Obama administration focuses on resilience of nation's infrastructure

WASHINGTON — Resilience is at the center of the Obama administration's national security concerns, according to a White House official.

“Most of our infrastructure was built to withstand historical norms,” said Alice Hill, special assistant to the president and senior director for resilience policy at the National Security Council during a Washington event hosted by Lloyd's of London and Washington-based risk management consultant Risk Cooperative on Wednesday. “But the historical norms are not turning out to be good guides for the future.” For example, Ms. Hill said that the impact of projected climate change has to be taken into account in infrastructure planning.

Infrastructure needs to be designed and built in a manner that will withstand threats possible throughout the life of the building. “Our goal should be to build it right that first time, not have to rebuild it twice,” she said.