Mainstreaming System Resilience Concepts into Transportation Agencies: A Guide (2021)

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184 Mainstreaming Resilience into Agency Functional Areas The previous chapters have presented a framework and self-assessment tool for mainstream- ing resilience concepts into a transportation agency’s decision-making and support processes. This chapter builds upon this information and describes how the results of this assessment relate to specific functional responsibilities of a typical transportation agency. In essence, this chapter provides a roadmap for linking the self-assessment recommended actions from each step (which reflected the self-assessment factors) to agency responsibilities. For example, the recommended actions relating to understanding the hazards and threats facing an agency could be linked to the transportation planning function; those relating to enhancing operations and maintenance actions could be linked to traffic operations and maintenance units. The key agency functions presented in this chapter include: • Policy Development/Agency Leadership and Management • Planning • Project Development/Engineering • System and Traffic Operations • Construction • Maintenance • Asset Management • Emergency Response, Agency Preparedness, and Cybersecurity • Public Outreach/Communications The assignment of assessment factors/actions to individual agency functions in this chapter should not hinder an agency from using a different strategy for implementing the recommended actions. In some cases, an agency might want to assign all the recommended actions to a central authority or implementation group. Such a strategy would certainly be appropriate. Even if an agency did so, it would be important to include representatives of functional units in the deliberations. Each section that follows places the resilience self-assessment recommended actions into the same table format that is presented at the end of each step in the resilience framework. This is done for ease of use in deciding which actions should receive priority and who should have responsibility. Policy Development/Agency Leadership and Management This function in an agency focuses on developing and adopting agency policies, mandates, or internal guidance on how resilience concerns can be mainstreamed in agency decision-making. It would include such things as incorporating resilience into the agency’s strategic goals, strategic C H A P T E R   1 7

Mainstreaming Resilience into Agency Functional Areas 185   plan, policy documents, and adopted CEO/Board direction. It might also include incorporating resilience into an agency’s enabling mandate, but this would typically require legislation to do so. This function also includes actions that could be requested by the CEO or Board that reports to the administrative management structure in the agency (but which do not fall logically into any of the other functional areas). An example of this is examining your agency’s training and professional development programs/offerings from the perspective of how resilience concerns are incorporated into materials. This responsibility usually lies in human resources or personnel units that report to agency senior managers. The self-assessment factors/recommended actions that relate to this functional area are shown in Table 32. Let’s do this. (check) Action Re sp on si bi lit y? Ti m ef ra m e? Ex pe ct ed o ut co m es ? If you have not done so, develop a business case for resilience investments that can be used to justify more such investments. If such a business case has been developed, update periodically as new information on benefits and costs becomes available. Develop and implement a strategy for securing dedicated funding for resilience actions and project design components. This could be a stand-alone funding program or incremental additions to existing funding programs that allow resilience-related investments. Involve the agency CEO/director in the resilience program. Periodically reassess the usefulness of the information provided to the CEO with respect to the types of decisions they must make relating to the resilience program. Involve department heads in the resilience program. This could be part of a formal coordinating group or frequent meetings to coordinate resilience activities. Create an institutional mechanism to coordinate resilience efforts. Such a mechanism (e.g., task force, coordinating committee, and the like) would be given a clear mandate and expected products as they relate to your agency’s resilience program. Incorporate transportation system resilience into agency plans and policy statements in order to institutionalize a resilience mindset into agency staff. Establish a formal resilience strategy/program. This might require legislative approval or, at a minimum, agency directives and guidance. Assign leadership responsibilities of the resilience strategy/program in your agency. This might be structured as a central authority for all resilience efforts or the assignment of responsibilities for individual components of the program. Table 32. Potential actions for policy development/agency leadership and management. (continued on next page)

