) Air Wisconsin CRJ2 at Charleston on
Jun 16th 2009, mechanical problem. The crew of an Air Wisconsin Canadair CRJ200 on behalf of US Airways, flight ZW-3820/US-3820 from Charleston, South
Carolina to Washington National Airport with 50 passengers and 3 crew, declared
emergency reporting mechanical problems shortly after takeoff and returned to
Charleston for a safe landing. US Airways reported, that the crew declared emergency
because of a “handling problem”. Air Wisconsin reported, that the crew returned to
Charleston as a precaution after a sensor showed “something was wrong.”
Source: http://avherald.com/h?article=41b510e7&opt=4865
19. June 17, Aviation Herald – (International) UPS B752 near Winnipeg on Jun 16th
2009, engine shut down in flight. A UPS Boeing 757-200 freighter, performing freight
flight 5X-495 from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada to Minneapolis, Minnesota with two
crew, was about 60nm southeast of Winnipeg at around 17000 feet, when the crew
observed a low oil pressure and low oil quantity indication for the right hand engine.
The engine (PW2037) was shut down. The crew declared emergency and returned to
Winnipeg, where the aircraft landed safely. The Canadian TSB reported that a post
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flight inspection revealed an oil leak at the gearbox of the right hand engine.
Source: http://avherald.com/h?article=41b51bf8&opt=4865
For another story, see item 2
[Return to top]
Postal and Shipping Sector
20. June 17, KNXV 15 Phoenix – (Arizona) 2 explosive devices found inside Phoenix
mailboxes. U.S. Postal Inspectors are investigating two explosive devices found inside
two different mailboxes in north Phoenix. A bomb detecting robot was used to
investigate the device. Investigators removed the device and the mailbox. After hearing
about the device, a nearby resident told police she had found a suspicious device in her
mailbox just a few blocks away. The resident found the device, a plastic tube wrapped
in tape, while checking her mail Tuesday afternoon. Initially, the resident said she
threw the device in the trash but contacted police after hearing about the other incident.
The postal inspector spokeswoman said investigators think the two cases are related
because the devices were similar and were found in the same area. The spokeswoman
added investigators are examining the devices hoping to collect evidence and any clues
that might help them find the person or people responsible. No one was hurt.
Source: http://www.abc15.com/content/news/phoenixmetro/north/story/2-explosivedevices-found-inside-Phoenix-mailboxes/egAlf2qjyEiHLto5dktG9w.cspx
[Return to top]
Agriculture and Food Sector
21. June 18, Associated Press – (Montana) Yellowstone bison slaughtered, fourth shot.
Four bull bison that migrated out of Yellowstone National Park were killed by Montana
State livestock agents on June 17 — the first to be killed by the government this year
under a contentious policy meant to prevent the spread of disease to livestock. Many of
Yellowstone’s bison carry brucellosis, which can cause pregnant animals to miscarry.
There have been no recorded transmissions of the disease in the wild from bison to
cattle. Three of the bison killed on Jun 16 were captured north of West Yellowstone
and sent to slaughter, said the department of livestock executive officer. The animals
were just outside an area recently designated as year-round habitat for bull bison. He
stated that livestock agents made several attempts to haze the bulls back into the park
before capturing the animals. The fourth bull was shot at the edge of a guest ranch near
the South Fork of the Madison River. He added that animal had been mingling with
livestock in recent days. But the guest ranch manager said the bison was more than a
mile from the nearest cattle herd when it was shot.
Source: http://www.cattlenetwork.com/top40_Content.asp?ContentID=323729
22. June 18, Contra Costa Times – (California) Hazmat evacuates Long Beach juice
company. Hazmat teams were inspecting a juice manufacturing company in Long
Beach, California on June 18 that was evacuated because of a reported ammonia leak
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inside the facility, authorities said. An employee working in the engineering department
of International Juice Concentrates, Inc. called the Long Beach Fire Department about
11:30 p.m. and reported a strong smell of ammonia inside the building, the Long Beach
fire captain told an On Scene Video camera crew. About half a dozen employees were
evacuated from the business as Hazmat crews — roughly 45 members of the fire
department — prepared to enter the building about 12:30 a.m., the captain said. There
were no immediate injuries reported. Firefighters evacuated some nearby commercial
buildings after the leak was reported, On Scene reported.
