The Importance of an Emergency Management Plan: Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery
It may not come as a surprise to say that, as humans reach out in search of food and shelter, it is the environment around them that is being abused. As man’s needs grow, so too does the pressure on the environment grow, as a result of which, an ecological imbalance is created unconsciously. And once an ecological imbalance occurs, a series of events are triggered that culminates in large scale loss of life and property. There is no doubt the importance the environment has on life on this planet, but man himself, pressed for space, finds no other option but to abuse the environment around him. How can man accommodate the growing population within the limited space available to him, or accommodate the growing baby boomers in this country thanks largely to the advancement of science and technology? One needn’t look too far back in history to understand the impact of the Industrial Revolution on the U.S and Europe. While industries mushroomed, job opportunities grew, and the U.S, England and Europe began to witness a period of economic growth and prosperity. However, this was short-lived, as these two continents were to witness one of nature’s brutal furies in the form of an epidemic that nearly wiped out the whole population of England and Europe. This may sound irrelevant in the context of the topic in discussion, but the fact remains that the epidemic was man-made; by felling trees, digging the earth, and the removal of flora and fauna, man was inviting a catastrophe to happen.
Recording the event, The Decameron stated “the plague had large scale social and economic effects,” says Courie (1972). “It was a period dominated by the Black Plague. The disease left thousands and thousands of people dying on the streets. The dreaded disease was considered by many as a curse of satanic damnation,” he ended. The Industrial Revolution saw the emergence of a new America, England and parts of Europe, as people began moving from small villages and towns to the major cities in search of jobs that were there in abundance. The rise of industries saw the depletion of greenery, as fields gave way to buildings that housed these growing manufacturing industries. The serenity and the pristine countryside gave way to smoke bellowing companies that emitted carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The industrialization brought prosperity and happiness, which was to be short-lived, as, the contamination of water, air and earth unleashed the plague. “The high mortality rate caused by the Black Death killed a significant portion of the population” said Previté-Orton (1952), in Braginsky (2007). The plague was so widespread and deadly, that even the aristocracy had no place to hide from its reach. Thus, the intensity of the plague was such that the most number of those killed belonged to the lower strata of society which included masons, carpenters, and peasants and so on. So, the question that arises is, what caused the epidemic to appear? Much before the Industrial Revolution, England and Europe was beseeched with problems which included poverty, unemployment, and vagrancy. These issued were solved once industrialization happened. But, what followed later, is something that continues to haunt and chase mankind; the after-effects of industrialization.
The biggest issue challenging mankind is his insatiable appetite for more. Never content with what he has, he strives for more, and in the bargain, causes abnormal problems to self and the environment. High day temperatures, tsunami, earth quakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, and rising sea levels are effects caused by man’s abuse of the environment. Due to the high level of pollution, there is a huge accumulation of gases in the air. “These gases, while adding to the planet’s normal greenhouse effect, stop some of the ensuing heat from going back into the atmosphere, giving way to abnormal rise in day temperature” (globalwarming.org). Today, a number of countries, including the U.S, have recorded some of the highest day temperatures ever recorded this century. “Based on studies on past climate shifts; notes of current situations; and computer simulations, majority of scientists believe the lack of curbs in greenhouse gas discharges to be the cause for the temperatures to by 3 to 8 degrees” (globalwarming.org). This could have a catastrophic effect on the earth. We now know that industrialization has been the main reason for air and sea pollution; the smoke emanating from industries filling the atmosphere and the liquid waste contaminating the rivers and seas. The direct impact of population explosion can be seen in the increased explorations at sea and on land, as a result of which, there is an alarming growth of imbalance of the ecosystem. The results are there for all to see; the rise in temperature, the destruction of marine life, which has a direct effect on the survival of mankind; periodic tremors followed by tsunamis at sea; landslides, earthquakes caused by overheating of the earth; floods and mudslides caused by erosion of soil, hurricanes caused by low pressure over the bays, and so on.