186 Mainstreaming System Resilience Concepts into Transportation Agencies: A Guide Let’s do this. (check) Action Re sp on si bi lit y? Ti m ef ra m e? Ex pe ct ed o ut co m es ? Review threat/hazard exposure and/or vulnerability studies to understand potential disruptions to your transportation system and possible demands on your agency. Review staff roles and responsibilities to identify how they relate to enhancing system resilience. Assign resilience-related job responsibilities to agency staff job descriptions and talent profiles. Enhancing transportation system resilience should be part of all relevant staff job activities, both for emergency response efforts and more long-term efforts to improve asset and system resilience. Examine your training/professional development programs for their coverage of resilience. Improve resilience coordination with local communities to place your agency in a leadership position for fostering enhanced community resilience. Enhance coordination with federal, state, and local agencies relating to various aspects of your agency’s resilience program. This would include not only coordination efforts relating to emergency response but also actions to include more resilience concerns into agency decision-making. Others? Conduct and document a self-assessment of your agency focusing on how effectively resilience is incorporated into agency functions. Conduct self-assessments of specific agency functions that are particularly relevant to system resilience. Assign staff to support the resilience strategy/program. Such assignments should be clear in terms of how activities contribute to program objectives and QA/QC procedures that should accompany staff efforts. Examine best practices from other agencies and organizations. Undertake a systematic effort/study to identify early wins to enhance system resilience. Table 32. (Continued). Planning The planning function in a transportation agency could include many different responsibilities and efforts having important linkages to system resilience efforts. For state DOTs, the develop- ment of the statewide transportation plan is the responsibility of the planning unit. Other types of planning—corridor, modal, multimodal and intermodal, freight, early project planning, and special topics (e.g., economic impacts, equity, and the impact of new technologies)—often occur as well. In addition, most state DOTs have responsibility for rural transportation planning and

Mainstreaming Resilience into Agency Functional Areas 187   to liaison with MPOs’ transportation planning. Transportation planning also provides much of the information that supports resource allocation decisions and influences which projects go into a capital program. It is noteworthy that most of the resilience/climate change studies undertaken by states have been led by the DOT planning units. Not only can the planning unit provide agency leader- ship in adaptation studies, but vulnerability assessments can be utilized in early planning to inform capital program development and the project planning process. Vulnerability data in GIS platforms can be utilized to determine vulnerable locations early on in the planning process, leading to decisions to conduct additional studies, seek project funding, or determine if project scheduling might be impacted. Planning is also where asset management data can feed into the assessment of the resilience of a project by informing the project manager if there are threats in the project area to be addressed. In this guide, such responsibilities are assigned to the planning unit. The planning group in your agency thus has a very important role to play in mainstreaming resilience concepts into decision-making. The self-assessment factors/recommended actions that relate to planning are shown in Table 33. Project Development/Engineering Project development/engineering includes those functions in an agency that take a project from initiation through plans, specifications, and estimates (PS&Es). This could include more detailed project planning (than would occur in planning), environmental analysis, and prelimi- nary and final engineering. Much of the activities in project development follow agency-adopted guidance, such as environmental procedures, design manuals, and design standards. In most agencies, the project development pipeline transmits project information from one group to the next. Thus, for example, environmental analysis/review identifies the types of environmental concerns that must be mitigated, which goes to preliminary engineering where such mitigation is identified and conceptually defined, which then goes to final design where the actual design of the mitigation actions is specified. The self-assessment factors/recommended actions that relate to this functional area are shown in Table 34. System and Traffic Operations System and traffic operations include those aspects of your agency’s program delivery that relate to the operating and managing of your transportation system. For highway programs, this would include responsibility for traffic signals and signs, TMCs, traffic operations during disruptions (e.g., detours and construction traffic operations plans), and special events traffic management. The self-assessment factors/recommended actions that relate to system and traffic operations are shown in Table 35. Construction The construction function within a transportation agency is responsible for delivering an agency’s construction program and for managing actual construction projects as per contract requirements with a construction contractor [where the contract is based on the contractor bid, which reflects the plans, specifications, and estimates (PS&Es) produced by the agency].