Source: http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_12618315
23. June 16, KSLA 12 Shreveport – (Texas) Longview Haz-Mat called to suspicious
package leak. A Haz-Mat team from Longview, Texas responded to an anhydrous
ammonia leak in front of a grocery store June 13. Longview Police say they found the
substance leaking from a tank inside a black duffle bag lying on the ground in the
Brookshire’s grocery store parking lot. Haz-Mat crews removed the tank and took it to
a safe location and destroyed it. Police are still investigating where the bag came from.
Anhydrous ammonia is frequently misused for methamphetamine production and can
be hazardous if it is inhaled or comes in contact with skin. No one was injured during
this leak investigation.
Source: http://www.ksla.com/Global/story.asp?S=10545481&nav=menu50_2
[Return to top]
Water Sector
24. June 17, South Carolina Now – (South Carolina) Blown fuse sends 90,000 gallons of
sewage into Jeffries Creek. A faulty pump at a Florence pumping station sent about
90,000 gallons of sewage into Jeffries Creek on June 16. At about 7:30 a.m. the city’s
utility department was notified that the Middle Swamp pump station on Pamplico
Highway had an alarm condition and was overflowing. An operator responded
immediately and determined the problem was a result of a “blown” fuse in the pump
control panel. The fuse was replaced and the pumps were restored to operational status
by about 8:30 a.m. The overflow stopped by about 8:35 a.m. It is estimated that 90,000
gallons of sewage were discharged from the pump station and flowed overland to
Middle Swamp, which drains into Jeffries Creek. City crews have cleaned visible solids
at the overflow site and used lime to disinfect the affected area. Water samples have
been taken from Middle Swamp and are being analyzed, to document that there was no
threat to public health or the environment.
Source:
http://www.scnow.com/scp/news/local/pee_dee/article/blown_fuse_sends_90000_gallo
ns_of_sewage_into_jeffries_creek/58306/
25. June 16, Associated Press – (National) Water supplies at risk from fires in dead
forests. Water supplies for 33 million people could be endangered if millions of acres
of beetle-ravaged forests in the Rocky Mountains catch fire, a U.S. Forest Service
official said on June 16. The chief forester for the Rocky Mountain region told a House
panel that the headwaters of the Colorado River, an important water source for
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residents of 13 States, are in the middle of 2.5 million acres of dead or dying forests in
Colorado and southern Wyoming. Severe fires, fueled by these trees, could damage or
destroy reservoirs, pipes and other infrastructure that supply water to millions of people
in the Rocky Mountain region. Wildfires can “literally bake the soil,” leaving behind a
water-repellent surface that sheds rain and leads to severe erosion and debris, he said.
The loss of so many trees also will reduce shade in the region, which in turn could
reduce water supplies in the hot, dry summer months and accelerate snowmelt in the
spring, he said. A Forest Service analysis indicates people in San Diego, Los Angeles,
Phoenix, and Tucson, Arizona who get their tap water from the Colorado River get one
quart of every gallon from National Forests in the Rocky Mountain region. The current
outbreak — which has killed nearly 8 million acres of trees — is the biggest in
recorded history, a research entomologist with the Forest Service told the committee.
Another concern is the 13,000 miles of electricity transmission lines that run through
the forests. There is a possibility that multiple fires at the same time could cause
widespread regional power outages, the special projects manager for the Western Area
Power Administration told the committee.
Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/1099113.html
[Return to top]
Public Health and Healthcare Sector
26. June 18, Associated Press – (North Carolina) NC hospital: 33 babies feared exposed
to swine flu. More than 30 infants born prematurely at a North Carolina hospital are
being given precautionary swine flu treatments after officials said Wednesday a
respiratory therapist may have exposed them to the virus. Moses Cone Health System
officials said none of the 33 babies at the neonatal intensive care unit at the Women’s
Hospital of Greensboro has symptoms of the disease. The hospital’s medical director
said the infants are still being quarantined from other babies and are being treated with
Tamiflu as a precaution. He said the babies were treated this week by a respiratory
therapist who five days earlier had treated an adult patient for possible asthma. The
male patient later tested positive for the H1N1 virus. The therapist had worked a 12hour shift in the babies’ unit Monday when health officials contacted her the next day
about her exposure to the patient. She said she had been sick over the weekend but felt
fine when she came to work.
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1573329.html
27. June 18, Washington Post – (Maryland) Fort Detrick inventory uncovers 9,200 more
pathogens. An inventory of potentially deadly pathogens at Fort Detrick’s infectious
disease laboratory in Frederick, Maryland, found more than 9,000 vials that had not
been accounted for, Army officials said June 17, raising concerns that officials would
not know whether dangerous toxins were missing. After four months of searching about
335 freezers and refrigerators at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious
Diseases in Frederick, investigators found 9,220 samples that had not been included in
a database of about 66,000 items listed as of February, said the institute’s deputy
commander. The deputy commander likened the inventory to cleaning out the attic and
said he knew of no plans for an investigation into how the vials had been left out of the
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database. “The vast majority of these samples were working stock that were
accumulated over decades,” he said, left there by scientists who had retired or left the
institute.
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/story/2009/06/17/ST2009061703604.html
28. June 17, Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy – (International) CDC
rejects report of mutant H1N1 strain in Brazil. The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) and other experts have rejected a report that a new strain of the novel
H1N1 influenza virus has been identified in a Brazilian patient. Scientists at Adolfo
Lutz Bacteriological Institute in Sao Paolo said they found the new strain in a local
patient who has recovered, according to a Medical News Today (MNT) report, which
was based on information from the institute and Agence France-Presse. The story said
the scientists found “a number of discrete alterations in nucleotide and amino acid
sequences” in the isolate’s hemagglutinin (HA) gene. They also analyzed the matrixprotein (MP) gene and found no changes. But a CDC spokesman in Atlanta discounted
the report that the isolate is a new strain.
Source:
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/swineflu/news/jun1709flustrain.ht
ml
29. June 16, Philadelphia Business Journal – (Pennsylvania) Norian, Synthes, executives
charged with conducting medical trials without FDA authorization. The U.S.
Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia filed charges Tuesday against Norian Corp., its parent
company Synthes Inc., and four Synthes executives, charging them with conducting
clinical trials of a medical device without authorization from the Food and Drug
Administration. The product at the center of the case is a fast-setting, injectable, cement
material, Norian XR, used as a bone void filler in surgery to repair certain fractures.
The indictment charges Norian of Cupertino, California, with a total of 52 felony
counts, including conspiracy to impair and impede the lawful functions of the FDA and
to commit crimes against the United States; seven counts of making false statements in
connection with an FDA inspection; and 44 counts of shipping adulterated and
misbranded Norian XR in interstate commerce with intent to defraud.
Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/stories/2009/06/15/daily18.html
30. June 16, New Haven Independent – (Connecticut) First floor evacuated after hazmat
spill. Seven people went to the hospital Tuesday morning after a hydrogen peroxide
spill that led to the evacuation of the first floor of a Yale School of Nursing building in
New Haven, Connecticut. Custodians tried to disperse the fumes from the spill with
fans — which instead sent the noxious odor throughout the building. That led to the
evacuation and the transport of six staffers and a dialysis patient to the hospital for
treatment of irritated throats, abdominal pain, and nausea.
Source: http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2009/06/building_evacua.php
[Return to top]
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Government Facilities Sector
31. June 17, WJXT 4 Jacksonville – (Florida) Bomb squad evacuates health department.
The Jacksonville, Florida, Sheriff’s Office’s bomb squad evacuated the two buildings
of the Duval County Health Department late Wednesday morning and temporarily
closed several roads in the area after the discovery of two suspicious packages. A
representative for the health department told Channel 4 that officials decided to contact
the sheriff’s office after the packages were found outside the buildings at about 10:30
a.m. When police arrived, the lab building was completely evacuated and the center for
women and children was evacuated with the exception of 33 people. Police said the
packages’ contents were harmless. The evacuation orders were lifted before 1 p.m. The
center for women and children was expected to reopen by 2 p.m.
