Assignment on
Engineering & Management Responsibilities in Natural Disasters
By
Date
Abstract
Disaster is defined to be an event causing sudden and unexpected great loss. The field of disaster management focuses on minimizing any kind of serious risks. It involves supporting and rebuilding the society in a managerial way after manmade or natural disaster occurs. There are two ways through which engineering has been contributing towards the disaster management: by building a proper infrastructure to prevent the damage caused by disasters, settling of appropriate design and safety standards. Disaster management through engineering contribution and principles is presented in this paper. First portion of the paper will focus on engineering codes and standards and focusing on different disaster types, engineering contribution towards the solution and reduction of disaster impact will be discussed. Then conclusion from the above discussion is presented with future recommendations.
Introduction:
This chapter will focus on role of engineering field in disaster management. As there are several engineering fields i.e. mechanical, civil and structural, so instead of going through each one’s method to solve disaster problem, the main focus will be that how in general engineering is contributing to reduce the disaster impact. The responsibilities of the field of engineering in safeguarding the public from natural disasters are many and they vary as per their importance.
In your opinion, is federal funding better spent on all-hazards first responder preparedness, or on R&D efforts to find new emergency management solutions for terrorist hazards? Often we are faced with an A or B decision. How do we truly decide which one is better for the greater good? If you were asked, who is the best NFL Quarterback in NFL history?
HealthSouth: The Wagon to Disaster Aaron Beam tells all in his novel entitled, “HealthSouth: The Wagon to Disaster” surrounding the fraud case amounting to $2.8 billion. Beam is the co-founder and Chief Financial Officer of HealthSouth whereas his partner-in-crime Richard Scrushy, also the co-founder, is the CEO. Beam was reluctant to work for Scrushy since he was not sure if the man was plain brilliant or just plain trouble. Nonetheless, he decided to work with him since he needed the job.
Chastity Jones, an African-American and the defendant in this case, was denied a job offer due to her appearance. Catastrophe Management Solutions, located in Mobile, Alabama, announced that it was seeking candidates with basic computer knowledge to work as customer service representatives. Ms. Jones completed an online employment application, and was selected for an in-person interview at a later date with other applicants. Ms. Jones arrived dressed in a blue business suit with her hair in short dreadlocks. She interviewed with a company representative to discuss the qualifications of the position, then Ms. Jones and other selected applicants were bought into a room with CMS’s human resources manager to be informed they were hired for the
High winds along with high profile vehicles were a recipe for disaster Tuesday morning in the Antelope Valley. At about 10:15 a.m. all exits to Mojave from State Route 58 were closed to all traffic. Just after 10:30 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol, all northbound State Route 14 lanes from West Avenue D, between Lancaster and Rosamond were closed as gusts of nearly 80 miles per hour wreaked havoc causing several big rigs to topple over. Fire officials said Tuesday morning that a total of 14 were overturned south of Mojave and four overturned big rigs on State Route 58 and State Route 14.
When a disaster occurs the federal, state, and local governments contact the military for help and support due to the their advantages attached to military operations and response which could benefit in them in manpower with specific qualifications, skills and expertise, strategic and rapid mobilization, updated technology and a variety of equipment (helicopters, aircraft, earth-moving machinery, respirators, medical supplies, power and lighting equipment, under-water capability, etc.) that most emergency organizations are unable to acquire on a moment notice (Kapucu, 2011). Besides, the military’s bureaucratic structure with hierarchical rules in place are effective in command, coordination, and control of manpower, authority, and regulations, is beneficial in providing effective response actions during the time of emergency (Anderson 1970; Schrader 1993; Sylves 2008; US House of Representatives 2006) (Kapucu, 2011). This advantage cut time in half because the structure is already set up without questioning who is doing what or who is in charge. Additionally, the military supports in sheltering the homeless, the construction of temporary housing and restoration of minimal critical infrastructure (water, electric, sanitation, communication infrastructure, etc.), (Miskel 2006; Schrader 1993), (Kapucu, 2011).
I’m currently reading a book by Naomi Klein called Disaster Capitalism that has led me back to the worst terrorist attack in United States history, 9/11. I remember how CNN and Fox were being flooded with the news daily. The story told was, Al-Qaeda members crashed commercial airplanes into the world trade center and the pentagon killing thousands of people. This event is the center of a popular conspiracy theory, because of what unfolded after. The United States invaded Afghanistan and Iraq on the presumption they had nuclear weapons, and introduced the patriot act.
Garnett, Jeffrey D., and Melinda Moore. 2010. "Enhancing Disaster Recovery: Lessons from Exemplary International Disaster Management Practices." Journal Of Homeland Security & Emergency Management 7, no. 1: 1-20. International Security & Counter Terrorism Reference Center, EBSCOhost (accessed October 23, 2015). American Red Cross.
What is social vulnerability? The idea of social vulnerability inside the emergency management setting was first presented in the 1970’s when emergency managers first realized that vulnerability also encompasses socioeconomic influences that negatively impact resiliency to disasters or emergencies. Form the perspective of an emergency manager social vulnerability refers to the socioeconomic and demographic factors that impact the resiliency of individuals, groups or communities. It has been well established that not all classes of individuals living within a disaster area are affected by the disaster in the same way.
Kendra Bogosian Geography 1401-001 10/28/15 Current Event 2 There has been much debate over the years, among Americans, questioning whether FEMA is doing more harm than good. In the article, “Horrors of FEMA disaster Relief,” many facts are given to discredit FEMA. WND discusses how the brain behind FEMA’s decision-making process is complete chaos. Some states have had to “hire consulting firms just to try to navigate the paperwork, with consultants earning as much as $180 an hour – all of which is billed to American taxpayers,” when they already are required to pay enormous amounts of money to the government.
Short Paper 2 HLSS322 Justin Chatman 16 July 2023 The Federal Emergency Management Agency was created by President Jimmy Carter in 1978 by way of Executive Order. It was responsible for civil defense and response to chemical, biological, and nuclear attacks. This responsibility also encapsulated federal disaster relief responses to natural disasters such as flooding, earthquakes, hurricanes, wildfires, and hazardous material incidents. Over the years, FEMA has grown in scope through various Executive Orders.
Natural disasters can cause many problems and for that it is very important to existing measures in the current infrastructure. For example, in a case of a flood or a tsunami must be: thorough testing of all flood protection and maintenance, in order to ensure their proper functioning, design and execution of works retaining soils in forest areas the natural vegetation has been recently destroyed by fire, control and preventive cleaning of the streambeds to restore the natural flow, within urban removal of all trash, debris, trees, foliage, which are in the streets and public areas and can cause blockages in adjacent rainwater drainage wells and of course must informed the public on preventive measures and self-protection against the dangers arising from
There have been many natural disasters in the US recently. Natural disasters like hurricanes and wildfires has hit the country and affected millions of people. The government plays a huge role in the recovery process. They must provide assistance and aid for the disaster victims and get people the help that they need.
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).
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