EDMG509Wk4
3 years ago 30
On_the_Cause_of_the_1930s_Dust.pdf
Introduction_HistoryofEmergencyManagement.pdf
On_the_Cause_of_the_1930s_Dust.pdf
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Introduction_HistoryofEmergencyManagement.pdf
Introduction: History of Emergency Management We are clearly a product of our past. Our basic sense of compassion for the victims of disaster became the driving force behind the creation of the field of emergency management. The federal government--the recipients of our tax base--became the necessary funding source for what needed to be done. There was great flexibility utilized in evolving to meet the need. When we needed to recover from natural disasters, we did that. When we needed to prepare for civil defense, we did that. When it became apparent that mitigation was less expensive than recovery, we started to do that. When it was important to restrict the size of government, we did that When it was important to expand capability, we did that as well. The flexibility that has characterized the history of emergency management has really been quite remarkable.
Looking to the future (and completely changing perspectives) here is a consequence to the technological development of instant worldwide 24/7 communication networks; there is nowhere to hide, and things that would have gone unnoticed a few years ago are front and center in the news right now and all the time. Overall, this is good: Tsunami early warning systems that have been put in place in the Pacific have undoubtedly saved lives. However, it also blurs lines, and blurs them badly. As a case in point, immediately after the Haitian earthquake, the national director of the Red Cross was asked how soon the Red Cross would have assets on the ground in Haiti. The director replied that the American Red Cross had no mission to respond to Haiti. That perception lasted only a few seconds, and afterwards the director understood that there was a mission in Haiti. An unplanned, undeveloped, unfunded mission in Haiti, that required immediate response.
This story may be an anomaly for now, but a trend analysis would likely indicate that this scenario may become more common in the future. Former European colonial powers already are conditioned to respond throughout Africa. Australia already is conditioned to respond throughout the South Pacific. The US responds almost everywhere - even Iran and North Korea. This is unlikely to change or slow down. Conversely, now that more disasters are receiving a response, costs have mushroomed. Relief agencies commonly speak of what they call 'donor fatigue'. An economic decline can shrink available resources to the point of putting missions in jeopardy. These are conflicting trajectories that are unresolved, and possibly unresolvable.
For those in the EM field, the good news is that the increasing level of disasters and disaster response activity will likely aid in job availability and security. The EM field is a growth industry according to the analysts. The downside is that the field is so broad that it's difficult to wrap the policy development mind around how to develop budget requirements. This will limit growth to some degree, until the impacts of not providing an adequate budget slap policymakers right in the face.
On_the_Cause_of_the_1930s_Dust.pdf
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Introduction_HistoryofEmergencyManagement.pdf
Introduction: History of Emergency Management We are clearly a product of our past. Our basic sense of compassion for the victims of disaster became the driving force behind the creation of the field of emergency management. The federal government--the recipients of our tax base--became the necessary funding source for what needed to be done. There was great flexibility utilized in evolving to meet the need. When we needed to recover from natural disasters, we did that. When we needed to prepare for civil defense, we did that. When it became apparent that mitigation was less expensive than recovery, we started to do that. When it was important to restrict the size of government, we did that When it was important to expand capability, we did that as well. The flexibility that has characterized the history of emergency management has really been quite remarkable.
Looking to the future (and completely changing perspectives) here is a consequence to the technological development of instant worldwide 24/7 communication networks; there is nowhere to hide, and things that would have gone unnoticed a few years ago are front and center in the news right now and all the time. Overall, this is good: Tsunami early warning systems that have been put in place in the Pacific have undoubtedly saved lives. However, it also blurs lines, and blurs them badly. As a case in point, immediately after the Haitian earthquake, the national director of the Red Cross was asked how soon the Red Cross would have assets on the ground in Haiti. The director replied that the American Red Cross had no mission to respond to Haiti. That perception lasted only a few seconds, and afterwards the director understood that there was a mission in Haiti. An unplanned, undeveloped, unfunded mission in Haiti, that required immediate response.
This story may be an anomaly for now, but a trend analysis would likely indicate that this scenario may become more common in the future. Former European colonial powers already are conditioned to respond throughout Africa. Australia already is conditioned to respond throughout the South Pacific. The US responds almost everywhere - even Iran and North Korea. This is unlikely to change or slow down. Conversely, now that more disasters are receiving a response, costs have mushroomed. Relief agencies commonly speak of what they call 'donor fatigue'. An economic decline can shrink available resources to the point of putting missions in jeopardy. These are conflicting trajectories that are unresolved, and possibly unresolvable.
For those in the EM field, the good news is that the increasing level of disasters and disaster response activity will likely aid in job availability and security. The EM field is a growth industry according to the analysts. The downside is that the field is so broad that it's difficult to wrap the policy development mind around how to develop budget requirements. This will limit growth to some degree, until the impacts of not providing an adequate budget slap policymakers right in the face.