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Strategies to tackle natural and man made disasters
Emergency and crisis response plan
Emergency and crisis response plan
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Both man-made and natural disasters are often devastating, resource draining and disruptive. Having a basic plan ready for these types of disaster events is key to the success of executing and implementing, as well as assessing the aftermath. There are many different ways to create an emergency operations plan (EOP) to encompass a natural and/or man-made disaster, including following the six stage planning process, collection of information, and identification of threats and hazards. The most important aspect of the US emergency management system in preparing for, mitigating, and responding to man-made and natural disasters is the creation, implementation and assessment of a community’s EOP. There are six flexible steps to follow: form a …show more content…
There should always be a basic EOP incorporated into either type. When dealing with a natural disaster, a community may have warning when a man-made disaster can come without warning. When we have identified warnings to a potential man-made disaster, the EOP should be modified to respond to the specific disaster. Having prior knowledge can help mitigate damaging outcomes of the disastrous event. Having a basic EOP is going to be the primary EOP used when responding to a man-made disaster due to the fact there will be little-to-no warning and response must be implemented while determining the threats and hazards to the disaster (PublicResourceOrg, …show more content…
Once this concept is understood, preparation and mitigation within the plan can be molded to fit the disaster event presented to a community. Identification of threats and hazards to mold preparation and mitigation is key when responding to the event. Every event will reveal new types of hazards and threats, thus it is up to the emergency manager and the planning team to assess and revise the EOP each and every time this occurs. Lessons learned per event will only make the community stronger in response to natural and/or man-made disasters moving
The National response plan outlines four key actions the disaster coordinator should take. They are gaining and maintaining situational awareness, activate and deploy key resources and capabilities, coordinating response actions and demobilizing. Throughout the response it is essential that responders have access to critical information. During the initial response effort the situation is will change rapidly. Situational awareness starts at the incident site. For this reason it is essential that decision makers have access to the right information at the right time. By establishing an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) all key responders are brought ...
Bissell, R. (2010). Catastrophic Readiness and Response Course, Session 6 – Social and Economic Issues. Accessed at http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/crr.asp
Mancock, I., Tristan, C. & Lunn, J., 2004, Introduction to Emergency Management, CD ROM, Charles Sturt University, Australia.
Due to the horrendous events of terrorist attacks that have taken place over the last ten or so years, emergency management now, not only prepares and trains for natural events, but includes planning for terrorist/weapons of mass destruction events in greater detail. New responsibilities are being placed on emergency management managers and responders. More communities, states, local governments and businesses are seeking assistance in planning for terrorist attacks.
The major preparedness measures taken include strategic planning for disaster, making changes in procurement procedures, developing a communication plan, and investigating insurance coverage.
Having a basic understanding of community or national emergency plans can assist families in disaster. This is especially true during the response phase. The National Response Framework (NRF) is a great example of a national community reference. According to FEMA’s publication, “The National Response Framework,” from 2013, the NRF is a guide which describes the basis of national response to any form of disaster. The NRF was developed from a long line of response guidance plans. The first was the Federal Response plan which was replaced by the National Response Plan. Then in 2008, the NRF was developed to make national response guidance more efficient as well as to include practices created after Hurricane Katrina. The NRF is comprised of 4 sections. These are the foundation document, the Emergency Support Functions (ESF) Annexes, the Support Annexes, and the Incident Annexes. These annexes describe how the NRF can be implemented. It is important to note that the NRF and the National Incident Management System (NIMS) are meant to work in conjunction with each other, while NIMS and its component the Incident Command System (ICS) supply the NRF with an incident management function (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2013c, pp. 2-3). The NRF is based on several guiding principles. These are engaged partnership, tiered response, scalable operations, unity of effort/unified command, and readiness to act (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2013c, pp. 5-6).