188 Mainstreaming System Resilience Concepts into Transportation Agencies: A Guide Let’s do this. (check) Action Re sp on si bi lit y? Ti m ef ra m e? Ex pe ct ed o ut co m es ? Conduct self-assessments of current planning functions with special emphasis on those relevant to system resilience. Identify actions that can be taken to enhance this linkage. Incorporate transportation system resilience into agency plans and policy statements. This includes all plans that are produced by your agency—statewide, regional, corridor, project, site, modal, special topic plans, and the like. Review threat/hazard exposure and/or vulnerability studies to understand potential disruptions to your transportation system and possible demands on your agency. Provide information to planning staff and other planning agencies in your jurisdiction. Apply threat-vulnerability worksheets (TVA) to assess threats to your system. Collect and assess hazard and threat data and estimate the likelihood of events occurring in the future (including noting the uncertainty in results as appropriate). Identify susceptibility factors that may worsen or reduce the system disruption caused by expected hazards. Produce GIS mapping of hazard exposure across all assets in the transportation system for each hazard and threat. Develop transportation-specific vulnerability indices to identify populations that are more adversely affected by service and system outages. Develop a methodology and planning guidance on how socio- economic and environmental impacts will affect different population groups. Identify the assets at most risk across hazards and threats. For different asset types, develop methodologies for combining physical and socioeconomic costs that may occur over the asset life span by scenario, time period, and hazard. Provide GIS mapping of entry points where other sectors may impact transportation operations. Increase engagement and strengthen relationships internally among planners, asset managers, engineers, emergency management, and GIS specialists to better understand potential impacts from system disruptions. Identify critical agency stakeholders and external partners who are crucial for supporting resilience project strategy prioritization. Establish a means of collaborating with these groups in the assessment and prioritization processes. Table 33. Potential actions for planning.

Mainstreaming Resilience into Agency Functional Areas 189   Let’s do this. (check) Action Re sp on si bi lit y? Ti m ef ra m e? Ex pe ct ed o ut co m es ? Improve resilience coordination with local communities to place your agency in a leadership position for fostering enhanced community resilience. Increase engagement and strengthen relationships externally with governmental and university climate science research centers, state climatologists, health professionals, cyber and terrorist experts, geotechnical experts, and sector experts. Develop a list of co-benefits for resilience projects that are important when considering agency priorities. Continue to investigate the most appropriate strategy for monetizing resilience benefits. Monitor the literature and examine best practices from other transportation agencies in how this can be done most convincingly. Develop and implement a set of prioritization criteria that will result in more investment in resilience projects and strategies. Periodically assess the influence of these criteria in supporting resilience projects. Adjust over time as needed. Assess your agency’s use of resilience measures and how they can be improved and enhanced, making sure all of your agency’s relevant units are involved in the process. Examine how your agency leadership is using resilience performance measurement information (such as after-event reports) to identify how the use of such information can be improved. Track the use of resilience performance measure information and how it has been used to adopt changes in the agency. Use this information to illustrate both the usefulness of performance measure information as well as the effectiveness of your agency’s resilience program. Periodically monitor the trends in system disruptions from both natural and human-made causes. Relate this tracking to the appropriateness of currently used resilience measures. Work with representatives from other sectors that affect and are affected by disruptions to respective networks. Identify potential points of vulnerability and collaboratively identify strategies for minimizing failure. Participate in national conferences and workshops to exchange information on best practices for linking resilience and planning. Table 33. (Continued).

190 Mainstreaming System Resilience Concepts into Transportation Agencies: A Guide Let’s do this. (check) Action Re sp on si bi lit y? Ti m ef ra m e? Ex pe ct ed o ut co m es ? Conduct self-assessments of current project development/design functions with special emphasis on those relevant to system resilience. Identify actions that can be taken to enhance this linkage. Review your agency’s history of project designs withstanding hazards and the likelihood of handling future expected hazards and threats. Assess the effectiveness of design changes made to make assets more resilient. Consider resilience concerns in project development, including natural hazards, climate change, and human-caused threats relating to physical security; crime prevention; personal safety; and emergency management’s fire, life, and safety requirements. Incorporate these considerations into project development guidance. Begin to make design criteria more adaptive to expected future hazards and threats. Adopt a project development process, like ADAP, as the desired project development process. Incorporate into design guidance and manuals. Pursue betterments when reconstructing facilities affected by federally designated disasters/emergencies. Incorporate resilience add-ons to project designs that take into account different types of risks. Document the costs associated with such add- ons and ultimate benefits and provide them to the asset management unit and agency leadership. Monitor and record stressor/hazard/threat impacts on assets and related costs as they occur. Feed this information into the project development process so agency staff have the most up-to-date information on the likely benefits of adaptive designs. Develop a catalog of impact functions for each asset type that may be exposed to the hazards and/or threats. Make sure your value engineering process considers resilience measure costs as a valid expense when viewed from a life cycle cost perspective. Identify staff who are capable and interested in integrating resilience into asset-specific analyses. If necessary provide additional training to these staff members. Where appropriate, conduct pilot studies of the application of an adaptive design process to illustrate key steps and what a resilience- sensitive project will look like. Work with partner agencies (e.g., resource agencies) to explain the approach your agency is taking toward adaptive design and identify any changes to existing agreements and interactions that might be necessary to implement desired changes. Monitor any activities or strategies already implemented that may serve as guides to future options/measures. Document the overall project development process and, in particular, how resilience concerns were addressed for each project analysis. Develop an internal communications strategy to convey to agency staff what is occurring with respect to resilience-oriented project development and how they can contribute. Table 34. Potential actions for project development/engineering.

