NC Food DefenseLessons Learned From Interagency Exercises

J. Steven Cline, DDS, MPHChief, Epidemiology

NC Division of Public Health

FOOD DEFENSE

• United States and North Carolina have an agricultural economic base

• Food and agriculture are critical infrastructures

• Threats exist that could cause tremendous toll in human & animal suffering/death, as well as economically cripple the state and the nation

• National priority to harden our food chain

Agriculture in North Agriculture in North CarolinaCarolina

2nd in Turkey production2nd in Turkey production 2nd in Swine production2nd in Swine production 3rd in Poultry production3rd in Poultry production 18% of the workforce18% of the workforce Large variety of crops (not just tobacco)Large variety of crops (not just tobacco)

Agribusiness = $62 Billion Annually

North Carolina Live Animal Shipments

Swine

Goats

Sheep and Lambs

Poultry

Beef Cattle

Dairy Cattle

CanadaMexico

South America

CanadaMexico

Live animals are shipped to a total of 27 states, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada and South America!The accidental introduction of a disease such FMD would have a devastating national impact!

Puerto Rico

NORTH CAROLINANORTH CAROLINA

FOOD SECURITY PROJECTFOOD SECURITY PROJECT

Protecting North Carolina’s food supply and our economy!

NC Food Safety and Security Task NC Food Safety and Security Task ForceForce

Public-private partnershipPublic-private partnership Increased collaboration and communicationIncreased collaboration and communication Began November 2001Began November 2001 Formalized by Executive Order 52 signed Formalized by Executive Order 52 signed

Sept 2003Sept 2003 Provide oversight to NC Food Defense Provide oversight to NC Food Defense

ProjectProject Co-Chaired by Public Health & AgCo-Chaired by Public Health & Ag

Interagency Project Team Composition:

NCDA&CSNC Public HealthNC SBINC DOJNCCC&PSOther NC AgenciesNC Insurance CommissionIndustry OrganizationsFederal AgenciesOther States

Project ComponentsSeamless approach to surveillance/signal detectionThreat AssessmentVulnerability Assessment ProcessGIS DatabaseIntegrated Threat Reduction Plan to Mitigate,

Respond & Recover Industry & Government Training Conduct Exercises

NC Food Defense NC Food Defense ExercisesExercises

Silent Prairie - June 2003 Top Off 2 - May 2003 (Remote

Monitoring) Dark Pantry - June 2003 Crimson Sky, Crimson Winter, &

Crimson Guard - Sept. 2003-February 2004

Silent Farmland - Aug. and Oct. 2003 Triple Play - Oct.-Dec. 2003

Dark PantryA

North Carolina Food Security Exercise

Dark PantryExercise Objectives:To exercise NC capabilities to prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from an attack on the state’s food supply. To determine support requirements and assistance necessary from state and federal agencies

To identify shortcomings and inefficiencies in capabilities

To assess communication and coordination between Public Health, Ag, emergency response organizations, and law enforcement with industry stakeholders  

Dark Pantry

Exercise Outcomes:

Identify and Examine Key Policy issues for an effective, interagency response to a bio-terrorism event in NCExamine current response, containment and recovery plans for dealing with a bio-terrorism event in NCExamine inter-agency coordination, resource, and force multiplication capabilities required for such an eventExamine the public-private cooperation, coordination and resource requirements for such an event.

Dark Pantry

DEC 012 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 San Francisco

Los Angeles

Fairfield Greeley

Fort Morgan

AmarilloTempe

Jasper

IndianapolisNorth Platt

Fort WorthSanger

DallasPlano

Park City

Seattle-Tacoma

Cheyenne

# Sick:

# Dead:# ICU:

Ant

hrax

Bot

ulin

um

0 00 00 0

0 500 170 8

1072 178 391 66 209 28

1545 200502 88497 36

2384 268599 1031012 45

16 18 30

Multi Hazard Threat DatabaseMulti Hazard Threat Database

•Password Protected

•Secure Socket Layer Connection

Greenville, Pitt County

Lessons LearnedLessons LearnedFood Defense PerspectivesFood Defense Perspectives

Communications

Partnerships Planning Assessment

Mitigation Resources Training Legal

CommunicationsCommunications

Single most important element of success

Emergency vs. Non-Emergency Communications systems Maintain Contact Lists ICS key Situational vs. Intelligence Sharing

Example: ISAACExample: ISAAC

PartnershipsPartnerships

Redefine working together Respect Industry’s position You can’t do it all and you can’t

do anything by yourself Trust

Example: SART - CARTsExample: SART - CARTs

AssessmentAssessment

Sector Specific Assess Threats and

Vulnerabilities Involve Law Enforcement

Example: Exotic Newcastle Example: Exotic Newcastle DiseaseDisease

PlanningPlanning

Written Interagency Protocols Must be Sector Specific Don’t be surprised Recovery is the key

Example: “White Powder Example: “White Powder Protocol” Protocol”

MitigationMitigation

Bring “prevention thinking” to the table

Things Industry may not think of or has not had to deal with (e.g. mob control, rationing food, media/risk communication)

Example: Infectious Disease Example: Infectious Disease Mitigation PlanMitigation Plan

ResourcesResources

Lab capacity Workforce Development Listen to Industry needs Mechanism for securing funds

during an emergency Ongoing funding/sustainability

Example: Ag labs back-up to LRN Example: Ag labs back-up to LRN

TrainingTraining

Keep it simple Think modular Act small but think big Practice-Practice-Practice

Example: UNC Learning Example: UNC Learning Management SystemManagement System

““One Medicine Conferences”One Medicine Conferences”

LegalLegal

Law Enforcement involvement Security Clearances Liability “red herring”

Example: Forensic EpidemiologyExample: Forensic Epidemiology

Parting ShotsParting Shots

Should preparedness funding account for agriculture risk?

Shouldn’t we have a national Consumer Complaint System?

Why aren’t we adding state agriculture labs to the LRN?

How do we harden the US Postal Service?

NC Food DefenseLessons Learned From Interagency Exercises

Thank YouJ. Steven Cline, DDS, MPH

steve.cline@ncmail.net