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) in its report (1998) stated “the consumption of natural gas was expected to grow steadily into the next century, with demand reaching 32 trillion cubic feet by 2020 in the United States alone!” (EIA, 1998) Gas, used for heating, cooling, power and energy production, has far wider applications in the industrial sector, and as the world has become more of a global, industrialized market, there is no telling when, and how the abuse of nature by man will stop. Considering the grave situation mankind finds himself in, will they be able to be ready when disaster strikes? Let’s face it; given the number of calamities that are taking place most frequently these days, there are no effective mechanism in place to stop or mitigate emergencies arising out of natural disasters. The reality is that at any given time, anyone could get hurt seriously, or face a problem arising out of a natural disaster. Should such a situation arise, what forms of supportive or preventive mechanisms does the government have to mitigate, prepare, recover or respond to such contingencies? We are the makers of this problem, and so, it is our moral responsibility to find ways to mitigate, prevent, and respond to situations that can have catastrophic impact on the survival of future generations. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), “thousands of people are affected by natural disasters every year, and so, there should be an emphasis on the creation of an Emergency Management Program that addresses the possible causes and backup to guard against future disasters. Any government that comes to power should ensure that a lot more focus is given in the development of instruments and equipments that can warn of a possible calamity waiting to happen, or look at ways to prevent disastrous after-effects. It would be futile to even think of stopping a natural calamity, but instead, the focus should be to implement a national program that looks to prepare, respond, mitigate, and recover quickly from such events. The Emergency Management Program should be foolproof and be able to execute all measures to ensure the minimal or no loss of life and stock takes place. The program should look at all possible hazards that can jeopardize one’s safety; be at home, or in the community, and ensure that the four critical areas of preparedness, response, mitigation, and recovery are in place. It is essential that these are available at all times to tackle any eventualities that happen without warning. Emergency Management Programs should be able to handle disasters that are widespread, and any one of the four could in fact, come as a source of comfort in certain cases.
The only way to mitigate a contingency would be by minimizing the damage to life and stock. This comes with planning. Planning is about preparing for the worst possible situation in the event of a disaster, and how expeditiously the situation can be brought under control. The faster the situation is brought under control, the lesser will be the financial implications in terms of lives saved and properties protected. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that Hurricane Katrina was by far, one of the strongest and devastating storms to hit the coast of the United States during the last hundred years. With wind speeds on landfall in excess of 125 mph, and the minimum central pressure the third lowest on record at landfall, Katrina caused widespread devastation along the central Gulf Coast states of the US. Without going into further details of the tragic devastation Katrina caused to the thousands of lives and properties in cities such as New Orleans, Mobile, and Gulfport, to name a few, what really needs to be analyzed here is the cause for the development of the Hurricane. Hurricane Katrina began as a tropical depression near the coast of the Bahamas, and strengthened further to become a Tropical Storm. It then moved slowly toward the U.S, increasing in strength all the time. As it touched Florida, Katrina had strengthened enough to be categorized as a category 1 hurricane. Speed in excess of 75 mph, Katrina rammed the coast of Florida. The atmospheric and sea surface conditions added to the cyclone’s rapid intensification, making Katrina a major hurricane. In a matter of days, Katrina strengthened to such an extent that her wind speeds exceeded 170 mph. The strength of the wind was enough to rip open roofs of houses and destroy buildings, and when it is accompanied by rain, the impact was far too strong for people to move out of its path. She left behind a battle field of decimated buildings, and killed hundreds of people.
The loss of life and property was compounded by the break in the levees that separate New Orleans from surrounding lakes. “At least 80% of New Orleans was under flood water as a result of levee failures from Lake Pontchartrain. Some parts of New Orleans were under 20 feet of water. The oil industry suffered badly, as oil production in the Gulf of Mexico was reduced by 1.4 million barrels per day, as a result of which, gasoline reached a record high price/gallon. Over 1.7 million people lost power as a result of the storm in the Gulf States, and the total loss as a result of Katrina was estimated to exceed $100 billion with over $34 billion in insured losses,” reported the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, 2005).
While it would be near to impossible to stop such monstrous hurricanes from happening on American soil, eefforts can be taken to mitigate the enormous loss to lives and property. Mitigation is not a stand-alone; it has to be supported by a mechanism where all public departments under the U.S government function in unison. With the advance in science and technology, it is easy to spot the development of hurricanes. The Satellites in space can trace the path of the hurricane, and provide specific information such as, when and where the hurricane would hit landfall, and what would be its speed. With the information available at hand, the government can put their rapid action force on alert. People living on the path of the hurricane can be evacuated to safer places, even though it would be hard to pinpoint the exact trajectory of the hurricane. Therefore, preparedness is imperative to mitigate catastrophes. Response and recovery comes with preparedness, and so, it comes as no surprise that mitigation comes with the marriage of preparedness, response and recovery. Had there been a rapid action force in place to mitigate the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, the loss would have been negligible.
Mitigation takes place before and after a disaster and is designed to prevent or minimize damage. After what happened with Katrina, the government has rightly put in place a mechanism that to ensure that all structures can withstand the might of hurricanes, and mitigate losses. This was tested in 2008, when Hurricane Gustav couldn’t cause the kind of devastation that Hurricane Katrina left behind. The hurricane didn’t flood the low lying areas behind the new structures, and there was not much loss to life and property. This was possible because of the contingency plans drawn by the government after the Katrina catastrophe. In order to guard against natural disasters, people should protect their lives and property through flood and wind damage insurance, where buildings comply with local and state compliance. Pre-established evacuation routes should be in place and response time in recovery should be immediate. It can also be noted that areas that have experienced the brunt of hurricanes before, have an EMP in place. These are all part of the mitigation process.
