organization is derived from the preparedness cycle developed by the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and utilized by the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other disaster response / emergency preparedness organizations. A primary advantage of using this proven model is that it provides a consistently implemented and commonly understood approach to disaster preparedness. The preparedness cycle is a continuously renewing series

Norfolk Virginia is a medium sized city, and like many other local communities, has had to adapt to the new reality that the events of September 11, 2001 have forced the nation to accept. In the wake of the attacks a federal Commission was charged with exploring the causes, events, and lessons to be learned from the tragedy. This commission recommended a dual path approach to keeping the nation safe:

The fact that industrial control systems may be vulnerable to infiltration by other citizens, or international parties puts laws pertaining to intersection of systems transmission at the forefront of priorities for us all. At present, telecommunications interference of private citizens holds an up to a five-year prison sentence by U.S. federal law. How cyberterrorism is addressed, when the stakes are heightened, leaves a whole host of opportunities for citizens, and

Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy Tropical cyclones can badly destroy settlements and structures along the coast. Recent destructive tropical cyclones such as the 2005 Katrina and the Sandy which happened in 2012 affirm that the destruction caused by a land-falling tropical cyclone is not merely dependent on its categorization on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale. The hurricane Sandy of 2012 caused a lot of destruction. Only the hurricane Katrina which happened in

S. history such as Hurricane Andrew and the Northridge earthquake. Post-9/11 infrastructure protection investments have focused on increasing the security of infrastructure, not in increasing its resilience." (p. 258) Certainly, these breakdowns are an indication that many of the interagency strategies brought to bear in the discussion on public administration had not been executed effectively, especially those intended to coalesce under the roof of the Department of Homeland Security. A quick

To a greater degree than at any point in history, individuals and small groups, from nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) on the one hand to criminal networks and terrorist organizations on the other, have the ability to engage the world with far-reaching effects, including those that are disruptive and destructive (Quadrennial Homeland Security Review Report: A Strategic Framework for a Secure Homeland, 2010). When considering all the forces that threaten the United