GEMA/HS joins effort to promote infrastructure security

ATLANTA — November is Infrastructure Security Month across the nation, and Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS) has committed to participate in this effort of focusing on the importance of our nation’s critical infrastructure.

“Our agency shares in the responsibility of keeping our critical infrastructure and communities secure and resilient,” GEMA/HS Director Chris Stallings said in a news report. “That’s why we are taking this opportunity to bring awareness to this effort.”

This year’s theme is “Infrastructure Security is National Security: Together We Can Drive Down Risk, Build Resilience.” Critical infrastructure runs the gamut from health care, water and education to chemical, transportation, energy systems, and much more, and is interdependent with all essential services and critical functions that keep our country and our economy running. Therefore, keeping the nation’s critical infrastructure secure is important to national security.

National security and economic prosperity are increasingly dependent on critical infrastructure, which is at risk of a variety of hazards, including natural, man-made and cyber. Therefore, security and resilience require a clear understanding of the risks, along with a whole-of-community effort that involves partnerships between public, private and nonprofit sectors. All play a role in keeping critical infrastructure strong, secure and resilient.

GEMA/HS facilitates the protection of life and property against manmade incidents by directing the state’s efforts in the areas of prevention, preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery. A combination of programs is implemented and managed by the Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources Unit to achieve these goals. For more information, visit the GEMA/HS CIKR website.