Emergency Telecommunications within Humanitarian Disaster Relief Operations
1. Introduction
On November 8’th, 2013 Typhoon Haiyan stuck the islands of the Philippines unleashing record sustained wind velocities of 315 km/h. (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs , 2013). The storm which initially affected over 18 million people which included the devastation of large urban population centres in Tacloban City and Roxas City. On November 9, the president of the Philippines appealed to the global community requesting international support, in particular sectors including; search & rescue, fuel and telecommunications were identified as priorities (Government of Philippines, 2013). Within 48 hours in response to the government request, The Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) activated and deployed staff and equipment to support Human Assistance/Disaster Relief Operations (HA/DR) activities on the ground with provision of voice and data services as described in their ITIL based service catalogue (ETC, 2013). The provision of these harmonized and predictable services within common operational areas acts as an enabler for the humanitarian supply chain and related logistical requirements (World Food Programme, 2012).
The ETC, led by the World Food Programme (WFP) is comprised of a network of suppliers and service providers of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) services supporting Humanitarian actors during the onset of a disaster. Membership of the ETC includes United Nations (UN) funds and programmes, International Non-Governmental Organizations (iNGO’s), Member states and the private sector. It’s mandate:
“To provide timely, predictable and effective Information Communications T...
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...s and response in humanitarian logistics can be greatly improved and made more effective and efficient through the use of information management systems, collaboration and coordination through bodies such as the ETC in concert with project management concepts borrowed from private sector organizations. Such measures can greatly reduce the uncertainties and complexities of humanitarian logistics during emergencies. The aggregation of ICT service delivery has been show as a strategy that can be used to reduce uncertainties and complexities by adopting the integrated format used by complex business organizations such as multinationals. To deal with the short-term and progressive evolving nature of disaster response, a time series model can be used in demand and supply analysis in order to cope with the evolution of needs as time progresses.
4. References
5. Appendix
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 ...
There are many areas of the world where the most basic needs like clean drinking water, proper sanitation and medical care are just not available. When disaster strikes, the people living in these already disadvantaged areas are thrust into situations where death is almost always imminent. Reach Out WorldWide (“ROWW”) was started by a group of 6 men in California. They flew to Haiti and volunteered to help in whatever way they could after a massive earthquake devastated the country on January 12, 2010. While working in Haiti as medical aid volunteers, the group recognized the need for skilled people, supplies and urgency for a faster response when natural disasters strike.
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If a critical incident should occur, the response and recovery from emergency situation can expense a significant monetary incurrence. Establishments that have put NIMS into operation are eligible to recuperate any portion of their operative expense from the federal government. “Additionally, NIMS offers a predefined, yet flexible, organizational structure that can be altered, as necessary, to ensure maximum effectiveness during small operations or complex responses and extended in scope if an incident grows in size” (Fazzini, 2009, p. 15). The flexibility of NIMS can be adjusted to accommodate operational function of the incident, geographical boundaries, or a consolidation of
The NRF describes the principles, roles and responsibilities and coordinating structures for delivering the core capabilities required to respond to an incident and further describe how response efforts integrate with those of the other mission areas. The National Incident Management System (NIMS) to align key roles and responsibilities across the nation. The NRF describes specific authorities and best practices for managing incidents that ranges from the serious but purely local to large scale terrorist attacks or disasters. The NRF describes the principles, roles and responsibilities, and coordinating structures for delivering the core capabilities require to respond to an incident and further describes how response effort integrate with those of other mission areas. The response mission area includes 14 cores capabilities, they included
While the circumstances of Maria were unique, due to Puerto Rico's location and political standing, there were still many basic supply chain tactics that could have been used to make relief more efficient and effective. An example of the impact a poor supply chain decision can have is evident by the fact there were 10,000 cargo ships filled with critical supplies that were left in port, while the people on the island struggled with no form of communication (Gillespie et al., 2017). In the end, using supply chain management practices such as emphasizing communication, understanding a system's weakness, and employing risk mitigation tactics early on could have drastically changed the relief efforts impact, and potentially decreased the $90 billion cost the storm was estimated to have
Technology such as computers and robots are being designed to handle specific tasks. According to the US Department of Defense, a robotics challenge is seeking to develop newer robots and can help people respond in times of disaster (US). Local Authorities, such as police and firefighters, will be able to give commands by voice to the robots in disaster situations. This allows for the building of more successful response teams. Currently, a successful disaster response operation depends on surge capacity, which is having enough resources, transportation and trained responders (LA). In addition, the main challenge is being able to manage these resources swiftly and being coordinated and used effectively at their destination. This is where disaster management becomes an issue. In order for an effective communicative system to be established between communities at risk or affected by the disaster and emergency institutions, information needs to be relayed in both ways: in and out. Different types of technology such as mobile technology, space-based technology, and many more allow for faster response and preparedness.
NIMS provides a uniform nationwide basis and way for federal, state, tribal, and local governments, along with the public to work on preparedness, recovery, response and mitigation no matter what causes an event. With all organizations using the same application, effective and efficient responses are possible. Organizations will be able to arrive on the scene and be ready to assist and understand exactly what each group is doing and why. Protocols are set and it is known what equipment and personnel are available. With NIMS all groups are able to integrate und...
Introduction Disaster Recovery Planning is the critical factor that can prevent headaches or nightmares experienced by an organization in times of disaster. Having a disaster recovery plan marks the difference between organizations that can successfully manage crises with minimal cost, effort and with maximum speed, and those organizations that cannot. By having back-up plans, not only for equipment and network recovery, but also detailed disaster recovery plans that precisely outline what steps each person involved in recovery efforts should undertake, an organization can improve their recovery time and minimize the disruption time for their normal business functions. Thus, it is essential that disaster recovery plans are carefully laid out and updated regularly. Part of the plan should include a system where regular training occurs for network engineers and managers.
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Communication is essential in education, training and everyday life. It's a means by which a thought is transferred from one person to another. Effective communication occurs when the intended meaning of the source and the perceived meaning of the receiver are virtually the same, Schemerhorn (2005).
ComEd appears to have thoroughly analyzed social media best practices before it embarked on its own social media program. However, it decided to place the responsibility for social media within its own customer operations rather than in its communications or marketing department. Was this is a good decision- why or why not?
Emergency management is often described in terms of “phases,” using terms such as mitigate, prepare, respond and recover. The main purpose of this assignment is to examine the origins, underlying concepts, variations, limitations, and implications of the “phases of emergency management.” In this paper we will look at definitions and descriptions of each phase or component of emergency management, the importance of understanding interrelationships and responsibilities for each phase, some newer language and associated concepts (e.g., disaster resistance, sustainability, resilience, business continuity, risk management), and the diversity of research perspectives.
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As a country, our priority as of now is to rebuild from the ruins of our former homes and to rekindle the love and care which may have been be lost in this horrific tragedy. Most importantly our job is to tend for the needy. I have met with Secretary Corazon Soliman to expedite the resources and to offer immediate assistance to individuals with suffered loss. It is essential for all the victims of Super Typhoon Haiyan to know that their country is here to support them in this time of need for however long it shall take. For there are homes to rebuild, businesses to reopen and hearts to refill with love and attention. Throughout regions of our country there are...