Planet Earth is a miracle, an anomaly within our universe that allows for the growth of diverse natural organisms and beautiful scenery. However, with this great beauty comes natural hazards that can be detrimental to the continued survival of the organisms that inhabit the surface and oceans alike. These disasters can arrive with little warning and completely disrupt the operation of society. The need to plan for potential complex emergencies will continue to rise as long as natural hazards continue to occur along with the human population increasing and seasonal weather intensifying with climate change.
The use of geographic information systems are quickly becoming the most powerful processing tools for spatial and many other types of quantitative data about our world. It has proven to professionals that it can help save time and lives by managing efficient information about natural hazards and the human populations affected by them. However, it’s up to humanity to respond to these disasters and be as prepared as possible. This report and analysis will seek to explore efficient route analysis for emergency vehicles and the public affected by a flooding disaster in a small geographic area. The background of GIS’s integration into the decision support structure, the current and evolving methods for managing data associated with emergency response, and the current modeling of natural hazards and response efforts will also be explored through previous accomplishments.
The definition of disaster has historically been perceived as random acts of nature, symbolized by extremes in physical processes (Zerger, 2002). While that is a broad definition, it is a fact that natural disasters have caused untold amounts of damage to the economi...
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Papinski, Dominik, and Darren M. Scott. "A GIS-Based Toolkit for Route Choice Analysis." Journal of Transport Geography 19 (2011): 434-42. Print.
Yan-xi, Zhou, et al. "An Object-relational Prototype of GIS-based Disaster Database." Procedia Earth and Planetary Science 1 (2009): 1060-66. Print.
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...l. The document is of great importance to each of us. This paper examined the emergency action plan for Knoxville, Tennessee. It compared and analyzed the plan for Knoxville with the standards set forth in the textbook for this course along with other recognized sources in the field of emergency management. The plan Knoxville employs is a simple yet comprehensive plan intent on providing a disaster appropriate response and recovery process while attempting to keep its residents informed and as safe as possible.
Bissell, R. (2010). Catastrophic Readiness and Response Course, Session 6 – Social and Economic Issues. Accessed at http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/crr.asp
Perry, R. W., & Lindell, M. K. (2007). Disaster Response. In W. L. Waugh, & K. Tiernery, Emergency Management: Principles and Practice for Local Government (pp. 162-163). Washington D.C.: International City/County Management Association.
Every disaster incident that occurs, varies in size and complexity based upon on the elements involved. However, through effective planning and use of the Incident Command System (ICS), agencies involved can coordinate a unified response to address all-hazards. One example incident which used ICS was the Duke Energy Diesel Spill of August 19th, 2014. First, to become familiar of with ICS, a brief history of its inception and how it is utilized to address any hazards will be provided. Then, a summary of the Duke Energy Diesel Spill incident will be provided. Afterward, an examination will be conducted into the utilization of ICS during the Duke Energy Diesel Spill. Overall, by better understanding the utilization of ICS, agencies can be better
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.
The accuracy and precision of disaster forecast reached its limit nowadays. The country knows where the disaster starts, when it hits them and how big it is. The focus is now on the improvement of people’s shelter in order to minimize victims of the natur...
Haddow, G. D., Bullock, J. A., & Coppola, D. P. (2010).Introduction to emergency management. (4th ed., pp. 1-26). Burlington, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann.
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...
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 decision makers should receive the information very quickly for them to determine the order of the evacuation. The stakeholders that are critically involved may be viewed as decision makers, after which one political authority with power to make the final decision on evacuation is considered (DHS, 2004). Evacuation decision is made by various bodies and the social, political and economic issues have to be considered. There are also information providers that possess the information on evacuation decision. These partners should be identified, and know their tasks and limitations in the process of evacuation decision-making. Information plays an essential role in evacuation readiness effort. Transportation officials provide information to the decision makers. For reliability, information should be collected from official sources and readily available, interpreted and collected continually in all the phases of the evacuation operation (DHS, 2004). A reliable baseline data is required which should be updated continually to help in preparing for the emergency situations. During the evacuation, such data is very necessary since the evaluators have to know the number to be evacuated and do enough preparations. They also need to know the number that needs other kinds of help such as medical, food supplies, and other security. Planners may face
Paper Maps: Cell phones and computers do not always work in emergency situations. Invest in a current paper map of the general area.
For the purpose of this paper, we will discuss a weather event that few think of regarding natural disasters; winter storms. Winter storms are different from a snowy day in that a winter storm can include heavy snow, damage-causing ice, high winds, dangerously low temperatures, low visibility, or any combination thereof (America’s PrepareAthon, 2015) and makes travel extremely hazardous. A winter storm can affect an entire region and victims may experience loss of utility services, limited mobility, among various personal crises (illnesses, accidents, or death). For example, between November 17 and November 20, 2014 Buffalo, New York was buried under 7 feet of snow causing thirteen fatalities, hundreds of roof collapses/structural failures, thousands of stranded motorists, downed trees, and power outages in addition to food and gas shortages (National Weather Service, n.d.). In the most severe winter storms, snow plows, and emergency services personnel often have a difficult time keeping up with the needs of the region; therefore, it may be hours, days or even weeks until conditions are safe and services are
Predicting the future is a tricky undertaking, but by looking at the recent past we can predict with relative certainty that these issues will come to the fore or continue to gain traction for the emergency management and public safety worlds…. Cutting the costs of recovery, assessing risk and communicating the way people prefer to communicate will continue to be key elements of managing natural and man-made disasters (para. 1).
Johns Hopkins University. (2009, March). In disaster-prone areas, construction needs a new approach. Retrieved from http://phys.org/news157051992.html
Emergency planners should use their community HVAs to identify the types of natural hazards (e.g., floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes), technological accidents (e.g., toxic chemical releases, nuclear power plant accidents), and deliberate incidents (e.g., sabotage or terrorist attack involving hazardous materials) to which their communities are vulnerable. Following identification of these hazards, emergency planners should consider the extent to which different hazard agents make similar demands on the emergency response organization. When two hazard agents have similar characteristics, they are likely to require the same emergency response functions. Commonality of emergency response functions provides multiple use opportunities for personnel, procedures, facilities, and equipment—which, in turn, simplifies the EOP by reducing the number of functional annexes. In addition, it simplifies training and enhances the reliability of organizational performance during emergencies. Only when hazard agents have very different characteristics, and thus require distinctly different responses, will hazard-specific appendixes will be