As a newly appointed emergency manager, I have already reviewed mitigation and
preparedness with my supervisor. Further, I now must discuss response and recovery. Mitigation
and preparedness have prominent roles in navigating crisis, but response and recovery are just as
critical to emergency functions.
Response is made up of the immediate actions taken after a crisis to save lives, meet
basic human needs, and protect property and the environment (Nemeth, 2017). It includes the
execution of emergency plans and actions to begin short-term recovery (Nemeth, 2017). The
level of response will depend on the circumstances and conditions of the crisis. Furthermore,
recovery is exemplified in the long-term efforts to restore services and rebuild communities after
a crisis. Recovery can often depend on how quick the response is once a disaster strikes.
Recovery typically consists of preserving life and basic subsistence to affected communities, but
also addressing the social, economic, and political needs of the community (Kilroy, 2018). If
these needs are not dealt with at the start of the response, a community may not fully recover.
As the emergency manager, I would ensure my organization was ready to respond and
begin recovery measures as soon as a disaster occurred. The mission of the agency must be to
help in responding and recovering when a disaster hits. The policy changes and trainings
conducted must help guide the team towards this mission. As seen in the aftermath of Hurricane
Katrina, the government let down many communities that were victims to the hurricane. This
will not be the case of the organization I manage. Ephesians 5:15 counsels “Look carefully then
how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are
evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” If an agency
delays their operations or responsibilities, it is further harming the community and fostering a
poor imagine of the organization. FEMA lays out what makes a response plan effective via three
principles: the plan must include the cooperation of the community and any partners it has,
should have flexibility and adaptability when implementing such plans, and it must incorporate
several different frameworks (Nemeth, 2017). DHS and FEMA have created the National
Response Framework (NRF) to help in an agency’s response to a disaster whether small or large
in nature.
The NRF sets the foundation for all types of threats, ranging from accidents,
technological hazards, natural disasters, and human-caused incidents (Nemeth, 2017). In
addition, it helps coordinate, integrate, and unify the response of the government, civilians, and
NGO’s (Nemeth, 2017). Moreover, the framework sets the foundation for unified
command based on the National Incident Management System’s (NIMS) guiding principles:
flexibility, standardization, and unity of effort (FEMA, 2017). Unified command calls for all
agencies to put aside differences over region and jurisdiction to successfully provide response
and recovery responsibilities (Nemeth, 2017). Understanding such systems proves essential in
enabling a quicker response to emergencies, reducing the time and resources necessary for
recovery, and giving a community a greater chance of resiliency (Kilroy, 2018).
It is vital for an organization to be prepared for response and recovery. This is why, just
as in previous discussions on preparedness and mitigation, I will ensure the organization I
manage will complete thorough trainings on NRF, other emergency management systems, and
will understand how to be resilient in all circumstances. “Exercises allow homeland security and
emergency management personnel, from first responders to senior officials, to train and practice
prevention, protection, response, and recovery capabilities in a realistic but risk-free
environment.” (Nemeth, 2017). There are seven types of exercises all under either discussion
based training or operational training. Discussion based trainings include seminars, workshops,
tabletop exercises, and games. Operational based trainings include drills, functional exercises,
and full-scale exercise (Nemeth, 2017).
As an emergency manager, I would begin with seminars to discuss the new or updated
plans, policies, or procedures. During this time, I would allow a workshop period to understand
employees’ thoughts on the changes in policy, redundancy, and their opinions on what has
worked best for them. I would make it a priority to train the team on criticality assessments. This
assessment identifies, evaluates, and prioritizes resources based on the continuity of operations
(Nemeth, 2017).
Further, I would invite other agencies to complete drills, functional exercises, and full-
scale exercises. Interagency cooperation reaps several benefits including innovative problem-
solving, increased training opportunities, intelligence sharing, and reduced recovery time
following disasters (Nemeth, 2017). This is why it is important to include different agencies
during trainings as everyone comes to understand the entire scope of their roles when a disaster
does occur.
The mission in the organization must be similar to FEMA: “helping people before, during
and after disasters…”(FEMA, 2022). The policy and plan changes that would incur, the trainings
I implement, and the core values created will be valuable and bolstering to the mission.
Everything accomplished would exemplify adaptability, resiliency, innovation, and overall
prepared.
