Every aspect of a city should be known to it's management teams. Census of it's populous should not be a surprise along with special needs of communities and neighborhoods. There is no excuse for the deaths of people most in need. Social work takes on a whole new focus including being part of a disaster planning.
What did it take to have a Homeland Security System for a city like New Orleans? It didn't take much but only cooperation. Every city in this nation has infrastructure to provide means of communication through all levels of interest of it's populous. The government is not the do all and end all of any city EXCEPT it is the one place where voters express themselves to provide community priorities. So when planning a Homeland Security Strategy who is 'at the city's disposal' and who does a city recruit to prepare a plan that works for every aspect of interest?
What makes a city charming? What makes it function? What provides a lifestyle?
Let's start with a Zoning Board.
Land use is the primary strategy to any Homeland Security issue. Given the fact that sprawling cities see land use as a financial commodity most cities and towns in the USA do not exist in a way that is conducive to security. Quite the contrary, if a planning board was worth it's salt the provisions for land use revolved around a tax base as well as a quality of life for it's citizens. In providing a tax base a city was not interested in measures of Homeland Security before 2001 and still today do not actively address land use from providing Homeland Security. Homeland Security in the 'minds' of managers is an after thought that needs to be accommodated by current priorities. Homeland Security is not included in planning as a priority.
When land use planners are looking at the city of their focus as it exists today they have to realize an important partner in any effort to secure a city has to be the Mayor and Council. Instead of this government body reacting to the needs of it's city it needs to take control of the use of it's city. In that realizing there needs to be complete cooperation between every aspect of security otherwise there is little reason to launch into that venture in the first place.
Business exists in a city because it is beneficial to people. People live in a city because it provides a life and a lifestyle that life worth living. Educational systems for children and adults, cultural events that enhance the understanding of purpose while challenging the mind to new openness and reality. Basically, infrastructure that matters while ridding a city of old, disposal, deteriorated buildings is one of the first measures to Local Homeland Security. When a police force has to patrol old dilapidated buildings for vagrants and dangers that might cause fire those are hours spent chasing land use that has no income. In other words, land use is secure where there is purpose and people attend to it regularly. If there is no purpose then there is danger and a city is wasting even police time by allowing stagnant use of it's land. I don't see romance in old buildings. That can be reminisced in the historical section of the town library.
Businesses that exist in a city need to come to terms with their purpose. They are not the reason a city exists but due to an economic strategy businesses can be partners in a dynamic of quality of life for their employees. Stockholders are important but I don't see stockholder profits as the purpose to a business. To that end what needs to be made clear to any business seeking land for it's operations no matter the size is that towns can build their own businesses, private industry is not necessary. If Detroit decided to keep car production as a necessary operation to insure the well being of it's people there is nothing preventing a city to operate it's own 'for profit' businesses to support it's populous. It's called Eminent Domain and as recently as this year a city in Connecticut did exactly that but is hoping to stimulate private industry to return an economy to it's land use.
So what does it take for a city of people to secure it? To know what compromises a city is to control the extremes of possibility of it's demise. In other words, if a chemical plant provides a strong tax base then it needs to be well managed to insure that tax base. What this country is witnessing in New Orleans is the 'allowance' of danger and neglect for the sake of profits. Where security issues exist there should be no compromise.
A chemical plant is a prime example of an extreme danger to a community. Pharmaceutical companies rank up there as well. Dust and fires caused from dust is a real danger in relations to the pharmaceutical industry. Now where does a cities Mayor and Council find the expertise to understand the circumstances before them in relation to security? They could go through a great deal of expense to hire experts to advise regarding Homeland Security and have state of the art protection. But, why go through all that when no industry in this country is so unique it needs an independent consultant. At the federal levels of this government should exist task forces to identify dangers of every possible industry regardless the size and type. A clearing house of information where a City Council could turn to understand their particular issues. I don't see that a federal authority has the right to recommend measures of security to any city as every circumstance is different by simple geography which creates different logistics.
What can be understood in a large scale plan of security is that an economy can be protected while preserving it's infrastructure while people are the number one priority of any city or state.
In the case of industry there needs to be literally a 'switch' that shuts down a plant, warehouse or shop to insure no supply of gases, electricity or potential combustion occurs during the interim time when attendance of employees who monitor systems under pressure are no longer available due to evacuation. As an example: The fires now burning in New Orleans save vandalism, could have been prevented. If there is one force of nature absolutely devastating is it fire. A company can recover from water damage, but, it cannot recover from fire.
A city should have on file for the protection of it's emergency responders every type of substance that exists that could be a danger to people. MSDS for every chemical or substance used, produced or stored in any facility including grocery stores. At any given time an emergency worker should know well ahead of time what they are facing when approaching an emergency situation. A fire call needs to include a list of hazmat materials a fire team may encounter in their response. That is achieved by having in place local laws requiring every industry, including public, to file with the town a complete listing of the substances found within it's infrastructure along with current MSDS to include quantities of the substance and it's current storage and use. Also submitted with this information is to be submitted an evacuation plan whereby a timetable of shut down occurs to insure in the absence of personnel the darn place doesn't blow up. Include din that evacuation plan is always the focus of returning and restarting. By restarting I mean the ability to throw a switch and return electrical power to a business or government building. In companies that have significant interest in explosives no matter the form they take there needs to be a method to shut down the dangerous materials within their pipelines and production lines to maintain structural integrity in the absence of personnel. In providing such safe guards a city can prevent lose of economy while protecting it's emergency workers while minimizing hours of emergency services and maintaining a healthy budget void or emergency borrowing for neglect of priorities of security.
The above measures can be applied to every structure in a city including schools and homes. Through education of the public, town meetings and involvement of the public through on line opinion polls of local issues maintaining a 'state of readiness' for emergencies; it will become every day conversation whereby a simple warning will elicited a response to allow maximal preservation of human life and that of the life of a city's economy.
Government at the local level has to make a commitment to the citizen while asserting it's rights at the county, state and federal levels to achieve a goal of Homeland Security. Emergency managers are paramount to the function of any city working with land use planning, zoning committees, zoning inspectors, building inspectors and public awareness emergency personnel, response teams are all part of a well run survival focus of any city, it's citizens and that citizen interests including it's economy. To know your town and it's components is to know your future.
The other aspect of Homeland Security has to deal with the reality of Global Warming and Climate Change. This is a reality. The storm that took place in the Gulf which brought the USA to it's infrastructure knees was accelerated by a warming of the troposphere. These storms are going to be worse over time and not less. Coastal communities are particularly vulnerable to huge wind and water events while inland towns experience issues with tornados and severe weather. The Midwest needs to have government address the issues of Climate Change to prevent droughts and severe wind and water events that damage crops and reduce yield. It is time for the USA to grow up and take responsibility for it's issues. The first step in prevention in the area of weather is to first recognize the problem and then find solutions to stop it.
The Elections from here on for every city, county, state and federal seat HAS TO focus on issues of responsibility where it effects public conscience and quality of life. I don't see elections based on whether or not abortions are allowed by a moral structure of a person seeking elections. Abortion law isn't going to provide Homeland Security nor is it going to preserve an economy that keeps a city vibrant, healthy and safe including it's air and water.
Every person running for office needs to be able to answer the questions; "What are your positions and provisions regarding Homeland Security? And What is your position and provisions regarding Global Warming?;" As of this last Storm Event in the Gulf of Mexico the two are linked and vitally important to maintaining the infrastructure and integrity of this country and it's people.
Good luck.
