Response and recovery are often matters of life and death. Preplanning is part of
response and recovery. Your boss loved the work you did in the Discussion Thread:
Understanding Mitigation and Preparedness. You have just been appointed the new
emergency manager for your agency. Before you, no one did anything in this area. Your
boss calls you back in and wants to know where to start and what to do regarding these
functional areas. (He or she is concerned with the agency itself, not so much the
community or customers you serve at this point.)
Tell us what you would tell your boss and how you would go about this task. Be specific
and detailed.
Your boss is going to move forward based on what you tell him or her. This includes
many things, such as response, recovery, and all of their sub-components, such as but
not limited to redundancy, resiliency, continuity of operations planning, training,
equipping, budgeting, etc. You only get one chance to get it right with your boss to start
all of this off correctly. Be detailed. (For this post, you do not need to cover mitigation or
preparedness functions again.) What does the Bible say about response and recovery?
As a new Emergency Manager, we will need to begin formulating response plans and recovery options in
an effort to move forward with all of our planning. Mitigation and preparedness will occur before an
emergency incident occurs and we must evaluate the risk of what types pose a threat to us. Once the
risk is evaluated and the plans of actions for our specific agencies are completed we will need to
evaluate what responses we necessitate. “Mitigation and preparedness generally occur before a disaster
ever occurs, although post disaster mitigation and preparedness, conducted in recognition that similar
events are likely in the future, make these two activities somewhat general to the entire emergency
management cycle. This is in contrast to response and recovery, which by definition are only possible in
the aftermath of a disastrous event” (Bullock, 2013, p. 435).
Determining what response actions are needed, will depend on which situation we are responding to. I
will develop an emergency action plan (EAP) for each type of risk that has been evaluated to possibly
occur with our agency. The EAP will clearly identify the responsibilities of employees, supervisors, and
what resources will be responding to the event. There will need to be training with every employee on
where they are to go or what they are to do in the event of an occurrence. There will need to be training
with responding agencies with where they respond to and with what resources they bring. FEMA states
this allows responsibility to fall on the organizations for quick and seamless integration of recovery
operations that allows for a faster community recovery.
Reponses will need to evaluate as to large scale or small events having different responses. There needs
to be discussions with all the agencies that could respond especially if there is any jurisdictional concerns
or conflicting response protocols by agencies. Carmine (2008) reflects on the effective mobilization of
response to extreme events on a large scale is one of the least understood problems in public
management. It further explains that the process requires the rapid search, exchange, and absorption of
valid information be transmitted through a network of organizations that crosses disciplinary,
organizational and jurisdictional boundaries.
Recovery often begins the minute that response starts. We must determine in our response to particular
risks, what we will need to proceed with recovery. “These overlapping areas are identified through
comprehensive planning with the whole community to ensure they are properly addressed during the
response to an incident. Ensuring that operational plans properly account for the integration of all
mission areas is essential” (FEMA Editors, 2019, p. 14). Response and recovery will overlap and we must
account for all the operations in our EAP that will be taking place depending on the risk. Part of the
assessment will include previous history of events and an assessment of the area for what is it prone to
type of event.
There is not a redundancy in event plans. Event plans may include the same terminology or the same
response agencies, however every event we make a plan of action for must speak deliberately to the
event and not create one plan that should encompass all disasters. Over time, our past shows us what
has occurred and how we have responded to what has occurred. We learn from each event to attempt
to handle risks better and our agency must proactively plan in an effort to be resilient. If we don’t plan to
be resilient and this return to a sense of normal as soon as possible is the goal. “It requires pre-disaster
planning among organizations to identify what information will be required and how this information
may be accessed. It entails the rapid comprehension of danger that, under ordinary circumstances,
would be unimaginable. It requires the ability to use that powerful insight to anticipate the spread of risk
through an interdependent community and to devise actions that will interrupt or limit the risk”
(Carmine, 2008, p. 84).
Psalm 30:5 “Weeping may endure for a night. But joy comes in the morning.” There will always be events
in everyone’s life that create hard times or a sense of despair. Through proper planning and planning for
recovery, we can be resilient that hard times do not last forever and we can all look towards the future
for recovery from traumatic events. Our agency must take the identity of risks, prepare for what all can
happen, identify who will respond to help us, and if certain events occur how we rebuild from it.
Rebuilding will often take a plan for what are priorities for this rebuilding.
Bullock, Jane A., Haddow, George D., Coppola, Damon P. (2013). Introduction to Homeland Security
(Fourth Edition). https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-415802-3.00010-5.
FEMA Editors (2019). National Response Framework, Fourth Edition. Retrieved from Homeland Security
January 2022. https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-04/NRF_FINALApproved_2011028.pdf
Carmine Scavo, Kearney, R. C., & Richard J. Kilroy, Jr. (2008). Challenges to Federalism: Homeland Security
and Disaster Response. Publius, 38(1), 81–110. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4624811
,
I agree that response and recovery are very important. The needs for proper and consistent training will
have to be budgeted in order for successful operations if or when a situation arises. The lack of training
will show with greater loss of life and/or greater loss of property that could have been saved if all were
properly trained to handle the situation. The interesting part was your discussion about incorporating
needs with different populations throughout the state. I agree that there must be a communication
strategy to handle all the cultural differences within the different communities. Part of the research that I
have completed on Hurricane Katrina response found that this was abundantly clear with evacuations of
people in New Orleans. “Risk perception and response are also important in understanding why people
may not have evacuated. A more disadvantaged group of Katrina evacuees surveyed in Houston area
shelters found that half had not heard an evacuation order or had heard an order that lacked clear
instructions” (Fussell, 2015, p. 1238).
The other part of interoperability you discuss is a must as well. All agencies that will be working together
should have common terminology, ten codes, and/or acronyms to avoid the confusion or
miscommunication. These mishaps will only slow or hamper response operations. Reponses will need to
evaluate as to large scale or small events having different responses. There needs to be discussions with
all the agencies that could respond especially if there is any jurisdictional concerns or conflicting
response protocols by agencies. It will be difficult for budgeting employees, but I believe you will be able
to received training funding easier.
Fussell, E. (2015). The Long-Term Recovery of New Orleans’ Population After Hurricane
Katrina. American Behavioral Scientist, 59(10), 1231–1245. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764215591181
,
Working in any form of emergency management or first response has to have that form of selfless acts. It
is just ingrained in most of those employed as a part of their nature. I believe setting up programs that
educate your community would be a great idea. The best part is using organizations that already do this
and will fund this. As you stated, FEMA will bring teams to educate and train community individuals on
disaster response skills, preparedness, and the reality of hazards. When discussing equipment, you must
look at previous history. Response and recovery will overlap and we must account for all the operations
in our EAP that will be taking place depending on the risk. Part of the assessment will include previous
history of events and an assessment of the area for what is it prone to type of event. You are correct in
spending money for equipment including generators, extra supplies, and making sure that organizations
have adequate space to accommodate any needs. I read in a different post about communication needs
and the interesting point was made about cultures. There must be a communication strategy to handle
all the cultural differences within the different communities. Part of the research that I have completed
on Hurricane Katrina response found that this was abundantly clear with evacuations of people in New
Orleans. The biggest part of response and recovery is being well planned and well equipped. We have to
be ready to act and have the tools in order to react. This includes proper training for personnel.
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