Journal of Critical Infrastructure Policy Volume 1, Number 2, Fall/Winter 2020 | Page 9

Editor ’ s Letter
vides a model for a mass-produced , easily deployed way to protect grid communication systems at 72,000 electric grid facilities across the U . S .
In “ Leveraging Public Private Partnerships in Maryland : A COVID-19 Case Study ,” Allegra Tartaglia and Kyle Overly present a case study of the Maryland Emergency Management Agency ’ s ( MEMA ) use of a public-private business partnership in response to the pandemic . The study traces the development and performance of the agency ’ s Maryland Business Emergency Operations Center ( MBEOC ), clarifying how MEMA and MBEOC responded during the early pandemic challenge . The study provides insights on how a state known for aggressive action on COVID-19 orchestrated its response , how and where state government and private groups interfaced , as well as lessons learned . In addition to examining the leveraging of partnerships for disaster response , the authors call for increased use of community groups in improving consequence management activities and the adoption of the business emergency operations model by other states .
Maggie Davis , Netta Squires , and Chris Webster advocate a policy shift in how the U . S . addresses food insecurity during and following a disaster . In “ COVID-19 and the Case for a National Food Emergency Stockpile ,” the authors examine the current basis of improving food security . Local , federal , and state strategies to distribute emergency food are examined in the pandemic context and shortcomings noted . The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed weaknesses in food supply chains that end with Food Assistance Providers ( FAPs ). FAPs are typically charitable organizations , such as nonprofit food banks , food pantries , sectarian , and other community-based groups that broadly serve those experiencing food insecurity . The existing Strategic National Stockpile and Strategic National Petroleum Reserve models are assessed , as are the requirements for a workable National Food Stockpile . In addition to other criteria , the importance of pre-planned , decentralized , deployable , all hazards approaches are advocated .
Brian Harte and Umesh Kumar examine power outages in the U . S . from 2000 to 2020 in “ Electric Power Grid Disruptions ; A Time Series Examination .” The 20- year dataset is maintained in a publicly available and managed Department of Energy ( DOE ) information system . Electricity providers are required to report the characteristics of power outages , causation , and other factors . The article ’ s findings are presented by outage category and geographically . Over the 2011 through mid- 2020 timeframe , the number of power outages increased compared to earlier years , and this trajectory could continue . Notably , the number of outages lasting more than one day has decreased . The authors note that the ability to conduct meaningful policy analysis in this arena requires reliable baseline data . Because of significant database and reporting limitations , they recommend that various reliability improvements occur , including a forensic capacity to examine key occurrences for database integrity . Through their assessment , the authors hope to expand awareness of the DOE database among academic researchers and policy analysts .
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