Electricity and water unite communities and installations across the fenceline. Regional resilience and mission assurance rely on collaborative, informed investments into critical infrastructure.
What We Did. Converge Strategies and HDR explored the resilience posture of the City of Lompoc and Vandenberg Space Force Base across the region’s electricity, water, and emergency response systems through infrastructure analyses and an installation-community-utility tabletop exercise.
Why It Matters. This is the third active project of its kind in California. Energy and water systems in Southern California face pressure from a number of compounding hazards, including wildfires, extreme heat, and aging infrastructure. Without reliable backup power, these systems cannot function during severe weather events, as the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires made clear.
Lessons Learned. A single point of stress can cascade across interdependent energy and water systems, cutting off essential services for entire communities. Uncovering vulnerabilities and proposing solutions in advance prepares communities like the City of Lompoc and installations like Vandenberg Space Force Base to respond to and recover from emergencies quickly.
Thank you to the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation (OLDCC) for funding this Installation Readiness work.