Power Point Presentation Present the signature assignment written for class, following the signature assignment rubric. Please be prepared to discuss your emergency management plan rather than reading in detail off slides. 10-15 slides and 10=.

Week Three Signature Assignment

University

COH 440

September 16, 2021

Week Three Signature Assignment

Earthquakes, wildfires, and floods are the main dangers that have plagued California thus far, and they are all caused by Mother Nature. On the other hand, wildfires have been the third most devastating cause of disaster in the state (Hyndman & Hyndman, 2016). They pose a danger to the county's future in a variety of ways. If the history of the problem is any indication, the state is in for a lot more than it bargained for if the catastrophe is any indication, and the scale of the disaster continues to grow.

The years 2017 and 2018 have seen their fair share of natural disasters. The impact of an earthquake, even though it does not occur often, is the most hazardous in the majority of instances (Hyndman & Hyndman, 2016). The size of the catastrophes has the best track record of the three calamities. To have a clear structural strategy for the same, it is necessary to suppress all hazards in this situation. In this particular instance, the problem contributes to lessening the consequences of the occurrences.

To mitigate the consequences of catastrophes, a comprehensive plan should be implemented. To execute the management framework, it is essential to have a well-coordinated engagement between the community and the state, both locally and nationally. They will investigate the implications of the disasters. A hazard vulnerability analysis (HVA) is essential to this article since it will determine which solutions to use to determine the hazard impacts and how to engage all participants in addressing the problem.

Hazard and Vulnerability Analysis

The topology of the Californian state contributes primarily to the fires that have been observed in the county; however, about the configuration, there is the issue of weather, which draws one to the point where there is native vegetation that responds to the weather as well as the topology of the county in the county in question (Steel et al., 2019). All of these variables, when taken together, cause flames to rage out of control under specific climatic circumstances. They spread quickly because the dry vegetation offers a favorable environment for them to thrive in.

According to the findings of the research, individuals have perished as a consequence of the catastrophe outbreaks. As a result, the fire has spread across the county in recent years because they live in an environment that fosters their success. The property has been damaged due to the flames encroaching on the people's living spaces and causing them to burn. As a result, the area has been suffering from drought conditions for quite some time now. In this instance, the GEC (Global Ecosystem Centre) took it upon themselves to investigate the issue at hand and report their findings utilizing the NOAA approach (Tonks et al., 2017).

Everyday use of this technique is studying the coastline line, where they may sketch out variations. They utilized data from the year nineteen ninety-six to make their decision. The year two thousand and one and the year two thousand and five are both included. They also followed the C-CAP guidelines, which served as a framework for performing the study (Tonks et al., 2017). As well as this, they provide a baseline that will be utilized to examine the data in question. In addition, they could evaluate several papers simultaneously, which was very convenient.

According to the company, GEC also made use of images from the Landsat archives to examine the topography of the state of California. The artwork drawn was from the years nineteen eighty-four to twenty-eleven, and it was a random draw. Twenty-six years' worth of papers were included in the data set that was analyzed. According to the investigation findings, the San Diego region and parts of the Los Angeles area had been the most vulnerable places to the wildfires' attacks (Matlock et al., 2017).

The two areas have had the most excellent rates of fires reported out of all the other areas studied. Additionally, the business is growing at a higher pace in the two regions. The area has been transformed into an urban setting for quite some time. As a result of these changes, they are also at a greater danger of being affected by wildfires and the resulting consequences. In exchange for the information, the federal government has gained access to information that will assist them in developing measures to help minimize the effects of the catastrophes in the issue.

According to a further study conducted in California, 15 percent of the homes in the county are in danger of being destroyed by fire (Matlock et al., 2017). They are in danger of being consumed by the fires that erupt in the area from time to time, which is unfortunate. Additionally, reports indicate that about two-thirds of the house is not in a fire-resistant state. According to the results of a study conducted on the number of houses present in the county's forest, the findings revealed that there were those present who occupied 5600 buildings in total (Matlock et al., 2017). Since the fire broke out, twenty-two lives were lost along the way, as they were residents of the affected homes.

