Disaster management is perhaps one of the disciplines that has gained much acceptance in the contemporary world. With the rate at which both natural and human-initiated disasters are occurring, it is no puzzle why this discipline is rapidly gaining popularity in institutions of higher learning (Jones, 2011). Fundamentally, disaster management is concerned with the monitoring and directing of resources, including human resources, in handling all charitable aspects of unforeseen disturbances. It is a multiphase cycle that involves preparedness, responding, and mitigation in relation to emergencies. Disasters are nonroutine occurrences, which in most cases are difficult to predict and call for extraordinary effort in handling. Such occurrences may destabilize an organization or an institution through the destruction of its physical and fixed assets and resources.
For efficient management of disasters, there ought to be proper coordination and cooperation between private and public resources. The purpose of this paper is to explain the concept of disaster, preparedness, and emergency management in light of the three key disasters: earthquakes, floods and hurricanes. The paper will as well focus on the emergency management cycle, which is a four-phase process. It will also illustrate the actual application of the concept in practical situations.
The top three natural disasters
Natural disasters are those that occur due to changes in the balance of nature. They occur following alterations in the forces of nature such as the movement of tectonic plates or too much rain. It has been a topic of debate whether or not humans contribute to the natural disasters. This paper seeks to explore on key natural disasters including; earthquakes, flood and hurricanes.
Emergency management process
Emergency management entails all the processes initiated before the occurrence of an emergency, during the emergency and in the aftermath of the same (Tambe et al., 2012). The activities taking place in various phases of a disaster vary depending on the type of emergency, the extent of the damage, the degree of predictability and the availability of necessary resources. However, some collective steps should be taken in each phase of the disaster.
Before the disaster
Prior to the occurrence of a disaster, there occur different forms of notable warnings that are often articulated by emergency agencies. As an example, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issues warnings of an impending flood. Such warnings are particularly valuable as citizens rely upon them in making decisions relating to the alleviation of the destructive effects of the foreseeable disaster (Tambe et al., 2012). Fundamentally, what disaster managers do during this time is to study historical trends relating to disasters. This may help them predict the probability of the disasters occurring with a considerable degree of accuracy. It is imperative that during this time, the populations be warned to take proper precautions such as having the contacts of the various emergency management stakeholders and fixing emergency kits within different facilities. Overall, this stage is usually concerned about disaster preparedness.
During the disaster
This is perhaps the most elusive phase of the emergency management cycle. It is during this stage that effective immediate response becomes necessary. As part of the response in this stage, the emergency management personnel carry out measures such as the evacuation of the people entrapped in the buildings (Jones, 2011). Evacuation is followed by immediate and appropriate medical attention. As the rescue personnel evacuate people, the emergency doctors coordinate the setting up of centers and units offering the much-needed assistance. It is from this help centers that the disaster management programs are coordinated. The disaster managers then procure the immediate services of the fire personnel. Food and healthcare should be given priority while handling the victims. Other measures in this stage include listening to the news for updates and relevant communication.
After the disaster
This stage is mainly concerned with the recovery stage of emergency management. Certainly, it requires a lot of efforts to recover from the harms caused by disasters. The recovery stage is concerned with the clearing up of the disarray and the resettling of the displaced populations (Tambe et al., 2012). This may include the construction of temporary accommodation structures, which occurs as a long-term response to disasters. It may further include the process of victims resuming their residences. The major concern of the authorities at this stage may be to instigate measures that prevent the reoccurrence of a disaster.
Historical trends
The occurrence of disasters is not a contemporary issue. Disasters, especially the ones associated with natural causes are as old as the earth. Even so, their impacts today are worse compared to the impact they had a century or even a decade ago (Inuddin & Routray, 2012). This is so because of the demographic dynamics and technological advancements made over time. In brief, the loss that can be occasioned by a disaster today cannot be compared to the loss that the same disaster could have caused some decade or two ago. However, it was not until 1950 that the U.S government saw the essence of enacting an Act relating to the management of disasters. This is how the Civil Defense Act came into being. The act made it the responsibility of the government to handle emergency cases. Laws relating to disaster management and emergency cases were drawn close to the year 1960.
Emergency Management Institute
The institute headquartered in Maryland is concerned with enlightening the public and other stakeholders of the management process on the various ways of reacting to emergencies. The major role of this body is creating public awareness on the issue of both natural and man-made disasters. Founded in 1979, the organization was formerly the Civil Defense Institute.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Formed pursuant to the stipulations of the Disaster Relief Act of 1974, this agency is concerned with handling those disasters that are beyond the capacity of the municipal and state authorities. For FEMA to get involved in handling a particular disaster, the Governor of the affected state must announce a state of emergency and communicate with the president on the need to have FEMA intervene.
Phases of emergency management
Emergency management is a cycle that can start from any phase. The phases are fundamentally the steps taken by emergency managers in responding to disasters. The cycle starts before the disaster and stretches beyond the time of occurrence of the same. The phases are:
Preparedness
This is the phase concerned with the analysis of historical data relating to disasters with the aim of designing ways to deal with both predictable and unforeseen disturbances (Jones, 2011). Preparedness entails the establishment of the most likely disasters and drawing of plans on how to go about handling the emergencies in the event that they occur. Preparedness is as well concerned with the acquisition of the necessary disaster handling resources in readiness for any potential threat.
Response
The response can be broken down into two: the short-term response and the long-term response. Precisely, short-term response is concerned with such immediate reactions as evacuation and health care (Inuddin & Routray, 2012). Long-term response is concerned with establishing efficient ways of reducing the chances of the disaster reoccurring or reducing the damage the next time the disaster occurs.
