Review "Anytown Historical Timeline." Notice there are missing details for some very significant events since the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. All of these events impacted the development of the field of emergency management, some to a lesser extent than you might imagine. For example, it would be reasonable to assume that the bombings of the World Trade Center in 1993 and the Murrah Federal Building in 1995 drastically impacted preparedness at locations agreed upon to be likely targets for terrorist attacks. If that were the case; however, significant questions should arise about persistent vulnerabilities exposed by later terrorist attacks. Likewise, though the United States has faced numerous devastating natural disasters over the past century, as was made evident in "Hurricane Katrina: A Nation Still Unprepared," our experiences have not necessarily translated into improved preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery practices. It is your job to investigate some tough questions about the state of emergency management in the nation and complete the following two-part assignment:
Part 1:
Research the events and laws on the timeline since 1993 that are missing details. For each of the seven points:
• Investigate what impact these events and legislation had on preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery in the United States.
• Summarize the impacts in the description fields on your own timeline.
• Include the development of key practices, laws, standards, agencies, organizations, and systems related to these events in your descriptions where appropriate.
Part 2:
Your goal in Part 1 of the assignment is to demonstrate key developments in the field related to the seven significant points on "A Nation Prepared Timeline." Your goal in Part 2 is analyze some key events more closely in order to assess the state of preparedness in the nation today. The objective is to identify s critical vulnerabilities and recommend corrective actions.
Research three emergencies or disasters from "EMM-300 Historical Timeline" and address the following (750-1,000 words):
1. How did those events impact the handling of later disasters? For example, would you say Hurricane Sandy was handled differently or more successfully based on lessons learned from Katrina? Why or why not? Where can you pinpoint evidence of improved practice in the emergency management field?
2. Then, based on your research in this course, discuss the country's remaining vulnerabilities. What gains can you confidently say have been made in the dimensions of preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery since 911 and Hurricane Katrina? Where is our nation still most vulnerable? What must be done to address those vulnerabilities? How can government agencies, organizations, and emergency management systems work more effectively together to provide seamless responses to major emergency or disaster situations?
3. Finally, discuss your responsibility as an emergency responder or manager and citizen to make sure your community is as prepared as possible for emergency situations.