Source: http://www.news4jax.com/news/19778161/detail.html
32. June 17, Associated Press – (Washington) Hanford sees progress on nuke treatment
plant. Workers at the nation’s most contaminated nuclear site are approaching a key
turning point in building a massive waste treatment plant there, more than two years
after the federal government shut down the project over seismic concerns. The
vitrification plant at south-central Washington’s Hanford nuclear reservation is among
the largest industrial construction projects nationally, both in cost and sheer size. In
recent years, the project has been mired in technical problems, delays and escalating
costs, even as state and federal officials underscored its importance for ridding Hanford
of radioactive waste. But workers expect to have completed 50 percent of the project by
early fall, and just two of a long list of technical problems remain to be resolved.
Neither means the end is in sight, but recent progress can not be overlooked, said the
tank waste treatment manager for the Washington Department of Ecology, which
regulates the federal government’s cleanup efforts.
Source:
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_hanford_waste_plant.html?source=mypi
For more stories, see items 8 and 10
[Return to top]
Emergency Services Sector
33. June 18, Associated Press – (New Mexico) Technology failure misrouted hiker’s 911
calls. A lost hiker who was killed in a helicopter crash after her rescue last week called
911 repeatedly, but was initially routed to non-emergency lines lacking the technology
to help locate her, authorities said. The woman dialed 911 after getting lost in the
Sangre de Cristo mountains when she and her boyfriend became separated. She and a
state police sergeant were killed when the helicopter sent to rescue her crashed in
stormy weather the night of June 9. The Santa Fe County sheriff said Wednesday such
misrouted calls have not occurred in more than a year, after the installation of
technology that uses cell phone tower signals to narrow a person’s location to within a
2-square-mile area — called triangulation.
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Source:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5haFEffcVhiRsUfsmQjJR0r62h
SegD98T3R8G0
34. June 17, Homeland Security Newswire – (National) DHS announces $1.8 billion in
federal preparedness grants. States and cities at risk of natural disasters and terrorism
will receive nearly $1.8 billion in federal preparedness grants to protect, prevent,
respond, and recover from potential calamities this fiscal year, according to DHS.
“These grants provide direct support for regional preparedness, urban security, and
medical response efforts in communities across the country,” said the DHS Secretary.
The majority of that money — $1.7 billion — will go to the Homeland Security Grant
Program (HSGP).
Source: http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/single.php?id=8161
35. June 17, Raleigh News Observer – (North Carolina) Eastern NC practices for a
hurricane today. Emergency management officials from the state and 33 counties in
Eastern North Carolina held a drill Wednesday to rehearse their response to a hurricane
striking the state. Staff from the NC Emergency Management Eastern Branch and
county emergency management directors will hold the one-day hurricane exercise at
the state’s emergency management office in Kinston. Employees from the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, American Red Cross, State Highway Patrol, U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast
Guard, N.C. Department of Transportation and the National Weather Service offices in
Raleigh, Wilmington and Newport also will participate in the exercise, according to the
state emergency management department.