Goal Statement

To assist minimize the problems caused by the flames that have swept across the county, they must establish a disaster management process. The inhabitants need a long-term strategy that will assist them in meeting their requirements.

Objectives

· There will be a strategy to assist minimize the problems of wildfires to aid 80 percent of the people who live in the county will have a solution to the problem within seven months of the plan being implemented.

· Wildfire warnings will be sent to the public two months after the preparations are made to warn them that wildfires are a distinct possibility.

· The status of the vegetation in the state and the meteorological conditions in the state will also be made available to the public.

· Firefighting teams will be sent to the scene in 35 minutes to begin the rescue operation and to begin the process of putting out the flames.

Emergency Plan for the Ecological Conditions

Disaster preparation measures and processes for reacting to disasters should be included in an emergency plan's mitigation efforts, as well as techniques for responding to catastrophes (Lock et al., 2016). In addition to this, recovery procedures for the disaster, in particular, should be implemented. For the strategies to be effective, various stakeholders should be in place to address different responsibilities to minimize the amount of work that one person has to do on their own.

Individuals should also have a strong working relationship to share information and find fast answers to the issues when they arise. Coordination also aids in the smooth operation of the workflow between the many stakeholders and the prompt reaction to catastrophes. As explained by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), disaster mitigation is the process of reducing the impact of a disaster, which includes lowering the likelihood of people dying and the property being destroyed (Lock et al., 2016). It is important to remember that a mitigation procedure should be in place in real-life situations such as catastrophes throughout the events.

If the risks are there, they should be carried out both before and after the disaster occurs. Fire extinguishing helicopters should be deployed more often to assist reduce the spreading of wildfires. There should also be more shelters available to accommodate victims of the dangers and safe rooms in the event of a wildfire breaking out, among other measures to reduce wildfires. The presence of departments that monitor the likelihood of wildfires erupting should be in place whenever the temperatures and climatic changes are favorable to the impact of wildfires (Lock et al., 2016).

When there is a fire breakout, the neighborhood should be notified as soon as possible to be protected before the fire reaches them if they reside in the vicinity of the breakout zones. As a result, the county's installation of alarms across the county provides a solution for keeping people informed. Performing routine servicing and inspections on the alarm devices provides a solution to the public since it guarantees that the systems are operating effectively.

People in the county should be equipped with fire extinguishers or fire extinguishing equipment mounted on their vehicles to be prepared for catastrophes. Those unable to install fire extinguishing equipment in their houses must establish safe rooms elsewhere and communal shelters to evacuate if and when flames break out in their neighborhood. Shelters will also be constructed in the safety grounds for the use of the general public if the fire's effects are too severe for them to utilize the safe rooms (Lock et al., 2016).

To be adequately prepared for a catastrophe, the community must be educated on the subject. It is recommended that the community get training in this area. In addition, the governing authorities should have put in place measures to address the needs of those affected by the catastrophe. The training and education should have a practical component, as should the plans establish how they will operate in general (Lock et al., 2016).

Preparations to minimize the impact of the fire should include strategies for educational activities and methods for community services. Families living in the county should be encouraged to participate in the programs, and emergency kits should be kept in the home if a similar situation occurs. More importantly, the state should make fire extinguishers available to the public as part of the disaster preparedness kits to minimize the impacts of wildfires.

The emergency department in California should educate the public about the consequences of the catastrophe and train them on how to deal with the pandemic if and when it happens (Lock et al., 2016). A fire extinguisher should also be taught to extinguish the flames if the situation cannot be contained. Additionally, the federal government should establish a hotline that citizens may utilize to contact authorities for a fast resolution to their issues.

They should also be provided with knowledge on keeping their homes safe and comfortable during a fire outbreak. Educating people via focus groups and holding meetings should aid in raising awareness about catastrophes. The state authorities will also learn what information they need from the pope to serve them better when they need it. People should also have access to information on who is engaged in disaster relief efforts to report problems to the appropriate authorities as soon as they arise.

