| The increasingly complex system of interdependencies in critical infrastructure systems such as the transportation networks, electric generation and distribution lines, water and sewer infrastructure, telecommunications, etc. creates potential for crippling impacts on a community should any one of them fail due to hurricanes, snowstorms, flood, and other natural disasters. Greater development in geographically vulnerable areas and the rising attention given to manmade threats have communities eager to assess not only how vulnerable their infrastructure is to these perils, but what can be done to improve community resiliency. The framework described in this research combines the analytical elements of network flow-type critical interdependent infrastructure modeling with the procedural framework of a community vulnerability assessment. Research from the fields of homeland security and disaster science allude to the importance of community assets beyond the concrete pipes and power lines traditionally viewed as critical infrastructure. The objective of this research is to acknowledge the importance of services provided by fire stations, hospitals, social services, etc. as part of critical community infrastructure and provide emergency managers, utility providers, and community leaders a way to assess vulnerability of their interdependent infrastructure systems. The tool reveals areas of infrastructure where attention in terms of planning, mitigation, or financial investment is most wisely placed based on community stakeholder input, network interrelationships, and geospatial layout. |
