Define All Hazards
According to the FEMA website all hazards is defined as: “Natural, technological, or
human- caused incidents that warrant action to protect life, property, environment, and public
health or safety, and to minimize disruptions of school activities” (FEMA, n.d.). The all hazards
approach was developed and integrated into emergency preparedness planning in order to
focus on resources
and capabilities that are crucial to preparedness for a variety of emergencies or
disasters, man-
made or natural. This approach is very beneficial because it is very
unlikely to be able
to determine what hazard it more likely to impact a community. The all hazard approach
considers every possible hazard and threat to a community and the likelihood they will
occur.
How do All Hazards and Terrorism Relate
From an overall view of homeland security and emergency preparedness
all
hazards and terrorism relate to each other. Terroristic acts are human caused
incidents in
which is classified under the FEMA definition of all hazards. Homeland Security’s mission is to
protect
the United States and residing citizens from threats such as terrorist attacks, man-
made and natural hazards. That being said homeland security and emergency
management have to create risk assessments and prioritize what are the threats within a
location in order to prepare, respond and recover from (Waugh, 2004). The all hazards
approach promotes a broader perspective which includes
terrorist attacks. The all hazards
approach can be used and implemented to make an effort to deal with
terrorist attacks in all
four phases of emergency management. Starting with mitigation, a
community needs to make a risk analysis for both all hazards and terrorist attacks.
Thus way they
can determine what is there largest threat they face. This then leads into
preparedness, after accessing the threats a community must prepare for the possibility
of a disaster or attack in order
to have a quick response and recovery. All responders
and organizations need to be trained for any
type of disaster they may face, including
both a terrorist attack and hazardous disaster. This will
lessen the impact of a disaster
and end with a speedy recovery of a community.
One way I can see how they wouldn't relate is because terrorist attacks are
uncertain whereas a natural disaster can be predicted. Example being Florida is at high risks
for hurricanes, Tennessee is high risk for tornados and California is high
risk for earthquakes. Forecasters can see when a natural disaster is coming and even
predict the severity of it, thus being able to prepare accordingly for all phases of
emergency management. Terrorism on the other hand is uncertain and cannot always be
predicted, depending on what intelligence is collected. A person can attack a location
whenever and wherever.
Precedence Over the Other when it comes to Disaster Management
I wouldn’t say one takes precedence over the other when it comes
to disaster management. Having one disaster taking precedence over the other can have
a detrimental impact. When a disaster is not properly planned for throughout all four
phases of emergency management is could cause greater devastation to a community
and even lives lost. Both all hazards and terrorism threats need to be analyzed
thoroughly in order for policy makers and
organizations to implement a plan to ensure the
safety of the people within a community. At the end of
the day it is the Department of
Homeland Security and Emergency Management to save as many lives as possible and
to lessen the impact no matter what disaster has occurred. If one were to be taken
precedence over the other, it could negatively impact a community. With saying that if
the
department of homeland Security and emergency management just focused on terrorist
attacks then they wouldn’t be prepared for any other type of disaster or hazard. That is why I
feel that the all
hazard approach is a good model because it includes a broader
perspective for disasters that
includes terrorism, and it is very cost effective. This model forms a framework for all hazards
throughout all four phases of emergency preparedness so that no one disaster takes
precedence over another. Using the all-hazard approach plans for all types of disasters, both
man-made and natural, with the foundation being a risk-based to “planning, coupled with
functional and prioritized contingency planning, makes the best possible use of limited
resources during an emergency" (Banda, 2020).
Biblical Perspective
Scripture provides a great insight to the importance of emergency management.
Proverbs
24:27, “Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field,
and after that build
your house.” This verse tells us that we need to prepare ourselves for
what is to come. An all-
hazards approach to emergency preparedness is designed to address a full range of threats,
risks, and the overarching impact it may have on an organization.
References:
Banda, F. (2020). Mitigating Risks With the All-Hazards Approach To Emergency
Preparedness. Retrieved from https://www.cohnreznick.com/insights/mitigating-risks-
with- the-all-hazards-approach-to-emergency-preparedness
FEMA. (n.d.).
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Waugh, W. (2004) Terrorism and the All Hazards Model. Retrieved
from The Holy Bible
