Powerpoint and Journal

MSE 6301, Risk Management 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit III Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

2. Examine the risk that disasters present to the community and responders. 2.1 Determine a community's vulnerability for a disaster.

3. Assess emergency planning strategies aimed to reduce risk.

3.1 Determine methods for gathering local, state, and federal officials together for planning purposes.

3.2 Discuss the integration of a recovery operations plan into the main part of an emergency operations plan.

3.3 Identify mitigation strategies that can address risk reduction in your community.

Course/Unit Learning Outcomes

Learning Activity

2.1 Unit Lesson Chapter 4 Unit III PowerPoint Presentation

3.1 Unit Lesson Chapter 4 Unit III PowerPoint Presentation

3.2 Unit Lesson Chapter 4 Unit III PowerPoint Presentation

3.3 Unit Lesson Chapter 4 Unit III PowerPoint Presentation

Reading Assignment Chapter 4: Disaster Response and Recovery

Unit Lesson Major disasters often lead to positive outcomes for emergency management and lessons learned from decision making that took place during the disaster. Failures in response and recovery efforts in disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and some of the past California wildfires lead to the establishment of the National Response Framework (NRF). The ideal situations within the NRF lend themselves to collaboration, communication, and planning where emergency management may also become involved in the recovery phase of a disaster. There are two main phases that will be discussed in this unit: response and recovery (Kapucu & Özerdem, 2013). The response phase of a disaster occurs at the initial onset of the disaster. The true intention of this phase is to minimize the risk and hazard to the community that may be impacted by the disaster, providing emergency assistance for protection of lives, businesses, community resources, and providing emergency relief to disaster victims impacted by the disaster. In addition to the response efforts, the recovery efforts must also be taken into consideration. Recovery can be broken into both short-term and long-term responses. Short-term responses are normally returning vital human systems to minimal operations within a two-week period (Arnell, Thomas, Tuyman, & Liverman, 2013; Kapucu & Özerdem, 2013). On the other hand, the long-term recovery efforts can be extended into 30, 45, or perhaps 90 day periods. It will depend on the type of disaster

UNIT III STUDY GUIDE

Emergency Management Phases: Response and Recovery

MSE 6301, Risk Management 2

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that has impacted the community. Response activities prior to the disaster may also include the evacuation planning efforts of local leaders, ensuring communication is working between local jurisdictions and community leaders, and the transition period between response and recovery is able to occur smoothly to maintain a sense of continuity in the areas of the community that have been impacted (Kapucu & Özerdem, 2013). Emergency management comprehension comes in the form of being able to understand the roles and experiences of public officials in the context of previous disaster management, basic knowledge of an event, and being able to have multiple response agencies be present when needed. Knowledge, training, and education are integral parts of disaster management. There needs to be a clear recognition of risk and decision-making efforts when there is an opportunity to handle disaster issues when they arise (Arnell et al., 2013). Clear recognition of that risk is necessary at the local level through first responding agencies, and upper management in the responding agencies need to have full comprehension of what is required regarding resources, financial management, and mutual aid responses that may become instrumental during an event. Emergency operations centers (EOCs) are likely to hire more part-time personnel rather than full-time personnel to work in the case of disasters. On the other hand, the monies that are initially saved cannot compensate for the education and skills that are required during an event. Training, education, experience, and the ability to communicate are imperative traits for emergency personnel who are involved in the EOC (Kapucu & Özerdem, 2013; Pfurtscheller & Thieken, 2013). Multi-jurisdictional agencies that are in preparation for disasters need to have a firm understanding of collaboration and communication. The first of many challenges that are oftentimes faced by emergency management agencies is handling the communication aspects related to the different agencies that may be required to offer their support, resources, and other plans that may be beneficial to the community that is impacted by disaster. Collaboration is another issue that may arise prior to a disaster (Kapucu & Özerdem, 2013). Oftentimes, communities train within their own jurisdiction or county, for example, and are either unwilling or lack interest in training with other surrounding communities. These actions can have major consequences in a disaster. The lack of coordination, training, education, and exchanging of vital information can lead to chaos in the midst of an emergency. One of the main challenges that an emergency manager may also face is acquiring financial resources. The type of disaster relief may be dictated by the type of approach from the first responders, the time frame, and the financial backing that may be incurred (Kapucu & Özerdem, 2013). Collaboration and coordination allow for a great number of resources to be gathered prior to an event, but more importantly there is room for thoughts, ideas, and visionary solutions that can be found for the communities to cope with disasters. Technology can also be part of the emergency management interoperability with other communities. Geographical information systems (GIS) can be used to show terrain, geographic information, and are a good tool to apply in the planning phases of disaster management (Kapucu & Özerdem, 2013). Although technology and finances are key components of emergency management, there is a need to have different community stakeholders become part of the process. Various backgrounds, different types of resources, and advancements in technology are imperative to the success of the interoperability of the emergency management team. The ability to have the agencies work, communicate, and collaborate with one another is another challenge the emergency manager faces (Arnell et al., 2013; Kapucu & Özerdem, 2013). In a continuing effort to organize personnel and resources during a disaster, the emergency manager may be part of an emergency multi-organizational network (EMON). The best suggestion for the emergency manager is to have a well-developed emergency operations plan (EOP). The plan should address challenges such as dealing with citizens and their responses to disasters, resource convergence, emergency workers leaving their duties to care for their loved ones and families, what to do in the event of a disaster declaration, and ensuring there is a communications component that is available. Emergency managers should be transparent with the community, provide continual updates for the media, and be willing to share up-to-date information that may be available regarding returning to homes and businesses and what the next steps are in the recovery process. The National Incident Management System (NIMS) is a key element in structure, communication, and managing disaster response. It is imperative to have a structure in place in order to combat the confusion that may ensue over who is in charge of an event and communication issues with the public and media. Even with a structure in place, the emergency manager should keep in mind how to determine the use of the EOP and when there needs to be flexibility within that plan in an effort to handle the emergency in a different approach.