Recovery
Recovery and response are relatively similar. However, recovery is a long-term activity. Recovery and response as well as mitigation can take place concurrently, as there is no specific timing of the transitional stage. Recovery may be described as the reconstruction process.
Mitigation
Mitigation is concerned about the process of minimizing the chances of disasters of a similar nature occurring a second time (Tambe et al., 2012). This may include such measure as the putting up of reliable floodwalls and construction of dams. Mitigation may as well refer to the process of reducing the destruction relating to disasters. For instance, the people may decide to construct houses that can resist the effects of tremors.
Earthquakes
Earthquakes can be described as the outcomes of violent energies within the rock strata of the earth. Such forces result in powerful waves that cause serious earth movements known as seismic waves (Jones, 2011). Speaking of seismic, this refers to the size and frequency of the earthquake. From a geological point of view, earthquakes occur because of the faults in the rock layers that may result in valleys and block mountains. The facts about tectonic plates are rather intriguing. The science of tectonic plates explains how the continents shift, collide and cause both land and seabed features. As tectonic plates move, the result in the formation of valleys and Seabed Mountains.
The Northridge earthquake
On Monday that was the seventeenth day of January 1994, an earthquake transpired in San Fernando Valley at exactly 0431hours. The 6.8Ms earthquake was named the Northridge earthquake. The disaster claimed around sixty lives. The number of people that sustained serious injuries added up to 1500. The disaster was primarily attributed to a sudden powerful geological thrust.
Damage and economic toil
The earthquake caused serious damage to roads, buildings, and highway overpasses. The amount of property destroyed was worth billions of US dollars. Overall, the costs incurred in the recovery phase of this disaster are highest recorded in the history of America.
Response and recovery
The immediate response entailed the mobilization of disaster handling personnel such the firefighters, the police and the evacuates. They evacuated people from collapsed buildings, structures, and vehicles. Food and healthcare was availed by the Federal government through FEMA. The recovery stage saw the construction of buildings that could resist strong ground vibrations and institution of better healthcare in most places.
Hurricanes
Storms that occur over the surface of warm waters may be as violent as they travel at a speed of close to 200miles in an hour. The rising of hot air replacing the cold air above causes violent spirals that twist counterclockwise to the south of the equatorial region and clockwise to the northern part of the earth (Chang, 2010). The winds gather moisture that results in the phenomenon referred to as hurricane. Hurricanes usually originate in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in the Mexican Gulf and around Cape Verde.
With a speed of 125MPH, hurricane Katrina was termed the strongest in the last one century. The impacts of this particular hurricane on New Orleans and Los Angeles were seriously expensive and costly in terms of life and property. The disaster caused the loss of tens of lives and 80% of New Orleans.
Damage and economic toil
The damage resulting from Katrina affected negatively on the economy of the state and other neighboring states as well as the entire American economy. Travel was paralyzed for the day, as the airports were flooded. Oil production went down by 1.5 million gallons. The loss amounted to 100 billion dollars.
Response and recovery
The responders to the disaster were swift since the hurricane had been predicted with a reasonable degree of accuracy. The evacuations were done effectively as most houses had been flattened. The recovery period was agonizing. Notably, the Katrina attracted the largest amount of charity.
Floods
Understanding the occurrence of floods is easy. Where the rains get too much, and the rivers break their banks and spill to the land floods occur if such land is already too saturated to take in more water. This is a common occurrence in zones that are flat and cannot allow water to flow with gravity. Floods constitute 90% of the most commonly known world disasters (Rahm & Reddick, 2011).
This North Dakota phenomenon was the most catastrophic in the antiquity of the United States of America. It caused the deaths of fifty people and damages amounting to 15 billion dollars. This disaster referred to as the worst and most momentous caused mass evacuation of people.
Response and recovery
The response by the military personnel included the use of helicopters for the evacuation. The property could not be salvaged. The recovery period took longer than the responders had estimated because the damage was overwhelming.
In conclusion, emergency management play a fundamental part in supporting populations affected and those predisposed various forms of disasters. The history of emergency management can be traced back to the sixteenth century, close to the year 1666, during the Great London Fires. These fires precipitated the instigation of emergency management and mitigation measures aligned to fire insurance as well as building codes. These measures were later extended to incorporate management of other emergencies not limited to fires.
Besides, it is worth noting that disaster management is indeed a considerably crucial aspect of environmental management. Considering the fact that population density is on the rise in almost all cities, it is noteworthy that the people at the grassroots understand the discipline of emergency management. People can take such precautions as the installation of emergency kits and fire extinguishers. It is recommended that the citizens be given the contacts of the responders that are in charge of handling such disasters. This will help in reducing the amount of damage and saving a number of lives.
References
Chang, S. E. (2010). Urban Disaster Recovery: A Measurement Framework and Its Application to the 1995 Kobe Earthquake. Disasters, 34 (2), 303-327.
Inuddin, S., & Routray, J. K. (2012). Institutional Framework, Key Stakeholders and Community Preparedness for Earthquake Induced Disaster Management in Baluchistan. Disaster Prevention & Management, 21 (1), 22-36.
Jones, V. A. (2011). How to Avoid Disaster: RIM's Crucial Role in Business Continuity Planning. Information Management Journal, 45 (6), 36-40.
Rahm, D., & Reddick, C. G. (2011). US City Managers' Perceptions of Disaster Risks: Consequences for Urban Emergency Management. Journal of Contingencies & Crisis Management, 19 (3), 136-146.
Tambe, S., Kumar, R., Arrawatia, M. L., & Ganeriwala, A. K. (2012). How Safe Are Our Rural Structures? Lessons from the 2011 Sikkim Earthquake. Current Science (00113891), 102 (10), 1392-1397.
