An assessment for increasing community natural disaster resiliency through the airport's role before, during, and after natural hazards and disasters

Airports today are serving multiple functions including: passenger enplanement, cargo operations, and military flights. The operations of such functions are hyper-sensitive to an airport's ability to maintain a state of operational normalcy, of which is dependent on an airport's potential to not become disrupted from external forces. One example of an airport experiencing external disruptions that decrease operational function includes severe weather events. These disruptive weather events can range from fog and snowfall to tornadoes and hurricanes. Therefore, before, during, and after the time of a disruptive weather event, the airport has the potential to become operationally paralyzed. When such paralysis ensues, it could alter the role of the airport before, during and after a disaster. Despite numerous research pieces being focused on airports' in-flight operational status during normal and adverse weather conditions very little has been discussed about airports' operational role before, during, or after a severe weather event. Research needs to be focused on what the airport's role is before, during, and after a disaster and how that role can be internally and externally strengthened by adapting its operational procedures and infrastructure components from the effects of extreme weather conditions by establishing a grounded theory of airport resiliency or lack thereof.