The National Infrastructure Protection Plan
Key infrastructure and protection efforts nationwide are unified by the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP). Even though it facilitates resilience in case of emergencies, it also aims at coordinating government and the private sector.
The NIPP is based on the platform developed by the 1998 Presidential Decision Directive-63. The edict recognized basic aspects of the economy and mandated various government departments to incorporate them in their activities when distributing information and fortifying reaction to attack (Cooper & Block, 2007).
The key tenets of the NIPP include agriculture and food, civic health and healthcare, info technology, and telecommunications among others. The NIPP is an inventiveness to design an all-encompassing structure that incorporates infrastructure security efforts, establish protection targets and subsidiary objectives and centers resources based on risk (Cooper & Block, 2007).
Even though these strategies are workable, they recently failed when Katrina was plagued with a hurricane. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and FEMA contributed to the failed response to the devastation brought about by Katrina Hurricane. The DHS did not apply the strategy for dealing with catastrophes despite the likelihood that doing so could have saved many lives, an assertion confirmed by the DHS spokesperson Russ Knocke (Cooper & Block, 2007). The Federal government and the state of Louisiana were involved in unending negotiations regarding the nature of Federal help that would be offered in the first few days after the calamity as hundreds of victims were deserted in New Orleans and many other lost their lives in hospitals.
The Department of Homeland Security is a significant aspect of the NIPP. In the case of a calamity, the department can use a section of the National Response Plan that outlines how catastrophes can be handled. For instance, the NIPP principles in this regard stipulate that responding to calamities is the role of the state governments. The federal government steps in only if asked. Following this provision, confusion regarding the role of both governments in times of need will be avoided (Cooper & Block, 2007). Had this outline been adhered to in the case of Katrina Hurricane, many lives would have been saved.
To conclude, NIPP is a focal point in enhancing security, resilience, and response to emergency events. It helps in developing a coherent approach to disasters and effective courses of action. It is essential to adhere to its provisions.
Reference
Cooper, C., & Block, R. (2007). Disaster: Hurricane Katrina and the Failure of Homeland Security. New
York: Henry Holt and Co.