The community and medical institutions should be prepared to deal with catastrophes. The general public should be trained by participating in exercises from time to time that would assist them to be aware of their position and identify danger before it is too late. It is recommended that the government institutions staff them by conducting a drill within a year to ensure that they are prepared for catastrophes. The exercises may be performed as a surprise so that the state can assess how well the people are prepared if a disaster hits without their awareness.

Entrepreneurs should also plan for this scenario if they are attacked while at their place of business (Lock et al., 2016). They should supply their places of business with the necessary equipment that will allow people to assist themselves in the event of an ambush. They should also equip fire extinguishers on their company premises to assist in mitigating the effects of a fire by putting it out if they can. The administration and the county should make resources available to prepare by purchasing apparatus and fire engines that will react more quickly in an emergency.

Emergency Management

As per the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the management of crises must include all stakeholders engaged in responding to disasters, including the community, consisting of families and children. Volunteer organizations play an important role in crisis management since they collaborate directly with the general public and representatives from various government ministries and agencies.

Disaster management teams, including those working in hospitals and the federal government's reaction teams, are also important actors in the disaster response and recovery effort (Lock et al., 2016).

Engaging the public will aid in the timely execution of decisions and the efficient operation of government agencies during disaster relief operations. A comprehensive emergency plan that incorporates best practices for mitigating the effects of the flames is required by the authorities concerned (Lock et al., 2016). There should be preparations to deal with the consequences of the current problems, such as fire outbreaks. There should be emergency plans in place so that the government can react more quickly to the issues that are impacting the people.

That implies that in addition to having an emergency preparation plan that adequately protects the people, there should also be a disaster recovery plan tailored to the specific requirements of the catastrophe (Lock et al., 2016). As a consequence of the disasters that have occurred in the past, response teams should be established, and with each catastrophe, they should enhance their procedures to have the best practices at the end of it all.

Surge: FEMA and Wildfires

On many occasions this year, the federal government has been called out for not being adequately prepared to deal with the catastrophes resulting from the wildfires in California. They have also been accused of having ineffective firefighting crews, which have contributed to the outbreak of the worst fires in recent memory, which revealed the government's ineffective ways of assisting the ordinary public (Alexandre et al., 2015). As it attempted to recover from the crisis, the county encountered difficulties.

The fire occurred in northern California, where it claimed the lives of about 80 people and damaged over 20,000 structures while burning through 150,000 acres of land. There are certain things that the FEMA wing has done an excellent job of managing, and there are other things that the body hasn't done a good enough job of handling (Alexandre et al., 2015). Countless factors contribute to the organization's capacity to respond to catastrophes, all of which place the organization in a difficult position.

Many individuals believe that the organization is not as equipped as it should be to deal with the catastrophe that has been put in place. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is on the federal government's payroll, which finances the organization's operations. To be effective, they must collaborate closely with many agencies of the Californian local government, as well as with citizens on the ground. Its role in the state is to handle natural catastrophes in the area, such as wildfires that rage across the region.

The agency, in this case, would have paid individuals affected by the fires with money over the years, and it would have also assisted in the establishment of disaster management centers for the general public with the assistance of the local government (Alexandre et al., 2015). They have formed a partnership with the Department of Defense to send pilots experienced in flying choppers and helicopters to the fire zone to put out the flames. But the organization has come under criticism for not reacting quickly to natural catastrophes such as hurricane Katrina, which occurred in 2005.

Special Planning

It is common for animals and people with disabilities to be involved in a fight to assist each other get out of a catastrophic situation during a natural disaster. The participants should have strategies in place to assist them in overcoming their difficulties. To help disaster relief efforts, the community should provide a list of individuals living with disabilities to the appropriate government agencies (Lock et al., 2016). They should also provide information on the number of pets they have at their residence.

