Public Administration
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Public Administration
Question One
In my opinion, the global threat that represents the greatest risk for the United States is terrorist attacks. Terrorist attacks can cause a lot of deaths, injuries, fear, and violence, among many other adverse effects in a country. As mentioned in the article, terrorist attacks are one of the significant issues that the USA deals with every day (Caudle, 2012). In 2001, for instance, the primary domestic threat was declared to be terrorism, and since then, there have been different measures that the government has put in place to counter this risk. Terrorism due to adverse effects on the people and the country adverse is, therefore, one of the most significant risks for the United States.
After the declaration of terrorism as the greatest threat in the country, measures such as the creation of a domestic security department and also the issuance of an explicit national homeland security strategy were taken (Caudle, 2012). The measures also showed how much terrorism was a threat, and therefore the strategic actions had to be taken. The government has since then been prepared for the attacks, and they also have operations and also the right equipment, so that in case such an incident occurs, they are well prepared.
Homeland security professionals and emergency management should prepare for the threat of terrorism by, for instance, learning the psychology of terrorism. Unexpected terrorism may cause a lot of damage as compared to that one that was expected since the departments will be prepared, and also they may take measures to prevent the attacks from happening. They should, therefore, learn the psychology of terrorism so that they are not caught off-guard. They should also prepare for the threat by ensuring that educating the public on the way they are supposed to react in case of an attack this way; it may reduce the number of deaths and also emergencies. Emergency management and homeland security professionals need to take measures that will help counter-terrorism.
Question Two
Massachusetts prepared a report in November 2015 about the climatic change in Cambridge. One of the key findings was that human health was more likely to be affected by heat stress. In 2030 it was predicted that the temperature on annual days might triple going over ninety degrees Fahrenheit (Ghosh et al. 2018). In 2070, the number of days may increase, and Cambridge may experience high temperatures for more than three months. Also, it was discovered that cases of flooding caused by precipitation were likely to increase, and they would also become deeper and expensive. The risk of this type of flood occurring, according to the report, was nearly double from 2015 to 2070(Ghosh et al. 2018). Another finding was that there are low chances of a coastal surge reaching Cambridge at least up until 2030. However, the increasing sea level may cause the coastal surge to reach Cambridge before the expected time. These were the major findings of the report by Massachusetts.
The findings will have an impact on the potential preparedness in that the people will be prepared in advance before the occurrence of the predicted adverse climate changes. People will have moved, for instance, to other areas, and hence the effects of the climatic changes will not be severe than they would have been in the report was not there. An academic approach helps people prepare for the hazard of climate change through, for instance, educating the public on ways to reduce or reverse climate change. An academic approach may also help to advise people on the right measures to take during the hazards and hence minimizing the damage that may occur as a result of climate change. An academic approach, therefore, plays a vital role in preparing communities for hazards such as those caused by climate change.
References
Caudle, S. (2012). Homeland security: Advancing the national strategic position. Homeland Security Affairs, 8(1), 1-17.
Ghosh, I., Watkins, K., Beauvais, N., & Bolduc, J. (2018). Onwards from Climate Change Assessment to Implementation–City of Cambridge. Proceedings of the Water Environment Federation, 2018(14), 2087-2092.