The Phases Of Emergency Management

Hurricane Katrina was a big threat to the coastal areas of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, and the governor declared a state of emergency in reaction towards potential destruction the hurricane may fall in New Orleans, a major city in Louisiana. To prepare for the threat of Hurricane Katrina, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), was sent to Louisiana to help aid the state. Later, a big disaster befalls in the state of Louisiana, and the governor declared a national evacuation. New Orleans, the heavily populated city, ordered its citizen to evacuate in the Superdome, with food, shelter, and rations being distributed. After the state evacuation was made, there was a shortage of food, water, and operable toilet facilities, thus creating

Our world is complex there has always been and always will be disasters that can happen anywhere anytime. There can be natural disasters, for example floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, wild fires and drought. There are also man-made and technology types of disasters from hazardous material spills, biological weapons, cyber-attacks to even civil unrest. According to PEMA, the history of emergency management can date all the way back the first civil defense program which was started during World War I and later during World War II the office of civil defense (OCD) was created by Pres. Roosevelt. In the past emergency management, has always been event driven. With each new crisis that our nation has gone through, the reason for and the avenue in which to accomplish emergency management has changed. No more so than when the terrorist attacked on 9/11. The 9/11 commission report states that the Incident Command System is a “proven framework for emergency response” (911 CR). The incident command system is a proven framework for emergency response by providing clear leadership and organizational structure, improving the effectiveness of resource efforts, and maintaining safety for responders.

Over the years, the National Response Framework (NRF) has evolved to meet the growing need of a more comprehensive and logical approach to a nationwide emergency management strategy. Stemming from the National Response Plan in 2008, it is one of the five frameworks designed to aid in organizing national preparedness activities, the others being Prevention, Protection, Mitigation and Disaster Recovery. The NRF’s main function is to guide how the agencies and communities respond to all types of disasters and emergencies. The framework was designed to be scalable, flexible and adaptable to account for the differing scopes, particulars and complications that arise from these events. Its application can range from grave but local incidents, such

The concept of Emergency Management is a four phase process that includes Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. Response and Recovery take place both during and after hazard/emergency actions

Each disaster response should start at the local or state level, and then depending on the magnitude it may grow to the response level only the federal government can provide. The initial response to an emergency by the state should deal with the emergency needs of the public. The State’s responsibility will be to focus around control of communication procedures; warning of the upcoming emergency if possible, providing public information, any information regarding evacuations and shelter (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 1996). Beyond controlling communication, the state will also be responsible to alert and dispatch the required emergency response teams to engage in protection of people and their property, and if needed a request for aid from the Federal Government (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 1996).

Disasters are incidents that most hope to avoid but in reality they happen often. Preparation for these events is necessary if the damage and loss of life is to be mitigated. Several events have occurred in the last decade that has increased awareness of the necessity of emergency management. Events such Hurricane Katrina and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Both of these events had massive death tolls and millions of dollars worth of property damage. They both resulted in a public outcry for more effective intervention and assistance with disaster incidents. The National Response Framework (NRF) was created after both of these events and in response to criticism of the prior National Response Plan. The change of title from National

The emergency management profession has developed the concept of the disaster cycle as a basis for disaster management. The disaster cycle has four distinct yet interrelated phases: Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. The concept of the cycle implies an ongoing process in which communities, businesses, and individuals plan for and reduce potential disaster losses. Historically, emergency management programs have focused heavily on the preparedness and response phases, leaving limited resources to address the recovery and mitigation phases. This research paper will discuss the basic goals of post-disaster hazard mitigation and identify areas of concentration when developing strategies and making recommendations towards reducing and eliminating the impact of future disaster events through a post-disaster redevelopment plan.

There are several phases in the emergency management of disasters. One is the recovery phase. McEntire (2015) defines the recovery phase as an “activity to return the affected community to pre-disaster, or, preferably, improved conditions.” The reason that the conditions should be improved is because emergency managers should study and learn

Emergency Management laws and acts are established by the Federal Government to allow emergency managers and local elected officials the opportunity to lead disaster response and recovery from the local level to the Federal level. Many of these laws and acts give absolute power to local and state officials to make decisions to best preserve life and property during and after an incident. The laws and acts also hold these officials accountable for the actions that they take and the responsibility is totally held by the official. There are many considerations an emergency manager must think about during and after a disaster such as Dillon’s Law, Home Rule, and other laws that allow for decision-making powers of the local and state officials.

There are reported to be four phases of an emergency response plan including the phases of: (1) Preparedness; (2) Mitigation; (3) Response; and (4) Recovery. (ALN Magazine, 2012, p.1) The preparedness and planning stages involves preparations that are needed to deal with an emergency or disaster including written plans and procedures to make sure that there is sufficient maintenance of critical operations. Preparedness is reported to be inclusive of: (1) identification of essential supplies and actions; (2) critical positions; (3) specific roles and responsibilities; (4) orders of succession; and (5) delegation of specific authorities and communication. (ALN Magazine, 2012, p.1) Preparedness involves designation of one or more locations that are secure for staff during an emergency event. It is necessary to identify communication methods and test the communication between locations. It is necessary to review mutual aid and vendor contracts and important that all section of the plan are exercised in advance of the actual emergency. ( ,

The reliance on emergency management has become critical for Americans when it comes to responding to disasters. Changes have been occurred not only within federal management systems and services, but also among state and local governments (Rubin, 2012).

A response team prepares and responds to a wide variety of crises. All individuals on the response team should be trained in response measures appropriate for site-specific vulnerabilities and identified. The mobilization and proficiency of initial actions, as well as response procedure familiarity is crucial in minimizing potential chaos, scenario consequences, and plausible chain-reaction events. Having a well-rehearsed emergency plan enables efficient and effective response coordination, reduces losses, and can limit the impact to individuals including those on the response team, the environment, and the overall kingdom. In order to response to a crisis different areas such as medical/technical, operations, logistics, and surveillance are

Scholarly assessments of our nation’s capability to effectively respond to hazards suggest a paradigm shift is needed regarding the future direction of research, policy and tactics for preparing and responding to natural and human-made hazards. This paper will provide a historical overview of our nation’s emergency preparedness and response posture, examine the need to reformulate the existing hazards paradigm into a broader resiliency framework, and suggest roles and responsibilities characteristic of government and community stakeholders in the context of this broadened approach. Mechanisms needed to achieve a successful implementation of this improved strategy will also be examined.

Now that we understand why we need a disaster recovery plan, we need to understand how to develop and plan a solid and reliable plan. To do this management needs to determine the scope of what needs to be covered by the plan. The scope can be categorized into 3 issues. Occupant issues, building issues, and business issues (Gustin 8). The occupant issues are related to the physical staff. When addressing occupant issues, management needs to plan to address the needs of every employee. Management needs to consider disabled workers and possible visitors to the facility when creating a plan. By thoroughly analyzing the occupants of the building, they can make educated adjustments to address the building issues. These include fire escape routes and alternate routes for disabled employees. They must also consider the buildings geographical location. The building may be

The reality of preparing for the management of emergencies and disasters is a complex issue that must address the prevention, protection,