Lonnie Johnson Weekly Project 1 11/22/2018 Critical infrastructure alludes to infrastructure whose destruction or breach can have adverse effects on the operation of a given area. New York City’s central critical infrastructure includes infrastructure of different chemical plantations located in the area, financial institutions, dams, power grids, healthcare institutions, water and drainage systems, transport systems in the form of airlines and train centers and IT systems. The city is located in the state of New York, and it lies between Washington D.C and Boston. The terrorist threats to the town have decreased over the years. However, different areas are potential locations for terrorism. These areas include the subway, airlines and airplanes, financial institutions as well as other regions housing critical infrastructure among others. The subway is a potential location in New York City. Terrorists might choose to attack the New York subway which is used by a large population of the residents of New York. The primary motivation is the number of individuals accessing the subway on a daily basis. More so, the area is quite large and although security measures are put in place, containing a terror attack might be a challenge. More so, the city is the largest city in the U.S which makes it more susceptible to terrorist attacks. Government entities can opt to partner with the different private hospitals in the city. The government entities can also partner with the different cybersecurity firms in the town, financial institutions, media houses and the NGOs that are based in the city. The sectors mentioned above are the most influential sectors in the United States. As such, they can play a significant role when it comes to an emergency response which is an advantage of entering into a formal agreement. Hospitals can provide healthcare to the victims of disasters. The health institutions can also offer emergency services in the form of ambulances which will help secure the victims of disasters. Financial institutions are crucial as they are the most likely places to be attacked by terrorists. Thus, the partnership ensures that the private and public sectors work together to implement techniques that protect the institutions from attacks (Goetz & Shenoi, 2007). Cybersecurity firms are of grave importance to security. They protect against hacking which leads to loss of crucial information. Cybersecurity firms help government entities install protective measures concerning information technology. Media houses will assist in the dispatch of the geospatial data. Media houses warn individuals of incoming natural disasters. Journalists also report the continuity of the incidences. NGOs are critical as they help provide essential amenities for the victims of different disasters especially the natural disasters. As such, the partnership of the private and the public sector ensures a quick and efficient response in the event of the occurrence of a natural disaster as well as human-made disasters. The response minimizes the number of lives lost as it allows governmental entities to secure lives and fundamental property (Goetz & Shenoi, 2007). As mentioned above, the five sectors are quite influential in the city. As such, the segments should use their influences to educate individuals on the different ways that they can prepare for disasters. Media houses can reach out to a large population of people. Thus, the houses can do advertisements that train the members of the community on the steps that they should take in case of an emergency. The sectors can also make financial contributions which can be used in the implementation of different security measures. Cybersecurity firms can be involved in the creation of firewalls which reduce the risk of hacking. In conclusion, the protection of the critical infrastructure of a city is crucial. The partnership of the private and the public sector can be employed to ensure maximum security of the critical infrastructure. References Goetz, E., & Shenoi, S. (Eds.). (2007). Critical infrastructure protection (Vol. 253). Springer. Ramroth, W. (2007). Planning for disaster: How natural and manmade disasters shape the built environment. Kaplan Publishing. Lonnie Johnson Importance of Public-Private Partnerships 11/28/2018 To: The Mayor From: City Emergency Manager Date: November 2018 Subject: Importance of Public-Private Partnerships A terrorist attack is a tragedy that nations and people can never truly prepare for and be warned in advance. Despite its rarity in occurrence, it has catastrophic impacts and long lasting ones that affect both the nation and the people. Unfortunately, we, as a country, experienced one of the largest terrorist attacks, the 9-11 attack. The aftermath of the attacks left many people rendered jobless, injured loss of loved ones and also the disruption in the economy. People experienced difficulties recovering from the attack and continuing with their businesses. It is responsible for the government including the local government to find the best ways of preparing for future potential terrorist attacks. While contingency plans and response by governmental agencies committed to emergency management are useful more can be achieved by creating a partnership between the public sectors and the private sectors. Partnerships between the public sectors and the private sectors are so critical to helping the people, the economy and other affected systems go back to normalcy. The Homeland Security Advisory System has been helpful in provided adequate security against such threats and continues to help with preparation and response as well as recovery phases of disaster management (Wang, 2004). The agency can, however, do more and achieve more and even become more effective by joining efforts with the private sector. Creation of public-private partnerships will be beneficial for the city. These partnerships have been shown to play a central role in helping households and well as help in risk sharing. Working under the partnerships and particularly with homeland security helps the two entities quantify the risk, limit the risks and share the risks. On the other hand, there are possibilities of having realistic earnings and gains from the partnerships. Also, the recovery process is hastened which allows the people to continue with business and return to normalcy. The private sector contributes towards disaster recovery financially, and this funding contribution is used for the early response and pre-planning as well as for long-term purposes (Anita & Sandra, 2014). Private sectors help in serving smaller communities and help in supplementing the disbursement process as provided by the government. A quick into the cycle that a disaster takes, and there are different components such as preparing, pre-planning, the response phase, and the recovery phase seeing that each of these phases does not have a predetermined period it may take weeks, months even years which may be unsustainable for the government. Additionally, the private sector also helps in covering the extra resources needed especially when the disaster exceeds. Private sectors help in addressing the gaps during and after a disaster which helps in managing the risk and mitigate the fatalities. Another way that the private sector and the public sector cooperate to deal with emergency management is helping household get back on their feet after a disaster. Support such as medical, financial and other philanthropic investment is offered by both sectors for the households (Anita & Sandra, 2014). Private partnerships also encourage in consideration of three primary factors in planning, and they include adequate training, coordination with the public agencies and commissions of the top management. I hope you consider merging efforts and creating partnerships with the private sector for the good of the city. References: Anita , C., & Sandra, M.(2014). What Role Does the Private Sector Have in Supporting Disaster Recovery, and What Challenges Does It Face in Doing So? Expert insights on a timely policy issue, 1(1), 3-15. Wang, H. –M (2004). Contingency planning: emergency preparedness for terrorist attacks. Research Gate , 19(3), 21-25.
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