Mainstreaming Resilience into Agency Functional Areas 191   Let’s do this. (check) Action Re sp on si bi lit y? Ti m ef ra m e? Ex pe ct ed o ut co m es ? Conduct self-assessments of the current system and traffic operations functions with special emphasis on those relevant to system resilience. Identify actions that can be taken to enhance this linkage. Develop a process for conducting after-action and after-event reports that can be used to identify corrective actions with respect to improving system operations. Review staff roles and responsibilities to identify how they relate to enhancing system resilience. Develop a strategy for institutionalizing system resilience into staff roles. Review your agency’s history of traffic operations and traffic engineering designs withstanding hazards and the likelihood of handling future expected hazards and threats. Make traffic operations-related design criteria more adaptive to expected future hazards and threats. Assess your agency’s system operations strategies with respect to the vulnerabilities identified in the vulnerability assessment. Emphasize the implementation requirements for additional actions that are deemed necessary. Develop GIS layers of emergency evacuation routes and other layers that describe critical components of the transportation system. Examine how operations data collection efforts can be modified to collect resilience-related data and information to improve resilience planning. Examine how operations data can be used to inform life cycle costing analyses in the asset management program or other investment evaluation efforts in your agency. Re-examine (or develop) contingency plans for TMCs or other critical assets relating to transportation system management and operations. The contingency plans should reflect the types of disruptions that could occur and the key functions of the centers that might be lost for physical, power, and employee availability disruptions. Reassess (or develop) multi-agency training and field exercises that reflect the likely operational circumstances that will be faced in a serious disruption event. Examine your agency’s (or jurisdiction’s) cybersecurity plan from the perspective of vulnerabilities to operations functions. Investigate the extent to which redundant systems are in place and protected against cyberattacks. Examine (or develop) a strategy for backing up critical operations data relating to the functions of TMCs. To what extent are these backup capabilities tested to assure uninterrupted traffic operations command and control actions during and following a disruption. Document the resilience-related traffic operations efforts of your agency to inform your staff as well as key stakeholders of what is in place and being developed on how your agency’s operations capabilities will be used during an event and post-disruption. Table 35. Potential actions for system and traffic operations.