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1572071.html
[Return to top]
Information Technology
36. June 18, Spamfighter.com – (International) BKIS – Deep Freeze application fails to
detect new Chinese worm. Security researchers at Bach Khoa International Security
(BKIS) have warned computer users about a new worm called W32.SafeSys.Worm that
has an ability to bypass security applications such as Deep Freeze. The worm was first
detected in early March 2009, and since then, around 174 new variants of this Chinese
born virus have been discovered on the Internet. Faronics has developed Deep Freeze
application to facilitate administrators to restore their systems after being used by
unauthorized parties. Cybercafes, school computer labs and libraries are increasingly
using this application to protect their systems from hackers’ attacks. Deep Freeze prime
function is to monitor changes in sectors (like data storage area) within hard disk
partitions and save changes in another area (like buffer). When a normal program
retrieves anyone of these sectors, it collects data from the buffer sector instead of the
original sectors. As the system initiates the rebooting process, temporary data saved in
the buffer gets deleted and the system is restored to its previous state. Hence, online
shops often believe that their systems are safe from virus attacks as they have installed
Deep Freeze application. However, W32.SafeSys.Worm utilizes a new technique in
which it directly writes on sectors of hard disk by requesting for direct link with the
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disk controller. Interestingly, the worm does not leave any scope for its identification
by frozen system programs such as Deep Freeze while writing on hard disk. It has been
found that online shops solely depends on the abovementioned software and do not
have other protections installed fall to W32.SafeSys.Worm. As per the figures given by
BKIS, nearly 45,000 computers across Vietnam have been discovered with this virus.
Source: http://www.spamfighter.com/News-12578-BKIS-%E2%80%93-Deep-FreezeApplication-Fails-to-Detect-New-Chinese-Worm.htm
37. June 18, ComputerWeekly – (International) Hackers to release Apple iPhone OS 3.0
software jailbreak. The Dev Team’s MuscleNerd has released a video demonstration
of Ultrasnow, an updated version of the hacker group’s Yellosnow iPhone software
jailbreak released on January 1, 2009. Apple has since patched the iPhone’s
vulnerability exploited by Yellosnow to allow iPhone users to connect to the mobile
phone carrier of their choice. Ultrasnow capitalizes on another weakness in newer
Apple iPhones discovered by an Israel-based hacker just six weeks after Apple gave a
preview of iPhone OS 3.0. MuscleNerd claims Ultrasnow will work on any iPhone 3G
running 3.0, but does not mention Apple’s new iPhone 3GS, also due for release on
June 19. But in a blog posting, the Dev Team said they will not be releasing any
updates on their progress with iPhone 3G S.
Source: http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2009/06/18/236493/video-hackersto-release-apple-iphone-os-3.0-software.htm
38. June 17, CNET News – (International) ‘Golden Cash’ botnet-leasing network
uncovered. Researchers at security firm Finjan said on June 17 that they have
uncovered an underground botnet-leasing network where cyber criminals can pay $5 to
$100 to install malware on 1,000 PCs for things like stealing data and sending spam.
The Golden Cash network, dubbed “Your money-making machine” on its home page,
sells access to botnets comprised of thousands of compromised PCs to cyber criminals
for custom malware spreading jobs, according to issue 2 of the Cybercrime Intelligence
Report for 2009. It works like this: a cyber criminal creates a botnet by hiding
malicious code in a legitimate Web site that is used to turn Web surfing PCs into
zombies. The code, typically an iFrame, points the PCs to a separate Web site where
they are then infected with a Trojan backdoor that reports back to the Golden Cash
command and control server. In order to increase the number of botnets, the Golden
Cash server installs an FTP (file transfer protocol) grabber on new zombies to steal
credentials used by the computers to run Web sites, giving the server control over
additional legitimate Web sites. Approximately 100,000 domains, including corporate
domains from around the world, were identified among the stolen FTP credentials
under Golden Cash’s control, according to the report. Customers pay for the ability to
install different types of malware on the Golden Cash bots, which are recycled for new
jobs and new customers afterward. Prices are higher for compromised PCs in western
countries, the report said. “This advanced trading platform marks a new milestone in
the cybercrime evolution,” Finjan said in a statement.
Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10266977-83.html
Internet Alert Dashboard
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To report cyber infrastructure incidents or to request information, please contact US−CERT at soc@us−cert.gov or visit their
Website: http://www.us-cert.gov.
Information on IT information sharing and analysis can be found at the IT ISAC (Information Sharing and Analysis Center)
Website: https://www.it-isac.org/.
