Briefly, define and describe community resilience as it related to critical incident management. Include in your answer what is meant by “continuity of government.”
Community resilience implies the measure of the sustaining capability to make proper use of the entire available resources so as to deal with the diversity of the adverse situations. Kean & Hamilton (2004) asserts that the communities may possess limited resilience if there is no intensity of readiness for catastrophes. Properly prepared communities are described as resilient due to their capability to offer assistance in the prevention of losses incurred as a result of a disaster.
According to Kean & Hamilton (2004), the resilient communities have the prowess to reverse rapidly to their working lives. The justification of the resilient communities is grounded in communities that have a particular level of functioning capacity that is measurable. Kean & Hamilton (2004) reveals that the rates of recovery are determined by the nature of the given disruption, the level of preparedness, which the community has for the given disruption, and the effective rapidness of their response. Resilient communities integrate disaster planning and management into the daily activities. Kean & Hamilton (2004) maintains that the study reveal that community resilience is a robust community fabric in which the citizens and organizations can decrease the effect of disasters acting in concert (ibid).
Kean & Hamilton (2004) views that continuity of government refers to the policy of assuring that the establishment of procedures that are outlined and that enable the continuation of government in its operations specifically in potential disaster and nuclear war (ibid).
The notion of community resilience has been derived from the discipline of ecology to be applied in disaster management (Kean & Hamilton, 2004). Majority of the common elements are linked between ecological and disaster perspectives. This concept of resilience has the potential to absorb and recover from peril. Several common element are derived from the definitions. For instance, the unit of analysis is basically an ecosystem. Secondly, there is a concept of resilience that is being defined as the capability of the ecosystem to absorb alterations and sustain themselves from such effects. The third common element is a restrained shift concentrating on the capability of a system to rebel and maintain significantly the equal form or structure (ibid).
Describe the four phases of disaster management and include examples of areas and/or topics that would be included in each phase
This section will discuss the four section of the disaster management and encompass examples to create more comprehension. Haddow, Bullock & Coppola (2013) states that hazard mitigation which is the first phase describes the efforts that are implemented to eradicate the risks from the natural perils that face human life and poverty. Structural and non-structural mitigation approaches are the most common in disaster management. Hazard source control actions refer to the tactics aimed at controlling the source and spread of the hazardous materials. In addition, land use, building content, and building construction activities describe the other forms of mitigation strategies of disaster management.
Disaster preparedness is the second phase of disaster management. Disaster preparedness implies the policies and measures that a community implement to make itself easy to respond when faced by catastrophes (Haddow, Bullock & Coppola, 2013). The forms of disaster preparedness comprises the mutual aid memorandums and agreement of training and comprehension for both personnel response. Other forms of preparedness activities encompasses the citizens who are concerned, performing disaster measures to ensure the bolstering of the test capabilities and training and the presentation of campaigns emphasizing on all-hazards education.
Disaster response is the third phase of disaster management which suggests the practical use of the detailed plans to curb the disaster. Emergency assessment, hazard operations, population protection and incident management actions illustrate the four main roles of emergence response. Several preparation activities should be done to make these roles effective. Haddow, Bullock & Coppola (2013) narrates that practices such as safeguarding the disaster area, caution the population that lives at the targeted geographical location, and providing basic needs to the victims should be encouraged.
Disaster recovery is the final phase of the disaster management. Short term recovery and long-term recovery highlight the two stages of disaster recovery. The short-term strategies include reestablishment of accessibility to the disability-prone areas, economic government, essential government and critical infrastructure. On the other hand, long-term recovery activities compose of renovating the real estate, major building projects, and upgrading the economic system (Haddow, Bullock & Coppola, 2013).
Describe what is meant by critical infrastructure and give at least ten examples of what infrastructures this area would include?
Critical infrastructure is a terminology used by the government to refer to assets that are significant to the thriving of both the economy and the society. On the perspective of critical incident management, the physical vulnerability assessments must assess the infrastructure and critical facilities. The presence of infrastructural facilities indicates potential vulnerability.
Critical facilities are outlined as a significant element of disaster response and recovery. Facilities such as schools and hospitals should not position in the catastrophe-prone regions. Moreover, the critical infrastructures and facilities offer insight on the most vulnerable regions in the community that cover the likelihood of hazard exposure.
Several examples of the critical infrastructures about the critical incident management comprise of Phone and Internet, Hospitals, Schools, Fire Stations, Police Stations, Nursing homes, Emergency shelters, Key commercial and industrial buildings, Residences, Bridges, and Dams.
Define social vulnerabilities and give at least five examples of those vulnerabilities
Social vulnerabilities imply the characteristics that person possess based on their ability to expect, tolerate and recover from the effects of dangerous perils. Social vulnerability highlights the factors that affect the individual and home characteristics that influence an individual’s response towards every phase of disasters. Race and ethnicity, education, household structure, age, housing texture, gender, and poverty are the factors forms of individual and home properties in question.
Each factor listed above has an influence on the poor and minority ethnic communities and are increased in the magnitude of the disasters. Nonetheless, the housing markets offer inadequate low-income housing, and this has a significant impact on the racial and minority communities. The racially-oriented ethnic communities are associated with poor quality housing and that the housing is discriminated into low-valued neighborhoods.
