EXAMINING DISASTER MANAGEMENT
EXAMINING DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Krystle McMullins
Liberty University
Prof. Jimmie Johnson
09/11/2023
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EXAMINING DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Abstract
The ideas and principles of disaster management have gained prominence in emergency
management ever since the terrorist events on September 11, 2001, in New York City. As a result
of their efforts, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has reached the forefront
of catastrophe management and research on a national scale. It maintains and examines
successful methods that can be replicated by every community throughout the country. While
dealing with emergencies. Emergency managers may better gauge their community's
preparedness for catastrophes of all types thanks to the massive body of data and analysis
conducted on thousands of incidents over the last several decades. Key ideas and terminologies
will be identified and discussed for each of the four stages of this cycle: mitigation, readiness,
response, and recovery.
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Examining Disaster Management
Several historical catastrophes may be considered disasters, yet the definition of disaster
has changed. There are numerous parallels between Noah's situation and modern emergency
management. That crisis manager must still deal with (Phillips et al., 2017). Even though the
Great Flood was over 5,000 years ago, natural catastrophes continue to be a severe issue in every
part of the world. The United States faced its worst national security threat on September 11,
2001. When terrorists hijacked commercial airliners and killed hundreds of people, a
manufactured calamity of 3,000 plus prompted a state of emergency declaration on September
14, 2005, an identical year. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was established in
November 2002 after the September 11 attacks, with then Governor of Pennsylvania Tom Ridge
serving as its first Director(U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2002). The Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) is now in charge of FEMA and has established itself as a frontrunner
in managing natural and artificial disasters. To accomplish FEMA's mission is to aid citizens
before, during, and after natural disasters by providing them with information and resources.
Physical assets to municipal, regional, state, and national government. As previously mentioned,
FEMA is the United State's leading emergency management agency, playing a crucial role in
disaster prevention, warning, response, and cleanup and restoration stages. Each stage serves as
groundwork for the subsequent progress from earlier stages of the procedure, before, during, and
after a catastrophic event.
Mitigation
To reduce the harm that natural disasters cause to communities, both in terms of lives lost and
material goods destroyed, disaster mitigation is a crucial component of emergency management
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(New Bedford, n.d). Two types of reductions are attempted: internal and external. Mitigation
strategies that focus on the built environment or physical barricades erected to halt the spread of
destruction would be ideal. Nonstructural "mitigation" refers to intangible, non-constructional
measures to reduce disasters, such as enforcement-related measures and insurance coverage.
Although emergency managers may reduce casualties and property loss by using structural
mitigation measures, a typical challenge is the high cost. It's possible to build or buy blast-proof
rooms and buildings at the level of the person and the family, but these options come with a hefty
price tag. Critical preventative measures, including building rules and insurance, fall under
nonstructural mitigation. Developers, builders, and homeowners are all required to get permits to
build inside a town that has adopted making regulations. Plan building inspections and follow
state and local building regulations.
Individuals and families may save tens of thousands of dollars by investing in personal
insurance as risk management. Despite its limited prevalence and great potential for loss,
catastrophe insurance may protect against a wide range of catastrophic events. Such as natural
phenomena such as hurricanes and tornadoes to more anthropogenic ones like the bursting of
natural gas pipelines using the neighborhood gas supply.
Preparedness
Before a catastrophe, preparation is the most crucial stage of the disaster life cycle. Each level,
from the person to the company to the community, may take various measures to prepare for a
catastrophe (Phillips et al. 2017). Risk perception and individual behavior are two variables that
influence how well-prepared a person is. Individuals who have been through a tragedy before are
more likely to be prepared for another disaster than those who have never been through a
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catastrophe, relying on their access to information and opportunities such as those provided by
institutions such as FEMA (Guo et al., 2021).
Another example is FEMA's Makes Plan project, which guides people through the disaster
preparation phase's planning process. Reading these materials may help people and families
prepare for less common safety practices, including keeping a first aid kit on hand. How people
act might have a positive or negative effect on their level of readiness. If a crisis were to strike
while workers were at work, the organization's disaster plan may help them be more prepared.
Without a doubt, this would also include emergency services like law enforcement, fire, and
paramedics; however, the caveat is that government agencies usually plan for and train for
catastrophes, but private firms and organizations may do the bare minimum. Directors and
executives should prioritize training when developing strategies for their firms because of its
essential role in readiness. However, emergency planners need to exercise with organizations
outside of their own. Working together allows people to pool their resources and respond to an
emergency more effectively.
