Discuss the Proposition That Local Authorities Are Better Placed to Respond to Crises and Disasters Than Central Government

This paper is designed to show you the differences between the way conservatives and progressives view the federal role in emergency management. Furthermore, the advantages and disadvantages of each them. Also, we will discuss what you should expect as a practitioner of the profession on how to prepare yourself when you would like to switch from one to the other. Most importantly discuss the criteria of a natural disaster and how human and social perception factors inter play with each other. One question at hand is do we blame the victim? What does “blaming the victim” means? Is there any validity to this or not? Does this concept influence the way our society responds to disaster or any other event that may occur? These are some of

As Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma successively lashed the gulf coast starting in late August 2005, nature’s fury exposed serious weaknesses in the United States’ emergency response capabilities. Not all emergencies pose this magnitude of challenge. In the United States, the initial—and usually major—responsibility for disaster response rests with local authorities. This “bottom-up” system of emergency management has a long history and continues to make sense in most circumstances. Core Challenges for Large-Scale Disaster

Organizations over the past few decades have come to realize two things, there are a limited number of people in the government that are able to respond to natural disasters or large scale disaster effectively and that the government only has so many available resources to offer during a time of crisis. Another fact is, that private sector companies and non-profit entities, such as the Red Cross, have the ability to be more prepared due to their vast network of stores and distribution centers and their leisure, they indeed do have a unique responsibility

The whole world observed as the administration responders appeared incapable to provide essential protection from the effects of nature. The deprived response results from a failure to accomplish a number of risk factors (Moynihan, 2009). The dangers of a major hurricane striking New Orleans had been measured, and there was sufficient warning of the threat of Katrina that announcements of emergency were made days in advance of landfall (Moynihan, 2009). Nonetheless, the responders were unsuccessful to change this information into a level of preparation suitable with the possibility of the approaching disaster. Federal responders failed to recognize the need to more actively engage (Moynihan, 2009). These improvements include improved ability to provide support to states and tribes ahead of a disaster; developed a national disaster recovery strategy to guide recovery efforts after major disasters and emergencies; and the Establishment of Incident Management Assistance Teams in which these full time, rapid response teams are able to deploy within two hours and arrive at an incident within 12 hours to support the local incident commander (FEMA,

The various local, state, and federal emergency management systems of the United States suffered a crude awakening in the decade of the 2000s. Systems expected to hold up were put to the test and failed to prepare for disaster, mitigate the damage, and, in some instances, actually hampered responses in life-or-death situations. Worse, all failings were highlighted in an age of global communication and mass media, on display first whether a man-made incident like September 11th attacks or natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina. The decade found the complacent government failing to maintain modern emergency management practices, stimulating began a series of doctrinal upgrades and training improvements. Yet, no matter the bureaucracy, writings, or money thrown at a problem, the first responder to the incident has and will continue to influence the outcome. While the individual responder stands as the most important part of

A disaster is an unforeseen fatal event that causes massive disruption to the working of a community

In regards to local and national emergency response, first responders have explicit roles and responsibilities. The National Response Framework (NRF) is an excellent tool designed to outline the precise roles and responsibilities, as they relate to the different echelons. Local governments play a major role in the overall response frame work within their community. Typically chief elected or appointed officials are responsible for the safety and welfare for those within their respective jurisdiction. Also, officials have a role in how laws and policies are formed, in order to to aid preparedness efforts and improve emergency management and response capabilities (DHS, 2006).

Application of deconfliction concepts. A basic expectation of citizens in developed countries is that their governmental agencies employed in the event of massive emergency situations or natural disasters are able to respond rapidly and effectively. The policy stance for building capacity to manage massive destruction threats and their aftermath rests on three pillars: Establish a common language (definitions), delineate and deconflict interagency functioning (plans, roles, and responsibilities), and establish a clearly defined and streamlined response channel. Not surprisingly, interagency response capabilities are not always sufficiently efficient or effective. The national experience with regard to Hurricane Katrina illustrates the difficulty of proving swift, comprehensive responses.

Definition of ‘crisis’ from the on-line dictionary defines the word as “a condition of instability or danger, as in social, economic, political, or international affairs, leading to a decisive change”. (Dictionary, n.d.). The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created a chart in which there are several criteria for determining when a situation is qualified as a disaster, only then, may federal aid be available to the communities. According to authors Timothy Sellnow and Matthew Seeger, the criteria allow “the FEMA to assess the relative magnitude of disruption and harm created by any event” (Sellnow & Seeger 2013, 4), so that it can be determined how much and what form of assistance the community may require. Some of the

Political connections or knowledge of elected officials in state and local government have a direct impact on the amount of resources received or if it is even received. Garrett and Sobel give an example where a governor submits a request to the president for disaster assistance. They add that the president decides if a state is considered a disaster area, and that decision has a direct impact on if the disaster relief funds are dispersed (2003). Over all, politicians want to ensure their political capital increases. Therefore, their motivation is not only to deliver effective and superior services during times of crisis but also capitalize on the occasion/crisis.

An emergency is a severe, sudden and sometimes risky circumstances requiring urgent action (Salman Sawalha, 2014). Escalation of an emergency situation can lead to disaster; which is an unusual event that can cause lost of life and property (Salman Sawalha, 2014). International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRRCS) define disaster as “unexpected devastating events that disrupts the operations of a population or public which leads to huge losses and overwhelmed the affected community 's ability to respond to the situation with the resources they have at hand”. There are two main types of disaster that can lead to emergency situations; these include natural and man-made disasters.

The burden of emergency management has grown great deal in the last few decades. We have seen an increase in natural disasters, a new threat of terrorism on our front door and an increase in manmade disasters. All of these have tested emergency management in a number of cities and towns across the nation. It is not always disasters that present problems for emergency managers. We have to look beyond our traditional view of emergency management of helping us during times of disasters and view what issues they consider may affect their emergency response. Issues that emergency management see that are moving into the critical area are issues of urbanization and hazard exposure, the rising costs of disaster recovery, and low priority of emergency management.

Every emergency or disaster, from a small house fire to a hurricane that devastates entire communities, have a distinct cycle. This is

While natural disasters such as floods, drought and hurricanes are commonly thought to occur due to environmental forces such as weather, climate and tectonic movements; a deeper investigation into the ‘disaster’ displays other contributing forces. Human factors have a large, if not equal, contribution to the occurrance and outcome of such disasters (Pelling, 2001). As Pelling (2001) argues, there is both a physical and human dimension to ‘natural disasters’. The extent to which the natural occurrence of a physical process, such as a flood or earthquake, impacts on society is constructed by that society, creating a ‘disaster’ as measured by a

It's basically defined as an event of nature, which overwhelms local resources and threatens the function of process and security of the community. Generally, disasters are the ultimate test of a community’s emergency response capacity .