Using the Planning P, write an emergency preparedness plan

1

Running Head: MITIGATION STRATEGIES

MITIGATION STRATEGIES

Mitigation Strategies

Linda Gonzalez

Walden University

October 2, 2016

Mitigation process in Emergency Preparedness.

Briefly describe the community in which you live.

I stay in a small town in the Midwest. The town is located in a tornado-prone area and such occurrences are often witnessed almost on yearly basis. The town has got a large chemical plant constructed and maintained by the Federal government and it is at that place actually where majority of the town people work. Most of the people who live in this town are immigrants and as such not very well versed with at least the home dialect of the place as visitors. Comment by Dr. Ian B. Cole: Try to develop a more impactful opening statement...grab the reader's attention! Avoid first person Comment by Dr. Ian B. Cole: How do you know this? Citation needed Comment by Dr. Ian B. Cole: The opening section should highlight what the paper will cover

All people in the town use English thus it is the main language of communication. The population is composed of both the old and the young. Alongside the town runs a large river that has been known to flood. A single bridge spans the river. The city has a small regional airport located to the west. A freight railway runs on the edge of town that often carries hazardous waste containers from the chemical plant. The town has a city council, a mayor, one fire department, one police department, and a small hospital. The town’s economy is modest and cannot afford large investments or expensive upgrades to its infrastructure or current emergency response system. Comment by Dr. Ian B. Cole: Work on the flow of your paper…this reads like a list of facts…

Explain what emergency mitigation strategies have been or might be deployed in your community.

Emergency mitigation are normally the kind of methods or mechanisms that people, especially the first aid crew use to reduce the level of loss that could result from a disaster happening (Luna, 2001). They are normally the things that people do to reduce the loss that is likely to result if people just looked at the disaster happening, after it has happened and do nothing. This is part of the wider disaster management process the only distinction being that the emergency mitigation strategies focus on what exactly can be done to reduce the likelihood of the disaster from happening. It might also involve what normally happens immediately the disaster strikes (Luna, 2001). What should be done and by who and what needs not to be done and if it is done who should be responsible in correcting it. Comment by Dr. Ian B. Cole: Good!

Some of the emergency mitigation strategies I found in the town include: Comment by Dr. Ian B. Cole: Avoid first person

I have found a well-established and efficiently working Incident Command System For Large Scale Incidents. This town already knows the kind of risk and predicament that they normally find themselves in when some calamities strike. Consequently the town as one of the emergency mitigation strategy, it has established this incident command system for large scale incident like a tornado in readiness just in case it strikes. This helps a lot in bringing and maintain order at the scene of the incident. This order can allow for easier offering of the first aid and giving any other assistance that might be necessary as per that given moment. Comment by Dr. Ian B. Cole: ICS is mainly a response mechanism…not mitigation. Comment by Dr. Ian B. Cole: Not proper nouns

ICS is a very important method of dealing with incidents, accidents and disasters with a success rate in several types of incidents. ICS as a system has been developed to be organizationally flexible and interdisciplinary in nature. According to dispatch Online Magazine (2007), ICS has proven efficient for reacting forms of incidents such as natural hazards, HAZMAT (hazardous materials) incidents; fires; planned events such as concerts; and so on. It would thus have been very suitable for the Buncefield incident. Comment by Dr. Ian B. Cole: It would have been good to use the text here… Comment by Dr. Ian B. Cole: What is this? Do not reference it without an explanation

The benefits obtained from ICS are immense. As the National Response Team (2003) explain, the way in which ICS has been effectively structured, agencies benefit severally. For one, ICS helps remove duplicative efforts. This is due to the command structure in place whereby there are several levels of command, one command post at each level and each level has clear functions. ICS allows emergency responders to create and execute one combine IAP (Incident Action Plan). The ICS structure spells out the functions and responsibilities lessening the likely conflicts that may arise as well as enhancing the flow of information among all agencies that are taking part. This strategy is so very much working for this town and so much has been realized as far as the mitigation of the disaster is concerned. Comment by Dr. Ian B. Cole: Right, but this happens during response…

The other strategy that they have include, there has been established a special branch and taskforce under the department of National Weather to keep a close monitoring of the rising and falling sea tides so as warn the public on any possibility of an impending disaster of something like a tornado. Through this particular branch in the larger weather department has led to many times the population getting informed when there is a likelihood of anything catastrophic. As a result many populations have been for several times evacuated to safety places and avoid all the loss that could have arisen. Comment by Dr. Ian B. Cole: Good!