As noted before, readiness is a group endeavor, which should be reflected in preparation
exercises. Training with police and public works staff may help fire departments better
coordinate resources in the event of an emergency. Public education initiatives and community-
wide catastrophe drills may help prepare residents for any eventuality. Household and individual
preparation for emergencies (Phillips et al., 2017). A community's disaster preparedness plans
should also consider the unique requirements of its residents with disabilities. For instance, if a
municipality learns that a nursing facility is located inside its municipal official and a resident of
a jurisdiction with disabled people who would need help evacuating. The nursing facility
administration has to work together to create an effective evacuation plan for the residents. Those
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people in the neighborhood since disasters tend to have the most significant impact on these
weaker members of society it is crucial disaster preparations prioritize them. The community has
the potential to be very useful (Center for Disaster Philanthropy, 2021)
Response
One of the most immediately apparent phases in the catastrophe life cycle is the arrival of
aid and resources at the disaster scene. An emergency operations center (EOC) may be set up at a
specified location before emergency responders arrive at a disaster scene. An emergency
operations center (EOC) is where disaster management experts and representatives from
responding organizations may gather and talk about what they need in the event of an incident
(Phillips et al., 2017). As a result of managers of various emergency response agencies working
together, crisis reaction is both prompt and effective. A warning given during a catastrophe
would often instruct the public to either seek shelter or leave. A take shelter order is issued when
there is not enough time to prevent severe injury or loss of life from a calamity that has been
forecast. Public announcement of haven will be made. This will enlighten the general public.
There will be a significant disruption to communal life, and many will seek refuge in nearby
buildings. The community will be able to take the necessary precautions to reduce harm. Given
enough warning. Significant catastrophes, such as in the southern United States during the
hurricane season, are possible.
In the event of a significant death toll, it is advised that people be evacuated. While material
possessions might be lost, human lives are irreplaceable and must be protected at all costs. The
government may assist by rerouting evacuees if necessary, depending on the location being
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evacuated. Traffic movement, like when lanes heading south are freed so northbound vehicles
may merge. Improvement of motorist's ability to escape a burning building.
One person, the incident commander, is a coordinator with other designated personnel from the
many NIMS agencies. The operational reaction to catastrophes is simply one part of this.
Logistics, planning, and disseminating information are all examples of "back-end" work.
Because of that, with several groups with the responsibility that must be fulfilled, a centralized
command is set up whereby representatives from all relevant groups and agencies may meet to
consider response efforts and allocate resources. A public information officer (PIO) handles
media relations and only shares information deemed suitable or essential by unified command.
The public will be aware of how they may assist via information transmission. Before and after
an emergency, monetary aid and other assistance like blood donations are also mentioned.
During the latter stages of disaster response, the unified command will discuss the means to start
the rehabilitation process.
Recovery
It is not enough to eliminate a threat from a community to begin rehabilitation after a tragedy.
Recovery is best understood as a process consisting of discrete actions that may be grouped into
immediate or delayed responses (Phillips et al., 2017). Restoring a community's essential
infrastructure and utilities is meant by "short-term recovery efforts" while long-term
rehabilitation efforts aim to work toward an agreed-upon picture of normalcy. This foresight aids
in determining what assets would be needed before any action is taken, and you must do a
damage assessment. Officials may better anticipate the who, what, and where of recovery efforts
using information gleaned from a community-wide disaster assessment. Triaging requirements of
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individuals and communities may become necessary during rescue and recovery operations.
Crucial elements on the list of recoverable objects in an emergency, essential utilities, and
infrastructure would be repaired before anything else. In an attempt to benefit the most people
and the community as whole individuals, as opposed to concentrating on a small sample size,
dual efforts at recovering. After the terrorist events on September 11 included moving or
rehousing people impacted by the disaster cleanup and clearing up hazardous materials.
The removal of the billions of pounds of rubble left at Ground Zero took a back seat to meet
the housing needs of individuals who were displaced by the attacks. Only the state governor with
damage may seek a presidential crisis affirmation, and such petitions are sent to the local FEMA
office. After that, a group of investigators, representatives, and authorities will inspect the region,
and an order will be issued based on their findings. After a catastrophe is declared, the federal
government may begin distributing the aid that was initially intended for the area (FEMA,
2022c)
Conclusion
Management of the whole catastrophe life cycle is a complex and ongoing effort. Suppose
they want to serve their communities best. In that case, emergency managers must be willing to
constantly assess and improve their disaster prevention, readiness, response, and restoration
activities and foster cooperative partnerships with groups that intervene in emergency events.
While the public usually only hears about and sees the aftermath of a tragedy, the cycle of unseen
labor at each stage is vital to the final product of effective catastrophe management. Emergency
management will always step up to the plate and do their jobs, no matter where a tragedy occurs.
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References
Center for Disaster Philanthropy. (2021). The disaster life cycle. https://disasterphilanthropy.org
FEMA. (2022a). Mission, values and history. https://www.fema.gov/
FEMA. (2022b). National incident management system.
https://www.fema.gov/emergencymanagement
FEMA. (2022c). How a disaster gets declared. https://www.fema.gov/disaster/
Guo, C., Sim, T., & Su, G. (2021). Individual disaster preparedness in drought-and-flood-prone
villages in northwest China: Impact of place, out-migration, and community. National Library of
Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7916103/
King James Bible OFFICIAL KING JAMES BIBLE ONLINE: AUTHORIZED KING JAMES
VERSION (KJV)
Phillips, B. D., Neal, D. M., & Webb, G. R. (2017). Introduction to emergency management (2nd
ed.). CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (2022). Creation of the department of homeland
security. https://www.dhs.gov/creation-department-homeland-security
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