References
FEMA. (2017). National Incident Management System - FEMA. National Incident Management
System. Retrieved July 12, 2022, from https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-
07/fema_nims_doctrine-2017.pdf
FEMA. (2022). About Us. FEMA.gov. Retrieved July 19, 2022, from
https://www.fema.gov/about#:~:text=Graphic-,Our%20Mission,goals%20help%20us%20achieve
%20it
Kilroy, R. J. (2018). Threats to homeland security reassessing the all hazards perspective (2nd
ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Nemeth, C. P. (2017). Homeland security: An introduction to principles and practices (3rd ed.).
Boca Raton, FL: Taylor & Francis (CRC Press). ISBN: 9781498749091.
New King James Version Bible. (1982). Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Myranda,
I enjoyed reading your discussion board on the response and recovery functions of an emergency
manager. I appreciate your thoughts on the importance of preparedness and mitigation and how
they affect response and recovery. Nemeth (2017) discussed how preparedness can determine the
effectiveness of response and recovery. Furthermore, I agree with your analysis that it “is
important that we utilize our resources to ensure that we are properly responding to disasters”.
The Office of Response and Restoration is one of the many agencies the government has created
to provide for the protection of American infrastructure during a disaster. They specifically focus
on disaster preparedness when responding to oil spills, chemical accidents, and other
emergencies in coastal areas (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2022). They
state preparedness requires constant vigilance, ensuring equipment is maintained, plans are
reviewed and tested, but most importantly, “Preparedness is about communication and building
relationships with people around you before disaster strikes.” (Finn, 2019). If equipment is not
sustained, plans regularly tested and improved, and human capital is not employed, an
organization is not utilizing its resources properly, maintaining the response and recovery efforts
will not be as successful (Finn, 2019). I greatly appreciate your thoughts on this topic as you
dutifully detailed the everchanging circumstances surrounding any specific disaster while also
taking time to illuminate the pertinence of preparation as a result of said circumstances. Beyond
planning for the necessary resources needed to plan for a disaster, the Office of Response and
Restoration states the best way to plan is understanding the environment one is in is important
including knowing the type of events that are prevalent in that location (Finn, 2019).
References
Finn, A. (2019). The power of preparedness. The Power of Preparedness | NOAA's Office of
Response & Restoration Blog. Retrieved July 23, 2022, from
https://blog.response.restoration.noaa.gov/power-preparedness
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2022). History. Retrieved July 23, 2022,
from https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/about/history
Nemeth, C. P. (2017). Homeland security: An introduction to principles and practices (3rd ed.).
Boca Raton, FL: Taylor & Francis (CRC Press). ISBN: 9781498749091.
Adam,
Your plans for response and recovery are thorough. I thought it was smart to evaluate the risk
assessment for the area you manage before preparing plans for response and recovery. Further, it
is a great idea to integrate an all-hazards approach. However, you would like to make a uniform
response and train your team on plans set for the everchanging disasters the nation faces; how
might these plans help in the response of the next pandemic? Some scholars believe health
disasters should not be included under the all-hazards approach. For instance, in the matter of an
epidemic, the characteristics are profoundly different compared to a sudden onset of a crisis,
such as a hurricane. Typically, epidemics have an unknown start, the location is sporadic, and the
length of such a crisis can surpass any physical disaster (Penta et al., 2017). Could an all-hazards
approach work to create a response and recovery plan for a health crisis? Would such an
approach help when one area not previously in need of assistance now needs it quickly? And
how might the ability to proffer that assistance be hampered as response teams are spread thin in
the areas previously instituting a declaration of disaster? And, what will transpire when the need
is felt across the globe? Maybe, the proposal could best be instituted if the approach is treated as
a way to organize boots on the ground, instead of creating a response plan to unknown health
emergencies. “An all‐hazards approach is valid specifically because it argues against distraction
by the nature of the agent, but rather permits focus on organizing and implementing.” (Penta et
al., 2021) Additionally, the use of an all-hazards approach is to help in disaster management
which is by nature an organizational task (Penta et al., 2021).
References
Penta, S., Kendra, J., Marlowe, V., & Gill, K. (2021). A disaster by any other name?: Covid‐19
and support for an all‐hazards approach. Risk, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy, 12(3), 240–
265. https://doi.org/10.1002/rhc3.12213
Penta, S., Marlowe, V. G., Gill, K., & Kendra, J. (2017). Of earthquakes and epidemics:
Examining the applicability of the all-hazards approach in Public Health Emergencies. Risk,
Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy, 8(1), 48–67. https://doi.org/10.1002/rhc3.12112
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