192 Mainstreaming System Resilience Concepts into Transportation Agencies: A Guide Resilience actions relating to construction can range from the types of materials used in project construction (usually pre-specified in the PS&Es), the use of construction equipment for emergency response to disruptions, traffic management strategies in work zones, and the pre-positioning materials to allow rapid rebuilding of key assets. The self-assessment factors/recommended actions relating to construction are shown in Table 36. Maintenance Maintenance activities include such tasks as keeping facilities and other assets debris-free and safe, maintaining network appurtenances (such as signals, guardrails, and signs), responding to and replacing equipment when necessary, and serving as front-line staff when your agency needs an immediate response to system disruptions. The self-assessment factors/recommended actions that relate to maintenance are shown in Table 37. Asset Management Asset management includes data collection and system/asset inventory, analysis of condition deterioration, prioritization of investments, risk analysis, lifecycle planning analysis, and (often) financial analysis of system performance degradation given different investment scenarios. This capability will vary from one agency to another. State DOTs, for example, must have a risk-oriented asset management plan and program for NHS pavements and bridges. Some have developed such capabilities for culverts, street lighting, signals, and other appurtenances. The self-assessment factors/recommended actions that relate to asset management are shown in Table 38. Emergency Response, Agency Preparedness, and Cybersecurity Emergency response and agency preparedness consist of two types of functions. The first, emergency response, includes an agency’s actions that are part of its first responders and those that follow to put strategies in place that minimize system disruption. Agency preparedness includes longer-term planning and implementation of actions to minimize disruption to agency command and control processes, decision-making, and administrative procedures relating to the day-to-day activities of your agency. As noted in this chapter, this includes steps your agency has taken to protect its IT capabilities—cybersecurity. The self-assessment factors/ recommended actions that relate to each function are shown in separate sections in Table 39 due to their distinct nature. Public Outreach/Communications A successful agency resilience strategy will include a thoughtful and comprehensive public outreach and communications effort. This includes not only information dissemination during major disruptions and incidents, but also information exchange during an agency’s efforts to implement a resilience program. In today’s world, such an effort will include a range of dis- semination media aimed at different audiences. In keeping with the theme of the need for multi- agency collaboration in resilience initiatives, coordinating your agency’s communications efforts with other partner agencies is an important way of providing consistent resilience messaging. The self-assessment factors/recommended actions that relate to external communications are shown in Table 40.

Mainstreaming Resilience into Agency Functional Areas 193   Let’s do this. (check) Action Re sp on si bi lit y? Ti m ef ra m e? Ex pe ct ed o ut co m es ? Conduct self-assessments of current construction functions with special emphasis on those relevant to construction activities. Identify actions that can be taken to enhance this linkage. Develop a process for conducting after-construction reports that identify actions to enhance system resilience in the construction process (or add such a focus in current after-construction reports). Provide opportunities for construction staff to recommend construction-related resilience strategies and actions to those in the project development process before the construction phase (e.g., those developing PS&Es or handling construction zone traffic management). If your agency does not do so, examine how electronic as-built plans can be utilized throughout the agency for managing the system and for providing information that can feed into resilience efforts. Keep abreast of the latest developments in resilient materials and work with your agency’s materials certification unit to allow such materials in future projects. Pre-position construction materials in strategic locations that allow rapid reconstruction of failed assets. Put in place new contracts with independent contractors to supplement your own construction resources when responding to emergency situations. Incorporate flexibility into regular construction contracts that allow your agency to assign emergency construction use for disaster recovery. Work closely with the traffic operations unit to develop and assess after - project, construction zone traffic management strategies. Collect and archive data on the major causes of delay through the construction zone (e.g., movement of construction equipment, lane shutdowns due to construction phasing, crashes, vehicles running out of gas, and the like). Examine those construction items and actions that relate to protecting the work zone against extreme weather events (e.g., drainage and erosion control). Assess the adequacy of such actions based on experience. Determine if future environmental conditions will increase the vulnerability of the work zone to such disruptions. Determine when contract provisions might have to change to reflect such threats. Consider likely changes to the working conditions of your agency staff and contractor employees given threats from extreme weather (e.g., prolonged high temperatures and frequent high-intensity precipitation events). Determine when employee safety steps and contract provisions might have to change to reflect such threats. Table 36. Potential actions for construction.

