ABSTRACT
The infrastructure that is necessary for maintaining a society or conducting a war is termed critical infrastructure. Critical infrastructure evolves with a society. It is logically defined by sector, though there is considerable interaction and overlap. There are physical and cultural aspects of a society that make critical infrastructure both vulnerable and resilient. It is common knowledge among combatants, for example, that disabling certain of the opponent’s infrastructure vastly improves the possibility of victory. Likewise, hazards professionals identify infrastructures critical to community functions when planning mitigation or response efforts. Total disruption or destruction of any one or more of these critical infrastructures, though not likely, can bring the current way of life in the developed world to a halt. Partial disruptions can have serious consequences for people and their quality of life in the short and long term.