Social vulnerability is quite different among communities. It is the variability in vulnerability that is possible to be of utmost distress to local emergency supervisors because it requires that they detect the areas within their communities having populace sections with the maximum intensities of social vulnerability. Nevertheless, fluvial floods, earthquakes, droughts, storms and volcanic eruptions are the examples of social vulnerabilities.
Briefly, discuss “hazard mitigation” and the different ways a community can impact potential hazards by mitigation activities
Hazard Mitigation refers to any measures and policies that are implemented to decrease the long-term dangerous from the natural hazards and other resources. The different modes in which the community can affect the potential hazards by mitigation activities include and land use plans, tax incentives, and zone practices. The government institutions can motivate persons on the embracement of land use practices any providing the incentives to allow more development in safe geographical areas and establishing restrains to hinder the development in hazardous locations (Kean & Hamilton, 2004).
Structural and nonstructural approaches are applicable in hazard mitigation practice. Structural approaches emphasize on the engineering solutions of dams and levees. On the other hand, nonstructural approaches stress on the solutions based on land use planning and management to restrain development in the hazardous areas.
Stakeholder and the community resources play a key role in the progress of hazard mitigation activities. Business groups, engineers, construction and transportation employees highlight the community resources in structural approaches of mitigation. Constructing companies, community, public works and public safety, Planners, developers, local population and construction companies are the key actors in land use planning initiatives.
The hazard control strategies are building codes and standards, building zonic practices, conserving the natural environment and educating the public about hazards and ways to decrease risk. Moreover, the zonic regulations practices encompass acquiring and relocating damaged structures, buying undeveloped floodplains and making them open space.
The actors and stakeholders in building dams, dike and stream channelization are business groups, engineer, college and designers and homebuilders. On the other hand, planners and construction employees highlight the stakeholders in land use planning to hinder progress in hazardous areas. Economic development and faith based groups are effective to ensure land use planning. Public health agency, home owners and business owners are the community resources effective in acquiring and repairing damaged structures, buying undeveloped floodplains and enacting zoning practices. The region planning council, developers and forest department address the mitigation approach that is associated with conserving the natural environment. Police department, developers and homeowners address the key actor in raising awareness among the public based on hazards.
What are the “lessoned learned” from the 9/11 Commission Report
Kean & Hamilton (2004) assess that there are several lessons that have been realized as a result of 9/11 commission report. Kean & Hamilton (2004) argues that the first lesson is that there were chances that were ignored in a bid to block the plot of 9/11. The author reveals that the management obliged confirming that there was sharing of information on all agencies and across the foreign domestic nations.
Kean & Hamilton (2004) claims that there was poor communication at the higher ranks of authority. The author assesses that the senior military officials had limited conversation with each other. This was the second lesson based on the 9/11 report.
Kean & Hamilton (2004) argues that the taking emergency response quickly was the last lesson. The author believes that there were issues on New York’s effectiveness in policy decisions on control and command and internal communication. This situation is evident when commanders faced dilemmas with talking to their various units. For instance, the higher ranking officials dispatched more chiefs than anticipated (Kean & Hamilton, 2004). Additionally, some officials positioned themselves without orders from their seniors while others were at the World Trade Centre (ibid).
Briefly, explain what a “turning” is and what four turnings make along with a general discussion on what the significance of this topic is according to Strauss and Howe. Include in your answer the “turning” you believe the USA (probably the world) is currently in and why. Also, what would the current “turning” be called (labeled) according to the authors?
A tuning describes the four-phases of the social period. Howe and Strauss (1997) asserts that the high is the initial tuning. They emphasize that Society is most confident about where it wants collectively to go, though those who are outside the center of the majoritarian often feel as though they are stifled by its conformity. The post era of the World War II America’s High describes the first tuning.
Howe and Strauss (1997) addresses that the awakening is the second phase of the model. The authors emphasize that this stage is associated with criticism of the agencies in the essence of both spiritual and personal independence. The revolution that was triggered by the internal rebellions from both the campus and city highlights the awakening phase.
The unraveling phase is the preceding one after the awakening phase. The high intensity of individualism characterizes the stage and that there is suspicion of the various institutions. Nevertheless, the culture war, which began in the 1980s reveals the unraveling phase (Howe and Strauss, 1997).
The final phase is the crisis. In this stage, the shell-life of the institution is decreased and a rebuilt reaction to a threat that is viewed to the survival of the nation. The stock market crash in 1929 illustrates the crisis phase.
The G.I generation are in alignment for the crisis phase. The period’s mood was characterized by intensity of optimism, confidence and outlook of collectiveness. Howe and Strauss (1997) emphasizes in the generation of the millennia which began between 1984 and ended in the 2004. Majority of the similar properties was comprehensive of risking the civic engagements, enhancing norms and confidence.
References
Strauss, W. & Howe, N. (1997). The fourth turning an American prophecy. New York: Broadway Books.
Haddow, G., Bullock, J., & Coppola, D. P. (2013). Introduction to emergency management. Butterworth-Heinemann.
Kean, T. & Hamilton, L. (2004). The 9/11 Commission report: Final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. Washington, DC: National Commission.