The action will assist in meeting the requirements of the rescue operation since the rescue teams will be aware of the number of individuals who may be immobilized during catastrophes and will be able to dispatch rescue units to the affected areas to assist in saving lives. Additionally, the agencies should be able to follow up on the individuals and the presence of the pets after the catastrophe to get information on who may be absent—also, the overall effectiveness of the procedure after the crisis. The study will assist in formulating strategies to rescue the most vulnerable members of society (Lock et al., 2016). A good reason to put tags on your pets is so that you can identify which animals have not yet been found and saved if they go missing.

Evaluation

For the program to have a clear direction, it is necessary to evaluate both the program introduced and the current program for the modifications to be successful. There will be a collection of both qualitative and quantitative information gathered. We will collect qualitative data through focus group interviews and physical inspections of damage to physical objects such as buildings that have occurred over time to compile a report on the losses that have occurred, the recovery procedure, and any mitigation measures that have been implemented at the time of the report's completion (Lock et al., 2016).

The catastrophes in the state will be discussed in the focus group on individuals who live in the county. Besides focus groups, interviews will be conducted with two representatives from the California state government's disaster management teams. There will be one representative from the federal government at the national level. Questionnaires will be used to collect quantitative information. People will be required to respond to questions about the catastrophe that has befallen the state of California.

The questions will center on how state authorities react to the shortcomings in question and the remedies they have implemented to improve the rescue operations since the previous catastrophe occurred in the county, which will be covered in detail in the answers. The surveys will also include questions on how hospitals prepare for crises that may arise due to wildfires bursting out, which will be included in the questions. Following the collection of data, a report will be written outlining the outcomes of the study. Eventually, an action plan will be developed based on the findings, with proposals being made to the general public and the various federal government agencies involved, including hospitals, to implement.

Conclusion

California has adequate rainfall in the autumn and winter to support a healthy amount of plants throughout these seasons. Nevertheless, temperatures may reach three degrees Fahrenheit during the winter season, which contributes to the drying of the vegetation, exacerbated by the fact that rainfall is rare. The dryer the vegetation, the greater the likelihood of flames erupting; in addition, the climate exacerbates the situation by making the county more susceptible to wildfires. As a result of the destruction of the ozone layer, globalization has made things worse. Because of this, it is necessary to establish a framework that is prepared to deal with a crisis and mitigate the consequences of natural catastrophes. People's lives would be saved, and a stable system would be implemented to deal with the results. To accomplish these goals, both the community and governmental agencies must work together.

References

Alexandre, P. M., Stewart, S. I., Mockrin, M. H., Keuler, N. S., Syphard, A. D., Bar-Massada, A., Clayton, M. K., & Radeloff, V. C. (2015). The relative impacts of vegetation, topography, and spatial arrangement on building loss to wildfires in case studies of California and Colorado. Landscape Ecology, 31(2), 415–430. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-015-0257-6

Hyndman, D., & Hyndman, D. (2016). Natural Hazards and Disasters (5th ed.). Brooks Cole.

Lock, M. B., Fansler, C., & Webb, M. (2016). Emergency Planning (R)Evolution. Advances in Library and Information Science, 70–95. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-8624-3.ch004

Matlock, T., Coe, C., & Westerling, A. L. (2017). Monster wildfires and metaphor in risk communication. Metaphor and Symbol, 32(4), 250–261. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926488.2017.1384273

Steel, Z. L., Campos, B., Frick, W. F., Burnett, R., & Safford, H. D. (2019). The effects of wildfire severity and pyrodiversity on bat occupancy and diversity in fire-suppressed forests. Scientific Reports, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-52875-2

Tonks, A. J., Aplin, P., Beriro, D. J., Cooper, H., Evers, S., Vane, C. H., & Sjögersten, S. (2017). Impacts of conversion of tropical peat swamp forest to oil palm plantation on peat organic chemistry, physical properties, and carbon stocks. Geoderma, 289, 36–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2016.11.018