Real Estate Information Sharing and Analysis Center

The Real Estate ISAC is a public-private partnership between the Real Estate Industry in the United States and the federal government to counter terrorism and protect buildings and the people who occupy and use them. This organization recently launched an awareness campaign to encourage building owners and managers to address homeland security issues such as emergency preparedness and response planning.

There's a slide presentation prepared by REISAC that explains why this partnership was established between the real estate industry and the Department of Homeland Security. It's being presented as a "vital weapon in the war on terrorism."

Federal officials say the threat environment for attacks against the U.S. is as dangerous as any time since 9/11. "Soft targets" such as commercial or multi-family buildings may be a focus. In this new era, everyone shares the responsibility for homeland security. Building owners and operators are doing their part by addressing emergency preparedness and response planning ... reaching out and building relationships with local law enforcement ... and reporting threats and suspicious incidents to appropriate authorities.

Today, the new Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff said government officials in general must strike the proper balance by informing people about possible threats without creating too much anxiety or alarm. This response, after a governmental website inadvertently leaked a confidential draft report that listed 15 potential scenarios, including terrorist attacks, disease outbreaks and natural disasters, and gave estimates of probable deaths and the economic impact from each one.