Question

You are 10 months out from the upcoming hurricane season. You are the Emergency Planner for a mid-sized town in South Florida with several critical infrastructures. Your mayor has as asked you to plan and prepare for the possibility of a direct hitting storm during the upcoming season.

Based on the “Scenario Location” below, identify three key public- private partnerships critical to the emergency planning process in Sunny City and explain the importance of each one. Explain how you would establish and maintain communications with these partnerships throughout the emergency planning process.

Scenario Location:

Sunny City is a fictional mid-sized town in Southeastern Florida. It has a rich history of agriculture, including citrus groves and cattle farms and has been growing in population over the past decade. Route 1 passes through the center of town. There are several bridges over various waterways including two large bridges over the inter-coastal waterway. A privately operated electrical power plant is located near the inter-coastal waterway. Just west of town, a small regional commuter airport was recently built which has drawn in several businesses. Trying to keep up with the growing nature of the town, new communication hubs with fiber-optics have been put in and a waste water treatment facility was built. There is talk about increasing the width of some of the main roads to handle the build-up of traffic, but in the meantime Public Works has been working overtime to keep the roads maintained and operational

Answer 1

PARTNERSHIP 1 WILL BE BETWEEN THE PUBLIC DEPARTMENT AND THE FARMERS/AGRICULTURISTS. THIS PARTNERSHIP IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE OVER THE PAST DECADE, THE POPULATION HAS BEEN GROWING THERE AND THIS PARTNERSHIP WILL MAINTAIN THE CONTACT OF PUBLIC DEPARTMENT WITH THE PEOPLE LIVING THERE. THIS WOULD HELP TO DRAW UP MITIGATION STRATEGIES IN TIMES OF EMERGENCY. GOVERNMENT CAN APPOINT SUPERVISORS THERE TO ESTABLISH COMMUNICATIONS AND PEOPLE CAN BE MADE AWARE BY VIDEOS, POSTERS ETC.

PARTNERSHIP 2 WILL BE BETWEEN THE PUBLIC WORKS (ROADS AND BRIDGES) WITH THE ELECTRIC POWER PLANT OWNER. THE POWER PLANT IS NEAR THE COASTAL WATERWAY WHICH MEANS IT IS MORE PRONE TO DISASTER. SO IT IS IMPORTANT TO MAINTAIN PARTNERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION WITH THE OWNER TO TAKE STEP TO REDUCE THE RISK TO THE POWER PLANT AND TO BRIDGES AND ROADS ALSO BY MAINTAINING THE TRAFFIC VOLUME. COMMUNICATION CAN BE ESTABLISHED THROUGH TELECOMMUNICATION MEANS OR THROUGH DIRECT INTERACTIONS.

PARTNERSHIP 3 WILL BE BETWEEN THE AIRPORT AUTHORITY AND THE BUSSINESSMEN THEREIN. THIS WILL HELP TO REDUCE THE RISK TO THE COMMUTATORS, STAFF MEMBERS AS WELL AS BUSINESSES. PROPER WASTE WATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM COULD BE SETUP AND ROADS WITHIN THE AIRPORT COULD BE WIDENED. THE VOLUME OF COMMUTATORS COULD BE CONTROLLED. COMMUNICATION CAN BE BUILD THROUGH THE FIBER OPTICS' COMMUNICATION HUBS THERE.