Project EDMG

Running Head: PART D 1

PART D 4

Review of the Community A’s Key Resources & Critical Infrastructure

Iliana Martinez

Senior Seminar in Emergency & Disaster Management

American Military University

May 3, 2022

A thorough needs assessment of a particular community assists one in identifying key resources and critical infrastructures of the development context in question. In the context of grant application processes, it is important that all stakeholders are apprised of the exact nature and number of organizational resources available to the applicant, as this allows the project designers to more effectively and strategically formulate project strategies and modalities.

IT infrastructure: According to the Global Tampa Bay (Infrastructure | Global Tampa Bay, 2022), the Tampa region houses over digital switching centers as well as an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN). Tampa Bay also has access to a fiber-optic network for both private and commercial purposes, as well as an impressive number of certified LAN installers. These measures ensure the community’s access to quality internet access – therefore, ensuring that a highly digitized economy and society is able to effectively meet its needs for IT-based services.

Port Infrastructure: Tampa is home to the largest port facility in the state of Florida. Covering an area of 5,000 acres, the Port is an infrastructure in the Tampa Bay trade route connecting America to Latin America. Moreover, by connecting the Port to the railroad network (CSX network), the Port is able to connect the region to other parts of the country. This infrastructure composed of docks, terminals, and road routes plays an essential role in transporting essential trade supplies in general and transporting emergency supplies during, say, a natural disaster.

Transport infrastructure: Thanks to a well-developed road/rail infrastructure, the Tampa region is connected with individuals and companies across the country through interstate transport (road) routes such as the I-4 and I-275, as well as the CSX-established railroad tracks which connect the Tampa region in Florida to the main U.S rail system. This extensive road and rail infrastructure allows the region’s economy to have access to a transport system that allows goods, products, and services to be distributed across the country. 

Energy Infrastructure: Providers of electric energy help ensure that the energy needs of local communities and industries are adequately met. Within the Tampa region, Tampa Electric has been taking the lead in supplying electricity to the local population – with a capacity of 4400 megawatts at present. Other electric and gas produces such as the Clean-water Gas System =, Withlacoochee River Eclectic Cooperative, Duke Energy, and TECO People gas have collectively contributed to a steady supply of energy-based utilities and amenities to the local resident of the TAMPA region. 

Stormwater Infrastructure: On account of its susceptibility to hydrometeorological disasters (such as storms), it is important to identify the level or type of infrastructure available for the management of stormwater. According to the Tampa Government’s official (Infrastructure Summary Data, 2022), the region has 34 miles of box culverts, 188 miles of ditches, 26,857 inlets/manholes, 905 major outfalls, 525 miles of gravity pipes, and 43 stormceptor baffle boxes. This overall storm-related infrastructure plays a key role in building the region’s climate resilience.

A review like this is particularly necessary and desirable in the context of those regions, communities, or economies that have the least amount of access to resources and critical infrastructure facilities at their disposal.

References

Infrastructure | Global Tampa Bay. (2022). Retrieved 1 May 2022, from https://www.globaltampabay.com/invest-in-tampa-bay/iv-infrastructure.php

Infrastructure Summary Data. (2022). Retrieved 1 May 2022, from https://www.tampa.gov/infrastructure-summary-data