Richard Canas, director: State Department of Homeland Security and Preparedness has the mandate to “keep the people safe” by identifying “the bad guys” and preventing incidents
By Lea Kahn, The Packet Group
Nuclear bomb explosions, health pandemics, hurricanes and cyber-terrorism are the four potential major disasters facing New Jersey, and it is up to the state Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness to deal with them.
That was the message delivered to a mixed crowd of about 100 residents and emergency service professionals and volunteers by Richard Canas, director of the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, at a special town meeting Monday night at the John T. Dempster Fire Training Center on Lawrence Station Road.
Among those present was Hopewell Township police Chief George Meyer, who said Tuesday: “Locally we are appreciative of all that the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness is doing for us.
”In the Valley and all of Mercer County our Offices of Emergency Management, as well as our first responders, are well-trained and well-prepared for all emergencies,” the chief added.
Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes, who introduced Mr. Canas, told the crowd that people want to know what government officials are doing to secure their safety.
”People want to know what we are doing, what the future holds and where we are today,” Mr. Hughes said. “Before Sept. 11, people felt safe. But on that day, our innocence was shattered. We have to prepare for emergencies large and small.”
The state Department of Homeland Security and Preparedness, created in 2006 by Gov. Jon Corzine, has the mandate to “keep the people safe” by identifying “the bad guys” and preventing incidents, Mr. Canas said.
To that end, his office works closely with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s joint terrorism task forces in New York City, Philadelphia and Newark, he said.
The state Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness also has a small investigation branch, he said. The office is expected to “know everything,” he said.
But how does one get to know everything, with 566 municipalities, Mr. Canas asked rhetorically.
The key is for the office to “de-centralize” and get to know the prosecutors, law enforcement agencies and county executives in each of the state’s 21 counties, he said.
”All emergencies are local,” Mr. Canas said. “It is imperative that we find out (information) from the bottom up. The people who know more about Perth Amboy are the people who live and work in Perth Amboy.”
Turning to the four “mega-disasters,” Mr. Canas said most people do not understand what a catastrophic emergency really is like. It means no power, no cell phones, no television and no radio.
It is important to get out information to the public on how to deal with a catastrophic event, such as a nuclear explosion, he said. The average person would try to flee in a car, rather than go underground for a few days to avoid the radiation — and that average person would be dead in five days, he added.
Mr. Canas said the state is ramping up measures to inform the public, such as setting up a special phone number — 211 — for people to call to find out about an unusual event.
Another measure is the reverse 911 system, which means officials would call residents to inform them of an emergency, he said. There also are plans to set up billboards to get the word out, he added.
Mr. Canas said the state is “one migratory bird or human (airplane) flight away” from a flu pandemic. The state purchased a little less than one million doses of Tamiflu medicine last year, in anticipation of a bird flu breakout that would spread to humans, he said, adding that more doses have been purchased.
The third “mega-disaster” is a major hurricane — something the state has not experienced in about 50 years, he said. Residents would have about a day’s warning to clear the coastal areas, but it would take three days to evacuate hospitals, he said.
A cyber-terrorism event could mean no medical or financial resources would be available, Mr. Canas said. Those things are very difficult to prepare for in advance, he added.

