Public expectations of critical infrastructure operators in times of crisis

Abstract

Maintaining a minimum level of service and recovering quickly after a shock are key components of critical infrastructure (CI) resilience. Nevertheless, recent literature indicates that there is an ‘expectation gap’ in relation to the services CI operators should provide to members of the public in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. However, few of these studies have empirically investigated what members of the public expect. As such, this paper explores this under-researched area by drawing on key themes that emerged from a literature review, results from an online questionnaire-based study (N = 403), and analysis of 22 semi-structured interviews with CI operators and other relevant stakeholders. Results indicate that the public appear willing to tolerate reductions in service during crisis. The public also expect CI operators to keep them informed about progress to restore these services and answer direct queries via both traditional and social media. Based on these findings, resilience recommendations are presented.

Keywords:

• Critical infrastructure
• resilience
• public expectations
• minimum acceptable service level
• communication

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all participants and those who assisted with the distribution of the questionnaire, especially the municipality of Barreiro for their active participation.