Emergency Management is a complex system that is used to protect the lives and property of human beings all over the planet. In the United States and within the Department of Homeland Security lies the Federal Emergency Management Agency. According to the FEMA website this agency is responsible for supporting the citizens and first responders in building, sustaining, and improving their capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards (FEMA.gov, 2015). One of the processes that FEMA focuses on is the four phases of Emergency Management. These phases are the quintessential actions taken during involvement of an emergency incident. These phases include mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Mitigation is a process that is designed to prevent an emergency, reduce the chance of an emergency taking place, or minimizing the damaging effects from an emergency that cannot be avoided (FEMA, n.d.). Usually considered the first of the four phases to take place, an example of a mitigation activity could be something as simple as buying insurance for a property. However mitigation activities can take place after an emergency situation has occurred as well. This is why the four phases are sometime represented at an endless circle. According of a FEMA training guide an example of a …show more content…
This is because both activities are designed to avoid an emergency situation before it begins or minimize the effects after one has taken place. However, while a mitigation activity can take place before or after an incident has occurred, a preparation activity takes place before an emergency happens (FEMA, n.d.). Activities that are included in the preparedness phase include evacuation plans, running fire drills, and having food and water purchased and stored. The goal of this phase is to minimize the ill effects of an emergency and increasing the chance of survival. Preparation saves
The terrorist attacks on September 11 2001 were a sad day for our nation, yet it showed the vulnerabilities in the Americans emergency management system. President Jimmy Carter made a good effort with the creation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), but as 9/11 proved FEMA was not equipped to management terrorist threats. The nation needed something fay beyond what FEMA could offer, which lead to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. Historically, major disasters have always prompt change in the American culture take for example the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Reduce the vulnerability of critical infrastructure and key resources, essential leadership, and major events to terrorist attacks and other hazards. Provide grants, plans and training to our homeland security and law enforcement partners. We have taken significant steps to create a unified and integrated Department that will enhance our performance by focusing on accountability, efficiency, transparency and leadership development. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was the final weak link in the then-existing confusing chain of command. FEMA 's head, Wallace E. Stickney, had no apparent experience in emergency management or disaster response (Franklin, D. 1995).
This news article implies that FEMA should be disbanded. The author states that when the federal government gets involved in natural disasters, especially hurricanes, more harm may be caused than good. The federal government has been involved in responses at a much higher rate than in the past due to an increase in declared federal disasters averaging 139 a year. There are an abundance of federal guidelines that must be followed when a disaster occurs that often makes it difficult for officials to make clear and concise decisions. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina FEMA spent an excess of money that was not allocated correctly so much of the money was wasted.
The steps that are taken for the first process, are to avoid the chance of danger or risk completely. For instance, eliminating all possible dangers to children on playgrounds as John Tierney explains in his article, “Can a Playground Be Too Safe.” It's far less dangerous to remove all possible dangers, rather than let children experience fear and pain. In the article, John Tierney explains how removing high obstacles from playgrounds has a negative impact on children because when they are faced with a situation they don’t know how to react or
Introduction This informational interview was conducted with Dr. Pamela Aaltonen, a Homeland Security instructor at Purdue University, and active member at the Tippecanoe Board of Health. Her role here is to frame issues in the concept of Homeland security and emergency management. Dr. Aaltonen holds a key role in Homeland Security, as many disasters contain human health issues, such as mass causalities, pandemic outbreaks, and sanitary issues following natural disasters. Dr. Aaltonen’s flavor of Homeland Security differs from the work that I normally see, but as displayed during the interview, Homeland Security is a multi-disciplinary field that requires cooperation across all fields.
Department of Homeland Security: Gaps and Fixes The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had a colorful 14-year history. Many will say that the DHS has created a hulking bureaucracy and has placed or lumped together a great deal of departments that do not have any related functions. DHS currently suffers from a great deal of structural issues, but the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Transportation Safety Administration, and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement are in dire need of Presidential attention. Federal Emergency Management Agency Division of Responsibility
In Katrina’s Wake: National Guidance Throughout the history of the United States Military, historians recorded the heroic actions of Soldiers, Airman, Sailors, and Marines that won countless battles in various conflicts around the world. In modern times, the role of the military changed drastically, especially in regards to the military’s role within natural disasters. Therefore, a National Guidance of Preparedness was developed, which reinforces response readiness and provides guidelines for the sharing of responsibility between all levels of government. After a review of the actions in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2006, federal, state, and local governments aided in the development of the guidelines, which shape and support preparedness
The Division includes the Office of Emergency Management, the Office of Preparedness, and the Office of Prevention and Security (State of Colorado, 2015). Its mission, vision, and values are to "prevent, protect, mitigate, respond and recover from all-hazards" through the development of a comprehensive Strategic Plan in synchronization with the DHS (State of Colorado, 2015, p.1). The State of Colorado has its own unique concerns it must address. Colorado Concerns and Threats Critical
Danny Glover once stated, “When Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf and the floodwaters rose and tore through New Orleans, it did not turn the region into a Third World country…it revealed one” (Glover). As the winds reached speeds of 100 to 140 miles per hour, water crashed against the levees, which in turn broke them, and flooded 80% of Louisiana. Hurricane Katrina’s peak was a category five, but disintegrated into a category three just before landfall. The third deadliest hurricane is what Hurricane Katrina achieved.
Emergency management describes the process of preparing for disasters, responding to their occurrence and putting in place both structural and nonstructural measures to mitigate against them. Emergency management has come a long way in terms of evolution in the United States of America. In terms of evolution, there have been a number of changes with evidence in shift from state to federal and local involvement in disaster management. This paper will thus discuss the evolution of emergency management as well as the lessons that have come as a result of this evolution. The evolution can be traced back to the biblical times, Moses himself tried to manage floods by splitting the Red Sea (George et al, p. 1).
Furthermore, Fema focused more of their financial resources toward massive incarceration during hurricane Katrina. Fema priorities on how the handle funding resource during the after math of Karina, they focused more on crimes rather than helping victims. Fema overseen and run by homeland security directed there attention towards crimes and terrorist, instead of quickly making funds accessible to resident with no place live. Fema paid for this prison system to operate and covered inmates cost of living during the time spent in prison. Fema sent law officials to arrest New Orleans residents.
Incident command system refers to a comprehensive system that is developed to help responders to form an intricate system that meets the demands of a single or multiple incidents (Carmicheal, 2010). The goal is to avoid confusion and increase efficiency in handling all the activities within the shortest time possible. The current scenario is characterized by a severe natural disaster that has hit the community of Edenton. Extensive damages are being reported from the multiple points in the city, which means the responders should form a team that can handle each point.
Homework 7 Gaven D. Crosby Pennsylvania College of Technology Homework 7 This paper will discuss the way that the Mississippi River, and the New Deal have affected emergency management. The Mississippi River is a river that floods quite often, almost every year. The lower portion floods more than the upper portions, and affects more people. This is due to the terrain of the areas surrounding the lower Mississippi.
How can you help in the wake of a natural disaster. You can help by donating money,food and household supplies(doc B). Have you wondered how you can help or get helped in a natural disaster. You can help by donating, gathering resources, spreading the word.all these things are how you can help in a wake of a natural disaster.
Allender, Rector & Warner (2013) expounded disaster preparedness which involves a greater responsibility to the public by sharing timely and relevant information which may be utilized in disaster response; moreover, a responsibility as an advocate to stay safe and healthy in times of