Local, State and Federal government have unique roles which would allow the flow of communication and resources to transition smoothly during each stage of progression. The local and state level (first responders) are the most important source as they can assess, coordinate and notify the next available resources of what is needed. State and local governments are the front runners of planning for and managing the consequences of a terrorist incident using available resources in the critical hours before Federal assistance can arrive (Managing the Emergency Consequences of Terrorist Incidents, July 2002). A Terrorist Incident Appendix (TIA) was designed to mirror an Emergency Operations Plan in relations to terrorist incidents. The TIA consists of six phases: Initiation, Concept Development, Plan Development, Plan Review Development of supporting plans, procedures and materials and Validation of plans using tabletop, functional, and full scale exercises. The TIA should be compared to those plans of existing Emergency Operation Plans (EOP) in place at the local and state level. Comparing plans before and incident allows time for comparison and revision of the various functions which will prevent disconnects to ensure coordination and
The Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment need the whole community to pass on information, account for population-specific factors, and acknowledge the effects of a threat or hazard. Communities have to be educated and updated on threats and hazards that they may specifically face in order to accurately plan and prepare. All situations are usually handled starting at the lowest level, however, they will also have to discuss on how the federal government will assist if needed. “By providing the necessary knowledge and skills, we seek to enable the whole community to contribute to and benefit from national preparedness.” (FEMA, 2015). Local communities recognize their risks and conclude on how they will handle the significant amount of risks. Local governments discover and address their greatest risks by finishing the Threat and Hazard
Haddow, G. D., Bullock, J. A., & Coppola, D. P. (2010).Introduction to emergency management. (4th ed., pp. 1-26). Burlington, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Emergencies strike when people least expect them. Since emergencies are unpredictable, the one thing that emergency management can focus on to counter the unpredictability of man-made and natural disasters are a plan for possible outcomes. Newman and Clarke (2008) state,” Ironically, responding to attack are the least problematic component of any counterterrorism plan” (p.34). “Planning helps an organization chart a course for the achievement of its goals” (Hill, n.d., para. 1). The purpose of planning provides organizational guidelines, establishes short and long term goals, delegate authority and responsibilities, determines the efficient use of resources, and reduces risks and wasteful activities.
Six of these programs will be discussed in this paper of the purpose and the strategies of each one to help citizens before and after a disaster has occurs. History of hazard mitigation from the 20th Century to current times The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) can be traced far back
A good plan of action takes time and consideration. There are many aspects of an emergency plan that need to be thought of through before a plan can be placed into action. A hazards/vulnerability analysis is the first step, as knowing what risk are present within your community is extremely important (SETRAC, 2014). All risks should be identified, from natural to man-made, addressing those that are unique to your community such as flooding or earthquakes and prioritizing them.
Understanding the types of disasters for which the community is susceptible is essential for emergency preparedness (Nies & McEwen, 2011). All communities are susceptible to man-made disasters; terrorism, fires, and mass transit accidents; and emergency preparedness is essential. The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) is responsible for disaster planning. Assessment, Predictability and Prevention For the purpose of this paper, the surrounding communities of Central Pennsylvania will be assessed.... ...
"A disaster is any natural or human-made incident that causes disruption, destruction, or devastation requiring external assistance" (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2014, p. 248). Disasters can range from a house fire that affects one family to a bioterrorism act that involves thousands of people. Natural disasters have increased in the United States due to urbanization and overcrowding of cities."Projections suggest that by 2050, at least 46% of the world 's population will leave in areas vulnerable to natural floods, earthquakes, and severe storms" (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2014, p. 249). Some examples of natural disasters are tornados, hurricanes, and blizzards. Additionally, human-made disasters have increased from the stressors of being overcrowded.
The increase in unpredictable natural disasters events for a decade has led to put the disaster preparedness as a central issue in disaster management. Disaster preparedness reduces the risk of loss lives and injuries and increases a capacity for coping when hazard occurs. Considering the value of the preparatory behavior, governments, local, national and international institutions and non-government organizations made some efforts in promoting disaster preparedness. However, although a number of resources have been expended in an effort to promote behavioural preparedness, a common finding in research on natural disaster is that people fail to take preparation for such disaster events (Paton, 2005; Shaw 2004; Spittal, et.al, 2005; Tierney, 1993; Kenny, 2009; Kapucu, 2008; Coppola and Maloney, 2009). For example, the fact that nearly 91% of Americans live in a moderate to high risk of natural disasters, only 16% take a preparation for natural disaster (Ripley, 2006).