Critical Infrastructure Archives

Integration of Public Health Into the Whole Community

Kathleen E. Goodwin and Leana S. Wen July 20, 2016

The Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD) is the oldest, continuously operating health department in the country – founded in 1793 to respond to a local yellow fever outbreak. BCHD is committed to the idea that health is critical to a community’s ability to thrive and thus deserves to be incorporated

Recovery – Uniting Efforts in a Complex Process

Natalie N. Grant July 19, 2016

Many communities – large and small – have recovered from disasters. Some have been successful, while others struggle to return. Disasters affect hundreds of communities nationwide every year and – at some point in time – each is confronted with the hard reality of recovering from a disaster. When the

Public Health: A Whole Community Approach Partner

Thomas Russo July 13, 2016

Public health practice parallels the whole community approach advocated by 21st century emergency management practitioners. Therefore, public health’s emergency preparedness actions integrate nicely with contemporary emergency management practice. Several methodologies of public health practice lend themselves to collaboration with other planning and response disciplines. By examining these methods, public health

Today’s Decisions Drive Tomorrow’s Power Grid

J. Michael Barrett July 12, 2016

For more than a century, the U.S. electrical power grid has dramatically improved the health, safety, and economic productivity of hundreds of millions of people. Although this grid stands as an ingenious accomplishment, experts fear that, as the 21st century progresses, the grid’s ability to meet evolving U.S. energy needs

The ‘Glue’ for Incident Management

George A. Morgan July 12, 2016

“Forms, we don’t need no stinking forms to handle an all hazard emergency response in our ______ (fill in the blank: town, city, county, parish, tribal territory, region, state),” was no doubt echoed by many of the leaders of the numerous alphabet agencies attending mandatory National Incident Management System (NIMS)

Bringing Public Health Preparedness Into the 21st Century

Emily Lord July 12, 2016

The probability of certain public health threats, the costs and funding related to such threats, and the “silo” effect of the public health sector all contribute to the preparedness gap between public health and other sectors. It is time to bridge this gap and update preparedness efforts to better prepare

Balancing Risk – Understanding & Preparing for Catastrophes

Catherine L. Feinman June 22, 2016

Space weather, nuclear, and catastrophic natural disasters are just lying in wait for the right combination of conditions. Although it is not possible to plan specifically for every type of threat – imaginable and unimaginable – it is necessary to weigh the risks associated with various threats and take sufficient

Cascadia Catastrophe – Not If, But When

Arthur Glynn June 15, 2016

A 9.0-magnitude earthquake off the Washington and British Columbia coast along the 700-mile Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) – followed by a tsunami with 90-foot or more wave surges in some areas – is possible based on geological factors and historical accounts. Communities in and around the CSZ, and those with

Space Weather & Electrical Grid – GPS, the Weakest Link

Dana A. Goward June 8, 2016

Among the many important, yet weak, satellite signals that can be disrupted by space weather, the Global Positioning System (GPS) is undoubtedly the most important and the weakest. Two recent public discussions have highlighted the challenges this poses for the national electrical grid, both today and going forward.

Nuclear Proliferation in the Middle East

Jerome H. Kahan June 1, 2016

Now that the Iran nuclear deal is in effect, it is worth exploring whether this agreement will in fact: (a) constrain Iran’s efforts to build nuclear weapons and inhibit nuclear proliferation in the region; or (b) have unintended negative consequences that the United States and its negotiating partners did not

Assessing the Iran Deal

Jerome H. Kahan May 25, 2016

With the United States as de facto leader, the five members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany – the so called “5+1” club – spent over two years negotiating the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or so-called “nuclear deal,” which is expected to reduce the danger of

Border Control Challenges – A Roundtable Discussion

Robert C. Hutchinson and Catherine L. Feinman May 25, 2016

The topic of borders – ports of entry, security, and public health concerns – has become politicized, and the focus on true border security has been somewhat lost. Educating politicians and instilling practicality in the public are necessary before any effective border security policy changes can be made. A recent

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