Response to the following discussions(X4) with approximately 150 words or more each. Include a reference to each response. Be thoughtful and insightful and it must demonstrate critical thinking and analysis.
1. This question is actually very difficult to have a definite answer. I live in Upstate New York, the only disasters we have dealt with are floods, tornados, and blizzards. But none of these happen a lot. Our last tornado was about 10 years ago, the last flood was in 2012 and the last blizzard was actually this past winter.
In my mind, the community could become more prepared than it is now. It's hard for any area to be fully prepared because every disaster is different and even if one disaster happens something different can happen the next. For this discussion, I am going to talk about the most recent flood in 2012. Luckily this flood didn't have any casualties but it flooded a lot of homes and left a lot of people without homes.
I remember weeks later when the water finally cleared up, homes everywhere had the x's on the front doors with the number of animals that were left in the house. It was devastating. Looking back no one was prepared for it. Where we are the weather is never accurate. It can be negative degrees one day and the next day in the 60's so no one pays attention to it. When we started to get warnings a week prior that a huge storm was coming because of one of the hurricanes people took the regular precautions and made sure they had water and food. But when the rain started and never stopped that's when it was too late.
Our community is probably less prepared than surrounding communities. I live in a very tiny community where we don't really have a lot of city workers to help.
Even in the winter most of the people that plow are regular people in their own trucks. So, when a major disaster happens within days we have to really help each other. Our school was in the middle of the flood zone but luckily didn't flood. We never practiced any drills or knew what would happen or where to go if our school did flood. They also didn't have a designated place for people to go in emergencies.
When preparing a strategy for the public there are a lot of things to take into consideration to fully prepare the public. With any type of strategy, it's always important to see the past results and damage the prior disaster had done. It's good for people to see and understand why they need to take this seriously. I would also have designated areas for people and pets to go. If someone is in the flood zone or is scared they are, then they need to be out of their house on the day the disaster is going to happen to ensure no one is stranded and awaiting help. I would also make sure that employers knew what to do in these types of emergencies. I would disseminate these new strategies by newsletters, and hold educational classes for people who want to be fully prepared.
2. After finishing this assignment my curiosity peak, because I wanted to know if my community was prepare for an emergency I made a few phone calls and had the opportunity to interact with member of the local emergency departments. From the information I was able to obtain I am certain that my local emergency response teams are ready for many disasters.
Currently I live at St. Tammany Parish in Louisiana and the following information came out from their web sites. From the Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness Department, they are responsible to "develop, manage, coordinate and maintain a comprehensive and effective response to any natural or technological emergency that may occur and which poses a threat to lives and property in St Tammany Parish" their duties are to Develop and implement an All Hazards Emergency Operation Plan. Provide public awareness programs throughout the parish are; "to provide emergency information and warning to the public. Activate the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) during emergencies and to participate in drills and exercises involving local, state and federal emergencies."
The Fire Department from St. Tammany Parish provides fire prevention training in local school and conduct community events were they distribute information depending on the season (currently they are providing summer safety tips and hurricane preparedness information.)
3. Emergency planning is best thought of as a process simply because disaster preparedness is never truly done. Each event has the capacity for unique challenges and a "one size fits all" approach risks overlooking details that may save lives due to the particular details involved in a future event.
Generic preparations can cover the basics in the event of an emergency, but learning from past events enables us to better prepare for and anticipate contingencies of particular types of accidents. "Exercises are invaluable to learn how go through each step and identify the roles and responsibilities and adjust where necessary" (Shaw, 2017).Unpredictable events, improvisation and emergence will play a role in most events and focus on flexibility helps ensure effectiveness (Phillips, Neal, & Webb, 2012).
The mitigation and preparation phases are proactive since their intent is to either prevent an event or ensure that minimal adequate resources are available should an event occur. Naturally, all contingencies cannot easily be anticipated, but foundational steps are taken to assist victims during an event until the response and recovery actions can be taken.
Initially preparation and mitigation activities are predictive, attempting to address the "what-if" aspects of an event. Once an event occurs, these phases may be adapted from the information learned from previous events. Response and recovery actions are reactive since they are not necessary or executed until an emergency occurs. These phases have a greater need for fluidity and flexibility since many events are not spontaneous, but evolve over time, including the potential for follow-up events to compound the effects of the situation such as aftershocks or storm surges.
Response and recovery procedures are where the contingency operations are implemented. Preparing a procedural document should include expected outcomes of a given action, but also account for the expected response not being obtained. Abnormal and emergency operating procedures are structured in this fashion for nuclear power plants, and it is rare to find oneself in a position where there is no guidance. Operating experience is continually incorporated to improve outcomes with future usage.
Planning before a disaster happens is prudent since during a disaster, altering plans and improvising is more difficult with the added stress of reacting to an ongoing event. Infrastructure damage may prevent the acquisition of supplies and cause isolation of victims for extended periods during an event.
Some research does suggest that there is little to no data supporting the effectiveness of personal disaster supply kits, but many factor contribute to the lack of effectiveness such as inconvenience to maintain the kit, inconsistent lists of necessary items, cost, storage space, and many others (Heagele, 2016). Of course, one could adhere to the adage: "it's better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it". In events significant enough to be classified a disaster, any additional supplies, though they may be inadequate of quantity or inventory should provide some comfort if only for a short time. Acknowledging the need for an emergency plan and preparation may be considered the first part of the plan.
4. Proper disaster planning can be thought of as the foundation for which other preparedness activities are built upon. Planning is best thought of as a process due to the ever-evolving nature of it. Our text states that disaster planning never stops, making it a living, changing document. Disasters differ from our day-to-day operations, and therefore it's something we must plan for. There have been 10 disasters in the United States with greater than 1,000 causalities . . . and with each disaster, we learn more and more about the importance of proper disaster planning.
Disaster planning is linked into all of the four phases: preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery. During the preparedness phase, planning is used when executing exercises or drills. Mitigation planning, on the other hand, focuses on identifying and analyzing the threats of local hazards, to include their probability and severity. While in the thick of a disaster, response plans (i.e. Emergency Operations Plans) are used to aid in rescue and rapid restoration activities. Finally, recovery planning looks at the long-term efforts needed to recuperate from the aftermath of a tragic event.
Although we should all strive to be proactive in terms of disaster response, most times we fall short. However, pre-disaster planning is best because thorough preparation can occur without the stress and necessity given during an actual event. Some items to look at during pre-disaster planning include housing issues, transportation, environmental and utility resources, along with cultural preservation. Several websites and agencies are out there to assist anyone from the single family household to a city or county in emergency planning procedures.