[Return to top]
Communications Sector
Nothing to report
[Return to top]
Commercial Facilities Sector
39. June 17, Bismarck Tribune – (North Dakota) Roof collapses at Midway. Up to 50
people safely evacuated the Midway Lanes Bowling Alley in Mandan, North Dakota,
after a 30-foot-by-40-foot section of roof collapsed onto four of the building’s
businesses on June 15. An estimated 6 inches of rain from a cloudburst is blamed for
the mishap. The owner said the roof caved in sometime after 8:30 p.m. The pressure
and excess demand on rain gutters proved too much stress on the building’s cover. He
estimates damage at $1.5 million to $2 million. He said the building is insured.
Damaged were the bowling alley, Midway Liquor, Nodak Insurance and a trophy shop.
Twenty lanes at the bowling alley may have to be replaced. Repairs also are needed in a
bathroom and the lounge area. Carpeting also may need to be replaced. All patrons and
staff inside exited safely.
Source: http://www.bismarcktribune.com/articles/2009/06/17/news/local/187717.txt
40. June 17, Business Gazette – (Maryland) Fire officials still searching for cause of
Chestnut Lodge fire. County fire officials say they are making progress in determining
how the fire that destroyed historic Chestnut Lodge in Rockville, Maryland, began last
week. A spokesman for the county’s Fire and Rescue Service said investigators are
following up on some “pretty good leads” they obtained on June 12 in downtown
Rockville when firefighters and officials canvassed the area. They spoke with dozens of
residents and handed out hundreds of fliers asking for information about the incident.
“We’re very encouraged by some of the information they got,” he said. Authorities
have said they are looking for a group of three to four teenagers or young adults who
were seen or heard near the building in the early morning hours preceding the blaze
June 7. Fire officials have stopped short of calling the incident arson, but said they
know the fire was caused by a person or persons. When authorities arrived at the scene
around 3 a.m., the six-story building was fully engulfed in flames. The building should
be down by the end of next week at the latest.
Source: http://www.gazette.net/stories/06172009/businew173943_32536.shtml
[Return to top]
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National Monuments & Icons Sector
41. June 18, USAgNet – (New York) EAB found in New York State. The New York State
agriculture commissioner and the department of environmental conservation
commissioner on June 17 announced the discovery of an Emerald Ash Borer (EAB)
infestation (EAB) in Randolph, Cattaraugus County. This is the first time it has been
detected in New York. New York has more than 900 million ash trees, representing
about 7 percent of all trees in the State, and all are at risk should this pest become
established. The department of environmental conservation commissioner said, “This is
yet another wake-up call for all New Yorkers that invasive species pose a grave threat
to the health of our natural resources and ecosystems, and ultimately, our economy.
Tough but practical measures, such as quarantines, firewood regulations, public
education and other regulatory actions will continue to be needed if we are to limit the
damage from EAB and other invasives.” The commissioner of the State Office of
Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) said, “If not contained, this pest
may cause significant ecological and economic harm. Working with our partners,
OPRHP will do all we can to protect Southern Tier forests, and in particular, Allegany
State Park. We strongly encourage park patrons to join us. Please do not bring firewood
to our state parks. Buy it locally and burn all that you buy.”
Source: http://usagnet.com/story-national.php?Id=1312&yr=2009
42. June 17, Orange County Register – (California) Someone set 7 fires in Trabuco area;
pot farm found nearby. A series of fires that were spotted in the forest on June 16
have been contained, but officials said someone is trying to intentionally ignite a large
wild fire in the Trabuco Canyon area. While fire crews responded to June 16 afternoon
fires, a marijuana-growing operation was also found in the forest, though park officials
do not believe at the moment that the illegal farm is connected to a series of fires that
have been sparked in the forest recently. In the past four weeks, four fires have been
spotted in the Trabuco Canyon area — including seven fires that were ignited a short
distance from each other on June 16, said a spokesman for the Cleveland National
Forest. The seven fires, which are being counted as one incident, have burned less than
an acre of an area near the marijuana farm, the spokesman said. Evidence seems to
point out that they were intentionally set by the same person or persons. Investigators
are at the scene of the fire on June 17, looking for clues as to who started the fire and
how the fire was started, he said. Law enforcement officials within the U.S. Forest
Service have also been called to the scene to investigate the marijuana plants, the
spokesman added. It is unknown exactly how large the marijuana farm is. In the past
four weeks, the U.S. Forest Service has responded to four fires in the forest — all near
the Trabuco Canyon area, he said. The last one was reported June 13 in the Holy Jim
area.
