Critical Infrastructure Vulnerability and Protection
Order Instructions:
This case assignment examines Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) and intergovernmental approaches to safeguarding and to responses to natural disasters.
Read pp. 71-75. National Infrastructure Protection Plan (2009).
1. A category five hurricane that hit the town of Homer, Kansas knocked out power to homes and businesses. The telephone lines were also destroyed. To add to the monumental task of locating, triaging, and securing the safety of citizens, looters have been stealing cooper from the inactive power lines. Motorists no longer guided by traffic lights, have been negotiating pedestrians and massive debris in the streets; the town is in chaos.
• Explain the coordinated responses necessary to protect critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR). Which agencies would be involved to restore normalcy in the Kansas town? Note: There is no one answer.
• Read Critical Infrastructure Protection. Also look up remote sensing and GIS on Google.
2. Discuss the combination of Remote Sensing (RS) and Geospatial Information System (GIS) in the transportation infrastructure protection, and flood risks of major rivers.
Length: This Case Assignment should be at least 3 pages not counting the title page and references.
References: At least two references should be included from academic sources listed below. (e.g. peer-reviewed journal articles). Required readings are included. Quoted material should not exceed 10% of the total paper (since the focus of these assignments is critical thinking).
Organization: Subheadings should be used to organize your paper according to question.
Required References:
1) Behr, P, (2011). Many U.S. nuclear plants ill-prepared to handle simultaneous threats. Scientific American. Retrieved November 18, 2012 from: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=many-us-nuclear-plants-ill-prepared-to-handle-simultaneous-threats
2) Miller, R. (2007). Hurricane Katrina: Communications and Infrastructure Impacts. US Army War College. Retrieved November 18, 2012 from: http://www.carlisle.army.mil/DIME/documents/Hurricane%20Katrina%20Communications%20&%20Infrastructure%20Impacts.pdf
3) National infrastructure protection plan (2009). [Read 5.1 A. Coordinated National Approach to the Homeland Security Mission, pp. 71-75]. Retrieved November 18, 2012 from: http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/NIPP_Plan.pdf
4) National infrastructure protection plan Website (2013). Retrieved from:
https://www.dhs.gov/national-infrastructure-protection-plan
5) Transportation infrastructure protection (2012). The National ITS Protection. Retrieved November 18, 2012 from: http://www.iteris.com/itsarch/html/mp/mpem05.htm
SAMPLE ANSWER
Critical Infrastructure Vulnerability and Protection
QUESTION ONE
Infrastructure and the protection of key resources are some of the things that are given first priorities in disaster situations. These key infrastructure resources are very essential in the day-to-day running activities of the people, whether in a normal situation or in a disaster. In order to manage the disaster effectively, a disaster management plan should be in place. This must include clear communication and information sharing among the groups involved in restoring normalcy to the people. Lack of proper communication and coordination leads to difficult in achieving normalcy restoration. In the Kansas, the communication and transport infrastructure have been interfered with. Looting of the electric cables is very high. There is an urgent need to protect the cables and enable transport and communication back to normal operation. These are the most basic factors that lead to the growth of the economy and, therefore, should be restored as soon as possible.
The Department of Homeland Security is one of the very basic agencies that are required in the restoration of normalcy in Homer. This department is responsible for the overall coordination of the CIKR and the implementation of the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) and the integration of national preparedness initiatives. The Sector-specific Agencies is responsible for the implementation of NIPP framework and guidance as tailored to the specific characteristics and risk landscapes of each of the CIKR sectors. The debris that has interrupted the roads in the town can be addressed by this agency by removing the debris so that transportation services can be resumed. Boards, Commissions and Councils are responsible for the oversight of the business operations, policy and regulatory framework adherence by all the businesses in the world (National infrastructure protection plan, 2009).
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) and Mobile Emergency Response Support are the very basic teams that need to be coordinated in order to respond to the Kansas hurricane. These two teams are designed to respond to the situations by providing emergency communications services to the people at the Homer town. As stated in the case study communication lines have been tampered with and therefore effective communication is very difficult. These two teams can provide the communication services that are required in order to coordinate the efforts of all those teams involved in restoring normalcy in the area. For instance, the police communications system has been interfered with, therefore, they cannot be able to secure the cables form looting by the thieves. In order to coordinate the police and security efforts they need to communicate and therefore there is a need for emergency communication service provision by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) and Mobile Emergency Response Support (Miller, 2007).
QUESTION TWO
The remote sensing systems are designed to take images of the earth from the space. These images are taken from space by aircrafts or spacecraft at scales form a few kilometers to the entire globe. These images can be taken to assess the situation of the ground or the infrastructure and provide the appropriate systems to the geospatial information system centre. This information can be availed to the relevant authorities to act on. The remote sensing systems are set to continuously monitor the situation on the ground. There are designated people who control this systems and monitor for any signal that may lead to appropriate emergency respond to specific situation. The interference of the telecommunication and the transport infrastructure vandalism can be monitored by the use of these remote sensing systems from the space. One of the advantages of this system is that they allow images of different places to be taken from any point in the space. When these images have been taken then the information is transmitted digitally to the control centre. The images can also send signals indicating interference at certain points along the communication lines or the roads. This information is then sent to the appropriate authorities who can then respond accordingly in order to safe or respond to the emergency situation (Behr, 2011).
In monitoring rivers and floods, these systems can be used to provide and monitor the water levels of rivers. The systems can be set to indicate when the amount of water is at the risk of flooding. Then the signal is to the information system centre in form of an alarm so that the system attendees can recognize it as being very urgent. This information is relayed with immediate effect to the appropriate disaster responding unit who in turn responds to the emergency in the most appropriate manner.
Proper coordination and communication is very necessary in disaster management. Proper implementation and the management of the disaster management plan help the nation tackle the problems of the infrastructure and communication interference. Information collection and sharing effectively is very crucial in managing disasters before and after they occur.
References
Behr, P, (2011). Many U.S. nuclear plants ill-prepared to handle simultaneous threats. Scientific
American. Retrieved October, 07, 2014
from:http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=many-us-nuclear-plants-ill-prepared-to-handle-simultaneous-threats
Miller, R. (2007). Hurricane Katrina: Communications and Infrastructure Impacts. US Army
War College. Retrieved October 07, 2014 from: http://www.carlisle.army.mil/DIME/documents/Hurricane%20Katrina%20Communications%20&%20Infrastructure%20Impacts.pdf
National infrastructure protection plan (2009). [Read 5.1 A. Coordinated National Approach to
the Homeland Security Mission, pp.71-75]. Retrieved October 07, 2014
from: http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/NIPP_Plan.pdf
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