MSE 6301, Risk Management 3

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The emergency manager needs to be further prepared for challenges in a disaster when the resources being requested far exceed the ability to handle the situation. Operational challenges should be addressed in the planning phase along with those political entities that are involved with financial resource allocation. Citizen responses may turn destructive if there is not a clear message being delivered to them when a response is needed. The lack of communication can cause unrest, distrust, and confusion, and deplete the decision- making process along the way. Local governments and agencies should be required to plan a disciplinary approach to allocation of resources, the evacuation process, continual assessment of the situations arising, and the eventuality of recovery (Armenakis & Nirupama, 2013; Kapucu & Özerdem, 2013). Emergency managers need to understand what the full recovery efforts will need for business continuity and how they will take place after the disaster. Community stakeholders should also be involved in the process of understanding exactly what the vulnerabilities are in their residences and businesses, and address the hazards that they feel are in the immediate needs categories (Kapucu & Özerdem, 2013). A good risk analysis prior to the disasters occurring should be considered by all parties involved in the mitigation process. There should be emphasis on the recovery process concerning citizen involvement to increase the level of stakeholder buy-in, decision-making for the variety of needs in the community, and to strengthen the feeling of citizen empowerment in making decisions for their own community. Recovery planning will not only prepare the entire community for disasters, but also increase disaster awareness through the emergency management cycle. Coordination and communication are the key elements to this level of success (Kapucu & Özerdem, 2013).

References Armenakis, C., & Nirupama, N. (2013). Prioritization of disaster risk in a community using GIS. Natural

Hazards, 66(1), 15-29. Arnell, A., Thomas, D. S., Tuyman, C., & Liverman, D. (2013). Flooding resettlement and change in

livelihoods: Evidence from rural Mozambique. Disasters, 37(3), 468-488. Kapucu, N., & Özerdem, A. (2013). Managing emergencies and crises. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett. Pfurtscheller, C. & Thieken, A. H. (2013). The price of safety costs for mitigating and coping with Alpine

hazards. Natural Hazards & Earth System Sciences, 13(10), 2619-2637.

Suggested Reading In order to access the following resource, click the link below: Flooding costs the United States and international agencies billions of dollars a year in resettlement services as well as business continuity. Flooding, relocation, and re-establishment of families in alternate locations can be challenging for emergency management. Arnall, A., Thomas, D. S., Twyman, C., & Liverman, D. (2013). Flooding, resettlement, and change in

livelihoods: Evidence from rural Mozambique. Disasters, 37(3), 468-488. Retrieved from https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=http://search.ebscohost.com/logi n.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=88105872&site=ehost-live&scope=site