Preparedness Tip #21 - Critical Infrastructure

Our modern interconnected society is a wondrous flow of a myriad of systems that together support the complex and amazing world we enjoy. Urban and suburban alike, are wired, wireless, powered, fuelled, fed, watered and housed through the support of a number of systems. These are called Critical Infrastructure (CI) sectors. Depending on your public agency definition, there are 10-16 distinct sectors that support our current 21st century life. Think of our lives as a dinner table with 10 legs. Each one of these legs cannot support the table on its own, but with a few lost, the table remains stable and upright. Remove enough of the legs and the table falls to the floor - societal collapse. So examining the roles of CI, our exposure to each CI and the roll they play in our lives is the foundational piece to your preparedness plan. Through examining each CI in detail, you will understand your relationship with it and the consequences should that CI no longer be available to you. That is the cornerstone of preparedness planning and the theme of this week.