Newswise — The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has a plan for the nation’s critical infrastructure! Our goal is to strengthen resilience to all-hazards disasters through science and technology-based solutions.

What does that mean? It means that we work with communities and industry now to develop solutions to be better prepared for disasters. We want to be able to turn the power back on in a matter of minutes, not days. And we have programs that are moving towards that future.

We want to be able to rapidly develop and deliver innovative solutions that enhance the resilience of individuals, communities and systems. Take floods for instance. Our Relational, Adaptive Processing of Information and Display (RAPID) Apex Program is being designed as decision support system-of-systems for community risk assessment and resilience planning. RAPID will support scenario development and risk management across a broad range of hazards. It will help communities better prepare for disasters before they happen and to develop plans to determine what decisions to make and when. And our Tunnel Plug program is pre-installed and at the flip of switch, self-inflates to keep subways from flooding!

We are exploring solutions today that enable the whole community to prevent and protect against threats, mitigate hazards, effectively respond to disasters and expedite recovery. For instance, did you know we’re working on a quick release power line connector? When a tree falls on a line, the line disconnects, without the pole falling!

S&T's vision is to strengthen our nation’s resilience to all-hazards disasters through science and technology-based solutions. Our critical infrastructure includes the vast network of highways, connecting bridges and tunnels, railways, utilities and buildings necessary to maintain normalcy in daily life. Transportation, commerce, clean water and electricity all rely on these vital systems. November is Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month, a perfect time to talk about all of S&T's projects in this area.

Interested in learning more about our projects? How about telling us about your disaster experiences and what would have helped?

Please join @dhsscitech on Tuesday, November 17 from noon to 1 p.m. EST for an hour-long chat to discuss S&T’s research and plan securing the nation’s critical infrastructure. Submit your questions and comments before, during or after the chat and use the #STTechTalk hashtag to engage in the two-way discussion.