About This Blog
Our cities are becoming more and more complex with increasing urbanization, intensifying services and overlapping of critical infrastructure elements.
We build more, but maintain less. Our infrastructure is getting older and older. Bridges falling, roads crumbling and electricity failing are not uncommon stories in North America. While governments do fund projects and programs aimed at 'shoring up' the infrastructure, there is a decided gap in what is given versus what is needed.
Our weather is becoming more erratic and will become more severe as the effects of climate change increase. Torrential rain, high gusting wind, increased drought and extended 'heat day' periods are going to become more prevalent in the coming decades. In fact, they may become 'the norm'.
Increasingly, these elements are combining to highlight huge vulnerabilities in our societal system. Our cities have worked well in the past, under ideal conditions and while funds are readily available. And now, as Borat would say, "not so much".
This blog is intended to be a forum for discussing resiliency. Specifically the need to increase resiliency in municipal regions to counter the impacts described above.
As an Emergency Manager, it is my job to increase preparedness and response to emergencies. It is also my job to effect whatever mitigative measures I can do reduce impacts. I believe this means looking at critical infrastructure service provision, aging infrastructure and adaptation to climate change.
Perhaps I have taken a broader view of these responsibilities than others. Perhaps I should just worry about chemical spills, pandemic influenza and terrorist attacks (which I do). But I also believe that the severity of impacts is directly related to the societal conditions we have put in place. Examination of these could quite possibly lead to a significant reduction in impacts and a corresponding increase in response capability.
We build more, but maintain less. Our infrastructure is getting older and older. Bridges falling, roads crumbling and electricity failing are not uncommon stories in North America. While governments do fund projects and programs aimed at 'shoring up' the infrastructure, there is a decided gap in what is given versus what is needed.
Our weather is becoming more erratic and will become more severe as the effects of climate change increase. Torrential rain, high gusting wind, increased drought and extended 'heat day' periods are going to become more prevalent in the coming decades. In fact, they may become 'the norm'.
Increasingly, these elements are combining to highlight huge vulnerabilities in our societal system. Our cities have worked well in the past, under ideal conditions and while funds are readily available. And now, as Borat would say, "not so much".
This blog is intended to be a forum for discussing resiliency. Specifically the need to increase resiliency in municipal regions to counter the impacts described above.
As an Emergency Manager, it is my job to increase preparedness and response to emergencies. It is also my job to effect whatever mitigative measures I can do reduce impacts. I believe this means looking at critical infrastructure service provision, aging infrastructure and adaptation to climate change.
Perhaps I have taken a broader view of these responsibilities than others. Perhaps I should just worry about chemical spills, pandemic influenza and terrorist attacks (which I do). But I also believe that the severity of impacts is directly related to the societal conditions we have put in place. Examination of these could quite possibly lead to a significant reduction in impacts and a corresponding increase in response capability.
Subscribe to this blog's feed