Worshipful Mayor Memo Regarding Building Emergency Sea

¶ … Worshipful Mayor

Memo regarding building emergency sea gate with current funds

After studying the issue, and the costs thereof, we have come to the conclusion based on the following facts:

That building a Seagate may be feasible as per the advice of the engineers. However they also opinion that such a hurricane as sandy occurs once in 25 or so years. The cost of building such a barrier would be enormous. It would result in increased taxes and the efficiency of such a measure is not guaranteed.

The second alternate is to build smaller dykes that would keep off sea erosions but would do nothing against storms like sandy.

The third alternate is to increase the existing infrastructure in such a way that flooding can be avoided. And other programs are continued in a phased manner.

With consideration to all of the above, we believe that investing in a sea gate at this juncture would be a waste of resources. On the other hand we have about 10 years before another such calamity can occur. We studied the management of drain and storm water management and propose based on these studies that Your Worship may be pleased to consider these facts:

1. That aftermath of the Sandy the new and media have covered the event and brought forth suggestions like Sea Gate must have a 6 or 7 feet high cement and steel sea walls. There were about 850 homes in the community and it is noted that some cement and steel barriers would protect the properties against waves, but not against giant storms, incoming waves, but not from the flood waters. It is submitted that any amount of barriers erected against the sea would not be enough against storms of the Sandy kind. It would be impossible to erect without break a wall about 150 feet high all over and it is possible that the storm gets over that too. Normal storms are another issue. (Shawn, 2012) However the solution of building a wall is not the solution because such steel structures that existed did not protect the homes. The only alternative against storms like sandy is seeing that residences are constructed on possible higher grounds.

2. The important system to be in place is storm water management and in this case we believe that while the corporation can retain the management of the storm water and follow a different strategy with the view point of costs. It is submitted that the involved citizens who wish the gate to be constructed be involved in protecting the property or moving to higher ground. This involves creation of private enterprise innovation with a part of the cost being shared by the corporation. Involving a strategy in the view point of the organization or board is based on the entire business that the operation is involved, and this being the core, decisions of business units or in this case the affected partners who seek to achieve their immediate goals have to be linked and be in accordance with the holistic general objective. Business wise it also has to have a business advantage in some form or another namely a competitive advantage. (Trent, 2007)

Thus the project must be planned as a comprehensive strategy that includes all stake holders. And where private participation is mandated the private sector must be given the power of enforcement to avoid bureaucracy and the costs can be spread between the agency and the city -- both by subsidies, taxes and cost cutting measures. The industries and commercial establishments must be encouraged to build and use their own par of the wall using private enterprise with the corporation can provide them with such resources and experience as can be brought in. We may also follow the similar pattern that the Los Angeles County created a Local All-Hazards Mitigation Plan with strategies for natural and man-made hazards and the plan was approved by, FEMA and the Governor's Office of Emergency Services -- OES. (L. A. County Online, 2013) Thus the infrastructures in the cities, like schools, and railroads have involved NGOs. It is not possible for the wall to be built by the corporation and hence the other two alternatives can be begun straight away while an exploration is made with private and NGO participation of the wall because there is more time.

Question 2

Memo

The priority lists for allotment of funds have been drawn up as under, and relate to the use of information for security, intelligence and second for the preparedness of the state against calamities and third generating employment and looking after citizen health.

The first priority shall be for information management as this is a crucial activity for security and commerce operations. Infrastructures today are based on the infosphere -- as a control mechanism. This in turn depends on the electric grid. Today the internet and the World Wide Web and the entire infosphere are very vulnerable especially from the point-of-view of he dependence on it for almost all transactions, and for national security. Cyber threats and terrorist interference inn the infosphere could cause calamities including causing havoc with the industrial control systems and the entire logistics of data and physical supply of goods and services. (Narasimhan; Kim, 2001)

Protecting this therefore is the first priority. Thus allotment must be made primarily for the grid, the network and information infrastructure and along with the same; there must be investment in logistics systems that could keep up essential supplies. These are the most important activities to which funds must be allotted on a priority basis. In future all the systems would automatically integrate and become dependent on the information infrastructure. Hence the stress is on its maintenance, innovation and protection. To these ends the players and stake holders must be encouraged to research the vulnerabilities and provide for long-term solutions which can be aided with resources in the power of the state. (Narasimhan; Kim, 2001)

This includes the maintenance of Voice over Internet Protocol -- VoIP services, and protection of critical infrastructure against the malicious software, the internet itself, and all the infrastructures identified by the national critical infrastructure protection program, and dispersing the resources to be controlled by the National Infrastructure Assurance Council -- NIAC and secondly adhering to and funding the Homeland Security Policy Directive 7 (HSPD-7, 2003) and using the National Infrastructure Protection Center -- NIPC. And other agencies for the purpose are warranted. (Narasimhan; Kim, 2001)

However the private agencies ought to be encouraged through the agencies mentioned above and controlled by the above agencies such that the objectives are achieved inn a cost effective manner. These factors must also be included in the old National Infrastructure Protection Plan of 2009, the National Response Framework -- NRF of 2008 and the National Incident Management System -- NIMS of 2008. To bring about a comprehensive system that entirely monitors the whole issue of the information and information infrastructure protection and timely use. (Narasimhan; Kim, 2001)