Introduction Of the four phases of emergency management, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery, perhaps the place that individuals can make the biggest difference in their own state of resiliency and survival of a disaster is in the preparedness phase. Being prepared before a disaster strikes makes sense yet many people fail to take even simple, precautionary steps to reduce the consequences of destruction and mayhem produced by natural events such as earthquakes, volcanos and tornados (see Paton et al, 2001, Mileti and Peek, 2002; Tierney, 1993, Tierney et al, 2001). Educating the public and getting them to take preparatory actions to better protect themselves in the face of natural hazards has led to extensive study of risk communication by social scientists and disaster researchers over the past half-century (Quarantelli, 1991). Lindell et al (2006) describe the reason for risk communication as “to initiate and direct protective action” relative to a hazardous threat (Lindell et al, 2006, p. 84). Better understanding of why people take protective actions has led to better risk communication directed at preparedness measures. Research has identified key ingredients regarding the effectiveness of risk communication messages as well as conditions conducive to adoption of improved preparedness practices. For instance, Mileti and Peek (2002) found that when people are given clear information about risk, they can comprehend and remember the message and that self-efficacy, i.e. knowing they have the ability to do something about it, regarding preparedness, promotes more action (Mileti and Peek, 2002, p. 128). It is also widely accepted that people will seek out additional information about a threat, especially from th... ... middle of paper ... ...d Social Characteristics in the Promotion of Household Disaster Preparedness. Colorado State University. Accessed http://wsnet.colostate.edu/CWIS584/Lori_Peek/Data/Sites/1/publicationpdfs/miletiandpe ek2 Tierney, K. J., Lindell, M.K. and Perry, R.W. (2001). Facing the Unexpected: Disaster preparedness and response in the United States. National Academy of Science. Washington D.C.: John Henry Press. Tierney, K. J. (1993). Disaster preparedness and response: Research findings and guidance from the social science literature. Preliminary Paper #193. University of Delaware Disaster Research Center. Bacon, Francis. (1597). Meditationes Sacræ. De Hæresibus. Accessed at http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Sir_Francis_Bacon/ U.S. Census Bureau. (2009). 2009 Current Population Survey. Table 1. Available at http://www.census.gov/hhes/computer/publications/2009.html
Emergency management is a career about managing risk that are both technological and naturally occurring. Though these two terms are synonymous with each other in-terms of modern conceptualization of disasters; this has not always been the case. In the developmental history of emergency management these two sources of disaster; were often seen as two completely independent sources of danger, and as a result the emergency management community encountered steep and costly learning curve in managing the hazards associated with these sources risk.
Hazards pose risk to everyone. Our acceptance of the risks associated with hazards dictates where and how we live. As humans, we accept a certain amount of risk when choosing to live our daily lives. From time to time, a hazard becomes an emergent situation. Tornadoes in the Midwest, hurricanes along the Gulf Coast or earthquakes in California are all hazards that residents in those regions accept and live with. This paper will examine one hazard that caused a disaster requiring a response from emergency management personnel. Specifically, the hazard more closely examined here is an earthquake. With the recent twenty year anniversary covered by many media outlets, the January 17, 1994, Northridge, California earthquake to date is the most expensive earthquake in American history.
The key concept of the health belief model includes threat perception (perceived threat), behavioral evaluation, self-efficacy and other variables. The threat perception has very great relevance in health-related behaviors. This perception are measured by perceived susceptibility (the beliefs about the likelihood of contacting a disease) and perceived severity (the feeling about the seriousness of contacting an illness and leaving it untreated). The behavioral evaluation is assessed by the levels of perceived benefits (the positive effects to be expected), perceived barriers (potential negative aspects of a health behavior), and cues to action (the strategies to activated one’s readiness). The self-efficacy key concept was not originally included in of the health belief model, and it was just added in 1998 to look at a person’s belief in his/her ability to take action in order to make a health related change. The other variables that are also the key concepts of the model include diverse demography, sociopsychology, education, and structure. These factors are variable from one to another and indirectly influence an individual’s health-related behavior because the factors influence the perception...
Information is perhaps one of the most crucial elements in regards to disaster preparedness. Resultantly, it is vital that individuals understand what information is relevant to the local area and how to obtain information in the event of a disaster or emergency. Furthermore, it is essential that individuals stay informed prior to, during, and after a disaster. Described below are some of the key elements to consider in regards to being and staying informed:
1). Resilience refers to the ability to prepare, plan, absorb, recover and more successfully adapt to adverse events. It is determined by the degree to which individuals, communities and organization can organize themselves to learn from the past disasters and reduce their risks to future ones Resilience is increased by emergency management planning that is based on risks, the relationship has been identified from the four phases of emergency management. Mitigation involves actions that are undertaken in advance to avoid risks such as loss of life and property, in this case the community is more resilient to an immediate emergency issue (World Resilience Emergency Management,2017). Preparedness involves training, education and sharing of information
Following the assessment completed by the National Science Foundation, it becomes apparent that a paradigm shift is necessary to bridge the many gaps in emergency management to include the physical, human, and constructed systems. In an ideal scenario, it was discussed by Mileti (1999) that disaster preparedness and response would be dealt with in the most efficient manner possible thereby reducing its social, political and economical impact; however, that was not the reality then and it is not certainly not the reality today. In today’s world, natural disasters are less discriminating and can strike localities out of what is generally expected, leaving some vulnerable and ill-equipped to response. According to researcher and Professor Robert Schneider (2002), each locality must be have the flexibility to address a wide variety of disasters that both common and uncommon to the area. This was the case with the recent winter storm that crippled parts of the South unprepared to adequately respond, leaving commuters trapped in a massive gridlock in Atlanta. Another example includes Hurricane Sandy and the devastation left behind in New Jersey and parts of New York City, where the magnitude and breath of the storm was a rare event. Such incidents bring to light the need for an overarching and Comprehensive Emergency Management approach to hazard mitigation. The aftermath of the events that occurred recently and in parts of the Northeast illustrates not only the economic loss but rather the loss of confidence and morale during such troubling times. Furthermore, there are those hazards such as droughts and heat waves that are felt gradually and quietly thus falsely lessening their potential for damage until damage has been done and the i...