Describe two potential funding sources related to emergency mitigation strategies in your community.

The two funding sources to emergency related mitigation strategies in this community have shown a lot of commitment and zeal to see to it that everything possible under the sun has been done to avoid or at least reduce the loss in an event a disaster strikes. Comment by Dr. Ian B. Cole: Awkward wording here...proofread your submissions to avoid awkward or hard to follow phrases

The first source of funding is of course the government. Through the ministry and department of weather both the Federal and the state governments have actually donated to the department through the treasury departments to fund the processes of emergency mitigation activities in the community. Comment by Dr. Ian B. Cole: Specific information needed here…provide citations

The other source of funding has been the donations from well-wishers, patriotic citizens who feel as a way of showing their patriotism are encouraged to always and as their financial muscle can allow them to donate. The other groups that donates sometimes are the Non-Governmental organizations thought they don’t do it so regularly. Comment by Dr. Ian B. Cole: Be more specific…see comment 14

For each potential funding source you selected, describe the key participants and stakeholders, and the goals and objectives of the mitigation strategies as they relate to finance and budgeting.

The key participants for the government is of course the citizens through the elected or appointed public servant who act in the representation of the interest of the whole society at large. The goal for the process of mitigation strategies is to ensure there is enough and constant flow of money into this department that can allow the whole process to run in a smooth manner without any hindrances.

The other source of fund should be the NGO. The key participants in these are the members of the Non-Governmental Organization and sometimes their main donors from the foreign countries. When they focus on the funding of the department of mitigation, it is expected they will show the same level of commitment like=e they do in courts when they are trying to fight for the human rights which they think have been violated or are denied or have been put under a threat of violation. As they also work so closely with the local people at the grass roots and they can easily help in gathering information especially one relating to the budgeting. Comment by Dr. Ian B. Cole: You need to proofread

Explain why you think the funding sources you identified are the most appropriate for the mitigation efforts you identified.

The government might be the best source of fund because it can shoulder the burden of sustaining quite a number of activities under its economy in one financial and in an event there is not even enough money in the government treasury it can easily borrow from other avenues. Furthermore it is the responsibility of the government to provide a safe dwelling place for her citizens. Thus when government is doing this is performing one of its fundamental and basic duties. Comment by Dr. Ian B. Cole: Nicely stated

As for the NGOs they are good because they get funding sometimes from their donors and sponsors in the foreign countries. They can use some of the money to fund the emergency mitigation department and it will remain well funded.

Explain at least two key challenges to accessing funding for emergency mitigation strategies in your community and explain at least one strategy to address each challenge.

One of the major challenges to accessing funding is allocation of scanty funds from the treasury that is even shared with other departments. This renders the carrying on of the functions of this department a bit difficult. I would address this problem by scheduling meetings with the budgetary committee and explain to them why the department needs more funding. Comment by Dr. Ian B. Cole: Right, scrace resources

The other challenge is that of mismanagement of the little that there is. Greedy people have arisen and they wants to pocket what is otherwise meant for all in the society into their own pockets. This can be addressed by removing such officers from offices.

References.

Norris, F. H., Stevens, S. P., Pfefferbaum, B., Wyche, K. F., & Pfefferbaum, R. L. (2008).

Community resilience as a metaphor, theory, set of capacities, and strategy for disaster readiness. American journal of community psychology, 41(1-2), 127-150.

Paton, D., & Johnston, D. (2001). Disasters and communities: vulnerability, resilience and

preparedness. Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, 10(4), 270-277.

Pearce, L. (2003). Disaster management and community planning, and public participation: how

to achieve sustainable hazard mitigation. Natural hazards, 28(2-3), 211-228.

Luna, E. M. (2001). Disaster mitigation and preparedness: the case of NGOs in the Philippines.

Disasters, 25(3), 216-226.

Linda,

Please review all feedback included with your paper. Do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns. Grading elements as outlined in the application assignment writing rubric (available in the online classroom):

Assignment requirements: 24 of 30

Comprehension and examples: 32 of 40

Writing: 15 of 20

Total score: 71