Critical infrastructure

Critical infrastructure comprises systems and assets essential to a society’s functioning, including energy, transport, water, and communications. Disruption can threaten public safety, economic activity, or national security.

Electric power system: The interconnected generators, transmission networks, and distribution systems that supply electricity. Electricity supports nearly every other infrastructure sector.
Risk assessment: A structured process for estimating risks by examining hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and consequences. It helps operators prioritize threats to essential services.
Northeast blackout of 2003: A major power outage in 2003 that affected parts of the northeastern United States and Canada. The outage demonstrated how electricity failures can disrupt transport, water, and communications.
Critical infrastructure protection: Policies and measures intended to prevent, withstand, and recover from threats to essential infrastructure. It is the organized effort to safeguard the assets and services covered by this concept.
Water supply network: The facilities and pipes that collect, treat, store, and distribute water. Reliable water service underpins health, industry, and firefighting.
Infrastructure resilience: The capacity of infrastructure to withstand disruption, adapt, and recover its essential functions. Resilience focuses on maintaining and restoring services when prevention fails.
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami: A Japanese earthquake and tsunami that caused extensive damage and triggered the Fukushima nuclear disaster. The disaster exposed the consequences of physical hazards striking multiple essential systems.
National critical infrastructure security and resilience plan: A United States strategy coordinating efforts to secure and strengthen critical infrastructure. It translates infrastructure protection goals into a national coordination framework.
Transportation network: The connected routes and facilities used to move people and goods. Roads, railways, ports, and airports sustain movement across society.
Redundancy (engineering): The provision of extra components or pathways so a system can continue after a failure. Backup capacity can keep essential services operating when equipment or routes fail.

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