Let’s do this. (check) Action Re sp on si bi lit y? Ti m ef ra m e? Ex pe ct ed o ut co m es ? Conduct self-assessments of current maintenance functions with special emphasis on those relevant to system resilience. Identify actions that can be taken to enhance this linkage. Develop a process for conducting after-action and after-event reports that are used to identify corrective actions with respect to system maintenance. Develop a process for reviewing maintenance data to identify chronic disruptions to location-specific assets or facilities. Review staff roles and responsibilities to identify how they relate to enhancing system resilience. Develop a strategy for institutionalizing system resilience into staff roles. Review your history of maintenance responses to hazards and the likelihood of handling future expected hazards and threats. Make changes in standard responses where necessary. Assess your agency’s maintenance strategies with respect to the vulnerabilities identified in the vulnerability assessment. Emphasize the implementation requirements for additional actions that are deemed necessary (e.g., additional right-of-way vegetation clearance to minimize wildfire damage). Investigate the extent to which your agency’s vegetation management and control program reflects the likely changes in climate that your jurisdiction will face over time or is currently facing. Develop or enhance your existing culvert cleaning program. Establish a regular inspection and cleaning schedule, if not already done. Examine how maintenance data collection efforts can be modified or enhanced to collect resilience-related data that can be used for improved resilience planning. This includes collecting maintenance records and other cost information for use in identifying likely hazards and the costs of responding. Examine (or implement) your maintenance management systems in terms of how they can assist in communication with the public and determine what work needs to be done and at what frequency. Also, investigate how the systems’ track repair history feeds into other agency processes. Examine how maintenance data can be used to inform life cycle costing analyses in the asset management program or other investment evaluation efforts in your agency. Collect damage and outage data after hazards/threat events for affected assets. Compare with and revise existing damage and outage data for use in the vulnerability analysis. Document the resilience-related maintenance efforts of your agency to inform your staff as well as key stakeholders of what is in place and being developed on how your agency’s maintenance capabilities will be used during an event and post-disruption. Table 37. Potential actions for maintenance.

Mainstreaming Resilience into Agency Functional Areas 195   Let’s do this. (check) Action Re sp on si bi lit y? Ti m ef ra m e? Ex pe ct ed o ut co m es ? Conduct self-assessments of the asset management function with special emphasis on those relevant to system resilience. Identify actions that can be taken to enhance this linkage. Identify the assets at most risk across hazards and threats. Review staff roles and responsibilities to identify how they relate to enhancing system resilience. Develop a strategy for institutionalizing system resilience into staff roles. Develop and maintain a full and complete asset inventory, including asset location, condition, and use. Over time, this asset inventory should include all assets for which your agency is responsible. Tie asset failures and accelerated deterioration due to resilience stresses into the asset database and analysis. Develop quantifiable, hazard-to-impact relationships that are tailored to your geographic location and asset class. Increase engagement and strengthen relationships internally with asset managers, engineers, emergency management, and GIS specialists. Develop a catalog of impact functions for each asset type that may be exposed to identified hazards and/or threats. Develop a menu of costs for each asset type identified as being potentially exposed to system disruptions. Examine how O&M data collection efforts can be modified to collect resilience-related data that can be used for asset management. Collect damage and outage data after hazards/threat events for affected assets. Compare with and revise existing damage and outage data used in the analysis. Collect economic data after hazards/threat events. Compare with and revise existing economic data used in impact analyses. Investigate the extent to which resilience-oriented conditions and performance measures relating to natural and human-caused disruptions are included in the TAMP and asset management process. Add as appropriate. When your agency conducts future performance gap assessment as part of the TAMP update processes, ensure that system resilience concerns are part of the risks considered in the assessment. Utilize life cycle costs in the prioritization process and determine which types of costs will be considered as part of the life cycle analysis. Ensure that all past and future hazards that could potentially disrupt system performance are part of the risk assessment. Examine and improve the linkage between asset management and maintenance practices in your agency. Consider how tradeoffs in related costs can be considered in agency decision-making. Table 38. Potential actions for asset management. (continued on next page)

196 Mainstreaming System Resilience Concepts into Transportation Agencies: A Guide Let’s do this. (check) Action Re sp on si bi lit y? Ti m ef ra m e? Ex pe ct ed o ut co m es ? Develop a funding strategy for resilience-enhancing investments in your agency’s TAMP financial plan. Ensure during your agency reassessment of the TAMP process that resilience concerns and factors are incorporated more effectively into decision-making. Develop training and professional development opportunities for your agency’s asset management staff to enhance the consideration of resilience in asset management practices. Table 38. (Continued). Let’s do this. (check) Action Re sp on si bi lit y? Ti m ef ra m e? Ex pe ct ed o ut co m es ? Emergency Response Develop a 24/7 threat and hazard warning system. Create or modernize your agency’s emergency notification system. Implement a multi-year exercise program that includes the conduct of emergency management drills, both functional and full-scale exercises. Assess the effectiveness of the multi-agency communications systems and protocols used during emergency response/management actions. Include in this assessment the effectiveness of the technologies and equipment used in the response. Improve the coordination with emergency response agencies/organizations. This might include periodic reassessments of the institutional relationships for handling system disruptions or after-event debriefings to dissect what happened and what improvements should be considered. Develop and periodically update a strategy and mechanism for emergency management and security staff to provide input into the decisions of other agency units. Develop agreements or understandings with FEMA on procedures and requirements when a disaster has been declared. Table 39. Potential actions for emergency response, agency preparedness, and cybersecurity.

