Los Angeles’ critical information technology systems are unprepared to function at a top level in the event of a major disaster and better strategies are needed to protect them, according to a report issued Wednesday by City Controller Ron Galperin.
The report recommends a comprehensive approach to ensure that the city’s IT systems such as emergency dispatching continue during and after a catastrophic event because the city currently has a fragmented approach for their recovery.
“When it comes to planning for a major disaster in Los Angeles, history tells us it’s a matter of when, not if,” Galperin said. “With the safety of four million people at stake, we need to protect critical IT operations if we don’t want all of our other emergency planning to be compromised. This report shows we still have work to do.”
The city has an Emergency Management Department, and individual departments have their own emergency plans, but the city lacks a comprehensive overall plan to maintain its IT operations in the event of a citywide emergency or natural disaster, according to the report.
Galperin also called for the city to create a steering committee to develop a new approach to IT communications in the event of a disaster.
“We must invest as quickly as possible to ensure that IT systems — which impact city key functions including emergency communications, crime monitoring and financial management — are functioning to their fullest,” Galperin said. “In the event of a serious emergency, it’s critical that our residents, our neighborhoods and our city are all prepared.”
The city controller also said officials in the Information Technology Agency and Emergency Management and Police departments agreed with the report’s findings that the city’s departments should better coordinate IT disaster recovery and have begun implementing some of its recommendations.
“The resiliency of our communications infrastructure is crucial for the continuity of government and operations for response and recovery. Effective emergency response depends on communication, and the consequences of communications infrastructure failure during a disaster can be the difference between life and death for those affected,” said Aram Sahakian, general manager of the Emergency Management Department. “Investing in our city’s IT infrastructure and building alternate communications methods to back up our primary systems are critical.”
Galperin also recommended that the city invest in IT infrastructure through bond financing instead of yearly budget requests that he said sometimes do not meet all needs.
As technology becomes more essential to L.A.’s operations, continued investment in IT disaster recovery is important to ensure city services are available during an emergency,” ITA General Manager Ted Ross said. “We thank the controller for his recommendations, and look forward to working collaboratively with the mayor’s office, controller’s office, and City Council on this important citywide effort.”
–City News Service