There are a number of ways risk communication occurs, however, experts often deliver risks, especially health risks, to the general public through media. So through various media outlets, government agencies and personnel, experts, and journalist are able to provide information to the general public about the nature of risks. The definition of risk communication is the process of exchanges about how best to assess and manage risks among academics, regulatory practitioners, interest groups, and in this case scenario, the general public (Powell & Leiss, 1997, p. 33).
When it comes to a natural disaster, there often is no way of seeing what is coming. Sometimes a tornado, flash flood, or hurricane alert might pop up on your phone or appear on the news, but it is easy to simply overlook these warnings. You never know where you will be at the time of striking. It is near impossible to perfectly time your location and surrounding resources when calamity will hit. The Nepalese boy, who survived for 5 days under a collapsed parking garage due to the devastating earthquake in 2015, had the will to live, determination, and resilience. After disclosing that he had
In addition, the strength of using the Precaution Adoption Process Model is being able to place individuals in specific stages to help them make a decision and move forward to the next stage. The constructs of this model also led to increased preparedness among household that had limited resources. In contrast, a weakness of using the Precaution Adoption Process Model is that the adoption of more complex disaster family communication requires interpersonal education. For instance, using collective efficacy or goal-formation from the Social Cognitive Theory. Implementing these constructs would help families or communities have the confidence, and the ability to set a goal to have a communication plan or disaster
The well-known phases are mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Mitigation consists of activities that allow us to decrease the negative effects of disasters. This can be as simple as finding out whether a homeowner lives in a flood zone and preparing for it. Each phase of emergency management leads to the next phase. The preparedness phase consists of making plans for different disasters. Response is known as the immediate reaction to the disaster. How a person responds to an event can greatly affect the population, environment, and government. Recovery begins initially after an emergency situation. This phase deals a lot with helping a community re-establish essential functions and re-construction efforts. Sometimes this requires a massive amount of coordination and man power to pull a community back together. Even the smallest disaster can have a huge impact on the population, the environment, and the government. When using comprehensive emergency management it is important to consider all possible impacts.
Preparedness is considered the building blocks of emergency management. This point is well justified in this chapter. Preparedness is defined as a state of readiness to respond to a disaster, crisis, or any other type of emergency situation. One of the important and disputable topic discussed here are the differences between mitigation and preparedness. The chapter also explains the need for a systematic approach to preparedness by emphasizing on the point that the management of major disaster events require navigation through extreme complexity and often requires coordination among hundreds of individuals and dozens of agencies.
Those are the words ringing all through September’s National Preparedness Month. As FEMA noted, 70 percent of Americans haven’t practiced or prepared for a disaster. Additionally, those with disabilities find themselves at a historically greater risk during a disaster. For families and individuals alike, most don’t think about floods, wildfires, hurricanes, power outages and other disasters that could come into their lives virtually unexpected. However, news of disasters striking throughout the world remains a mainstay on the news.
Effective communication in its various forms is the substratum of crisis management. Internal and external communication is essential during times of crisis if a successful outcome is to prevail. In a crisis, people’s lives are often at risk, these are lives that can be lost or protected; however, their fate lies in the hands of information. A breakdown in communication during times of crisis will interfere in dispensing pertinent and time sensitive information to the target audience, thus placing them at a gross disadvantage in protecting their health. During a crisis, it can be extremely costly to falter in delivering accurate, detailed, and informative information.
This service uses the knowledge gained from the core function of assessment to begin the process of policy development (California Department of Public Health “Strategic Plan”, 2013). This service focuses with our work to empower people to make informed decisions regarding individual and community health matters (California Department of Public Health “Strategic Plan”, 2013). The communication needs to be targeted to specific groups, accounting for varying levels of understanding, cultural and ethnic differences, vulnerability to the health effects of climate change, and other factors (Frumkin, H., Hess, J., Luber, G., Malilay, J., & McGeehin, M., 2008). Messages should empower people to access and use necessary health resources. Since frightening scenarios may elicit despair and helplessness, it is important to design messages that minimize these responses and that lead instead to constructive behaviors (Frumkin, H., Hess, J., Luber, G., Malilay, J., & McGeehin, M., 2008). The service also encompasses public health activities such as:
Natural disasters cause severe emotional stress, even for the strongest of us. These events, whether natural or manmade, disrupt life, as we know it. It is extremely important that we prepare ourselves, in any way possible, for these potential events. This holds especially true for our healthcare institutions, where we rely on consistent procedures and operations to protect our health and data. While this sounds like a lofty task, it can be achieved. One key factor is having guidelines and trainings in place for each type of disaster. There will be some overlap, but creating specific procedures will give the staff a clear how-to, thus reducing the confusion that is created by natural disasters.