Let’s do this. (check) Action Re sp on si bi lit y? Ti m ef ra m e? Ex pe ct ed o ut co m es ? Establish a common set of cross-disciplinary criteria for prevention, preparedness, mitigation, disaster management, emergency management, environmental management, and business continuity of operations. Publish a training calendar and schedule for emergency management introductory-level training for all agency personnel. Create and support opportunities for agency staff involved in emergency response/management, disaster recovery, and cybersecurity efforts to interact with peers in other agencies and professional organizations’ meetings. Cybersecurity Develop, update, and test your physical security and cybersecurity plans. The plans should be coordinated with the other agencies who have primary responsibility for the provision of security services. This includes steps to protect such systems as well as a cyber-incident response and recovery plan developed in collaboration with key internal and external stakeholders. Implement a full range of basic cybersecurity techniques and cyber hygiene practices in your agency. Conduct white-hat hacker attacks against your agency’s IT systems to identify vulnerable access points. Back up some mission-critical data, preferably at remote sites with firewalls and other cyber defenses in place that will not allow attacks on your agency’s primary IT systems to reach the remote sites. Develop a training calendar and schedule for cybersecurity awareness for agency personnel and contractors. Update as new threats and vulnerabilities occur. Monitor the allocation over time of agency budget resources to emergency response/management and disaster recovery capacity. Determine if such allocations are adequate to prepare your agency for dealing with major disruptions. Agency Preparedness Publish an agency-wide COOP that identifies types of critical incidents or events, emergency activation criteria, and procedural guidelines to ensure safe internal and external operations. Test the COOP periodically. Include in this test unexpected variations of likely hazards and threats (e.g., two major disruptions occurring at the same time). If not already done, locate a COOP secondary site at a TMC, fusion center, or statewide emergency management operations center. If not already done, develop an all-hazards response plan and establish an update schedule. Develop a strategy to pre-position equipment, materials, and other resources to respond to a disruption and/or support recovery. If such a strategy exists, continue to monitor the viability of this pre-positioning in relationship to different types of disruptions. Table 39. (Continued).

198 Mainstreaming System Resilience Concepts into Transportation Agencies: A Guide Let’s do this. (check) Action Re sp on si bi lit y? Ti m ef ra m e? Ex pe ct ed ou tc om es ? Conduct a self-assessment of your overall agency’s resilience external communication efforts. Conduct self-assessments of the external communications’ role in those agency units that are particularly relevant to system resilience. Examine what roles these units can play in your agency’s overall resilience communications strategy. Create a coordination mechanism in your agency to contribute to the development of an external communications strategy. Create a common point of contact for requests for resilience information. Make sure your agency’s communication strategy for major incidents/disruptions is clearly understood by agency staff. If not already, evolve the point(s) of contact for incident response into your point of contact for overall resilience information. Examine the possibility of creating a mechanism (or participating in an existing one) among partner agencies to coordinate the resilience message and to produce common resilience material. Prepare a written document describing your resilience external communications strategy (e.g., a communications plan). This documentation should describe the rationale for the program, how it will be structured, target audiences, action items, and implementation responsibilities. Seek input from the public, key stakeholders, and other constituencies on the type of resilience information they would like to receive. Use this input to develop targeted outreach tools and media to provide such information. Develop documentation that clearly outlines the intent, benefits, and expected outcomes of your agency’s resilience program and ensure that all agency personnel are aware of the key messages in this material. Prepare and utilize graphic material to summarize the benefits of resilience programs that can be used in social media outreach efforts. Establish a social media account that disseminates information relating to resilience. Table 40. Potential actions for developing an external communications strategy.