Hcs/400 Disaster Planning And Management Research Paper

Hurricane Katrina shift the position of the Department of Homeland Security from making natural disasters an equally as important as terrorism. This even showed that disaster planning requires a great deal of collaboration. The Department of Homeland Security who swallowed up FEMA where not quick to react to Hurricane Katrina because all their focus was spend on planning for a prevent terrorist attacks. The failure of the disaster response system resulted in over 1,200 lives lost in Louisiana and Mississippi. FEMA failed to work closely with its State and local counterparts and communications between these partners and the public were strained at best.

Finally on this note, the Federal Response Plan (FRP) has been revised into the National Response Plan (NRP). Many of the positive features of the FRP have been retained in the NRP but the focus has been shifted dramatically to responding to a terrorist attack and in doing so, the role of the Federal government has been altered dramatically. The NRP places the lead role in responding to major disasters, terrorist attack or natural disaster, in the hands of Federal officials. In fact, the Federal government now has the authority to respond to an event in a State without a request by the Governor. This alters the traditional role of the Federal government, through the FRP, supporting the actions of State and local government.

Emergency Management has definitely had many changes and challenges. Hurricane Katrina is a strong example of how some reprioritization when it came to FEMA can have bad outcomes. It 's important to consider all levels of preparation in the event of a disaster. It also important to take into consideration of both successful and failed protocols and tactics to help improve and create an efficient response system.

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).

INTRODUCTION In order to ensure the Pinal County Sheriff is able to maintain a high operational tempo during emergency events through a safe and measured response it is imperative that intensive and realistic training take place. Pinal County encompasses 5,374 square miles with a population of 401,918 consisting of both urban and highly rural areas that present unique deployment problems. By following the FEMA Preparedness Cycle modality of plan, organize/equip, train, exercise, evaluate/improve the Pinal County Sheriff can create and test expectations through rigorous and objective training. PURPOSE Through the use of a full-scale emergency management exercise we can measure the capabilities of the Pinal County Sheriff to address and react

Tearing a mile-wide, 13-mile path through the city, the tornado destroyed over 7,500 homes, 18,000 vehicles, numerous churches and schools, injured over 1,000 people, and claimed 161 lives (Onstot 2013). These statistics only count the physically wounded who required medical care and only the deaths of those whose physical wounds caused death, not the untold number of psychologically wounded survivors nor the death of those who took their lives, mistakenly believing it was the only way to relieve the pain. The tornado damaged communications

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.

Irma was a category 5 hurricane. It hit Florida, debris left lying around everywhere. At least 36 people were reported dead, and over six million people were left without power. The flooding has makes walking the streets dangerous as the muddy water can hide sharp objects along with holes. The (FEMA) Federal Emergency Management Agency estimated that 25% of homes within the Florida keys are completely destroyed, and 65% have had major damage.

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.

The Great Mississippi River Flood of 1927 has taught many emergency managers to strive to correct deficiencies from focusing events from the past by valuing and protecting the people from communities from anticipated

Personnel and equipment come into the devastated area from all over the country, as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands” (Bell, 2006, p. 26). 2005 brought the largest national response to natural disasters. Hurricane’s Katrina and Rita affected numerous states. The states affected were unable to help themselves, as would be responders were now victims. In addition to the lack of responders, the local infrastructure was decimated and local and state officials were unable to respond.

A centralized response to a national disaster could serve to improve processes and procedures for responding to such disasters and would ensure that the necessary supplies, resources and personnel are available to help. A centralized response could also ensure the response of government is not only effective but prompt and would prevent another situation like Katrina in which a lack of government representation and intervention were to blame for the delayed response for aid to the city of New

The Stafford Act was enacted in 1988 and determines how and when the federal government is allowed to intervene in a natural disaster. It also defines the type of assistance to be provided as well as the distribution of funds among the federal, state and local governments. FEMA is responsible for coordinating the assistance identified in the Stafford Act. However, FEMA has to answer to the Secretary of Homeland Security rather than making their own decisions. The authors describe how our current governmental system isn’t well equipped to deal with major devastation such as Hurricane Katrina.

Though the community only has a small effect on the overall picture, they are the most vulnerable to all disasters and threats. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the community to prepare one another and assess the potential risks and hazards within their community in addition to what steps are needed to address the issues. It is this preemptive response and planning, especially in locations with historically reoccurring hazards that reduce the disaster effects and overall cost. This community-based effort conducted by community groups has the, “potential to make a significant and long-lasting contributions to reducing local vulnerability and strengthening adaptive capacities” (Allen, 2006, p. 97). One example of a community-organized group is Community Emergency Response Teams or CERT.

Variations in the demographic characteristics will be reflected in different behavioral responses in different disaster events. Usually the population evacuation behaviors vary from one place to another for the same hazard, i.e., a hurricane, and, from one specific hurricane to another in the same place (Baker, 1991; Lindell and Prater, 2010). This understanding indicates that there will be variations in behavioral evacuation responses to different disasters, e.g., hurricanes and tsunamis. There are several factors that need to be considered in the behavioral analysis: the evacuation participation rate, evacuation time, public shelter use, evacuation destination, and vehicle use (Baker, 2000; CFRPC, 2010b). Identifying and understanding the specific variable characteristics of each of these factors would enhance evacuation planning.