Source: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/fire-base-buildings-2466185-brush-mora
43. June 16, Nogales International – (Arizona) Camouflaged gunmen fire on trio. The
Arizona Game and Fish Department is reviewing procedures on work near the Mexico
border after three government employees were fired on east of Arivaca Lake last week.
Two Game and Fish employees and an employee with Pima County Natural Resources,
- 17 -
Parks and Recreation were fired at on June 17 by a group of men while scouting for a
land access project. The incident happened about eight miles east of Interstate 19 just
south of Tumacacori, and about 15 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. None of the
agency employees was injured. According to Game and Fish, the three were riding allterrain vehicles through a small canyon area about four miles east of Arivaca Lake
when they came across at least four males dressed in camouflage. The supervisor for
Game and Fish’s southern Arizona region said two of the men in camouflage fled a
short distance up a hill and dropped down in the grass after the groups met, while the
agency employees backed out of the area. About 30 to 40 law enforcement personnel
and three helicopters were on site within 45 minutes, the supervisor added. The men
were not found, but officials recovered several fresh 9mm casings. He said the
department is reviewing its operating procedures in borderland areas.
Source:
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/articles/2009/06/16/news/doc4a37f8fd2c2141781
69893.txt
For another story, see item 25
[Return to top]
Dams Sector
44. June 17, WLUK 11 Greenbay – (Wisconsin) Fox River dams urgently need repair. A
number of dams on the Fox River are due for some repairs. The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers responsible for nine dams on the Fox River says all need help; five need
urgent repair and four are deemed marginally safe. Some dams on the Fox River were
built nearly 80 years ago, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been keeping a
close eye on them. Recently, the corps started using a new system to help rate the risk
of dams, and gives each dam a safety score. “It’s a rating of one to five, five being the
lowest, one being the highest,” said the chief of the Fox River office for the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers. The Little Chute dam is one of five dams in the area that has
received a level two rating from the Army Corps of Engineers, and that means repairing
it is a priority. The reason these dams got that rating of two was because of cracking on
the concrete piers that connect the dam gates and they had concern with that cracking,
he said. If the cracks cause a piece of concrete to break, the gate it supports would lose
its ability to open and close. The corps says it has been monitoring the cracks since the
1970s. “They’re not progressing rapidly,” he said. “We do feel it is a maintenance issue
that needs to be repaired but there’s no imminent threat of failure of the dams.” Though
the cracks have not changed much in the last 30-some years and there is no threat of the
dams breaking, the corps says now is the time to do the repairs. Stimulus money should
cover a fair amount of the repairs.
Source:
http://www.fox11online.com/dpp/news/local_fox_river_dams_urgently_need_repair_2
0090617_rev1
[Return to top]
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DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report Contact Information
About the reports − The DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report is a daily [Monday through
Friday] summary of open−source published information concerning significant critical infrastructure
issues. The DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report is archived for ten days on the Department of
Homeland Security Website: http://www.dhs.gov/iaipdailyreport
Contact Information
Content and Suggestions:
Send mail to NICCReports@dhs.gov or contact the DHS Daily
Report Team at (202) 312-3421
Subscribe to the Distribution List:
Visit the DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report and follow
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Contact DHS
To report physical infrastructure incidents or to request information, please contact the National Infrastructure
Coordinating Center at nicc@dhs.gov or (202) 282−9201.
To report cyber infrastructure incidents or to request information, please contact US−CERT at soc@us−cert.gov
or visit their Web page at www.us-cert.gov.
Department of Homeland Security Disclaimer
The DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report is a non−commercial publication intended to educate and
inform personnel engaged in infrastructure protection. Further reproduction or redistribution is subject to original
copyright restrictions. DHS provides no warranty of ownership of the copyright, or accuracy with respect to the
original source material.
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