“Preparedness is essential for effective incident and emergency management and involves engaging in a continuous cycle of planning, organizing, training equipping, exercising, evaluating and taking corrective action to achieve and maintain readiness to respond to emergencies” (FEMA). Preparedness facilitates the effectiveness of emergency management and incident response activities such as, planning the safety of personnel, quick response to rescue alerts, evacuation, and stocking food. Preparedness can best be categorized with winter storms. People who live in areas that are frequently hit by winter storms are aware of the dangers of long winter storms, and in addition to monitoring the weather during the winter; they also put in place a preparedness contingency. Preparing for these storms includes stocking up on extra food and water, insulating water pipes to prevent freezing, and ensuring that the heating system works perfectly. Preparedness also includes the availability of an alternate source of power to counter any contingency that might arise out of winter storms, and the best alternative would be to have a generator or gas/wood burning stoves. Ultimately, preparedness mitigates possible problems that arise due to winter storms. While it is advisable to stay indoors as far as possible, it would also serve to have first aid and medicines within reach so that cold and cough are kept under control. Having these supplies are important because people may be stuck in their homes for days together, and access to stores and supplies maybe limited or totally cut off.
The action of responding to an emergency and getting trained personnel and equipment to deal with a disaster at the earliest possible time is credited to the response phase. Response is the coordination of federal operational and logistical disaster response capability, required to save and sustain lives, minimize suffering, and protect property in a timely and effective manner in communities that become overwhelmed by disasters. During Hurricane Katrina the response efforts were questioned because of the different scenarios that arose. There were no proper mechanisms in place, the magnitude of the hurricane was overlooked, and logistical and operational parameters were not in place to counter such a huge disaster. Therefore, the security and safety of the people affected by the hurricane was hopelessly inadvertent, and compromised. The devastation was followed by people looting and indulging in violent crimes at the drop of a hat.
There could have been measures put in place, such as, the Department of Justice communicating and coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security to help support state and local law enforcement agencies with the supplies. There could have been more military and National Guards to support the criminal justice systems during emergencies, and help in building operational plans, procedures, and policies to ensure an effective Federal law enforcement response.
The response phase is best suited to tackle natural calamities, including tornadoes. It is important for areas that are hit by tornadoes to have a quick and safe response. Even though tornadoes are monitored, they occur much faster than hurricanes and get over as quickly as they came, leaving behind a trail of devastations. The first response to an approaching tornado would be to sound an alarm so that people can run to safety. It is advisable to stay underground in the event of a tornado, as any building in its path could collapse under the intense force of the swirling wind. Finally, the response of emergency crews is imperative. They need to react to contingencies such as fires; buildings collapse, and react to emergency calls from people in need of help.
Support for individuals and communities affected by disasters could be the prima-facie of the recovery phase. In this phase there are well needed aspects to help restore the community and the economy, which again tilts toward mitigation. In recovery, attention is given to restoration of damaged sites. For this, a program that seeks to study the extent of damage, estimating damage costs and its replacement form some of the finer points. The recovery phase suited to handle earthquake issues. Places that risk earthquakes are already mapped, and so, the government needs to plan ahead of any chance of contingency happening. Some of the issues that are notably important are to study the worthiness of the buildings to withstand earthquakes, training of personnel to act to earthquakes in a professional and timely manner, and guiding traffic to avoid chaos in the event of an earthquake. When all these four phases of the EMP run successfully, the overtures of natural calamities can be mitigated to a large extent. Integrating mitigation into the response phase will increase the response time and ensure safety.
Having written so far about the importance of an Emergency Management Plan using Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery, it would be fair enough to talk a little bit on how the world can be made a safer place. As mentioned at the beginning of the paper that global warming is the major contributor to climate change, some measures can also be put in place to delay the inevitable. Planting more trees, reducing emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, stop the contamination of water bodies, and responsibility to disposal of waste, can help prevent the fast deteriorating ozone layer, and help civilization rule this planet from some more time. In tune with the Emergency Response phase, the U.S government-sponsored EPA Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response introduced the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), or Product Stewardship, wherein brand-owners of products must take the overall responsibility of the product; from manufacture to wastage disposal. In order to comply with this, EPR offers producers certain production incentives which can be used in their R&D. This way, producers can design and manufacture products which can be easily repaired, reused if necessary, or recycled. The produces will be required to pay for reuse and recycling of their products to EPA. The Office of Solid Waste (OSW) operating under authority of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act is an agency which sets out to protect the people from coming into contact with hazardous environmental conditions which could affect their health. “OSW oversees the management of waste disposal by reducing waste, introducing regulations, and cleaning up areas where waste is conspicuous” (OSWER, 1997).
Summary
With more and more reports pouring in on national disasters, the effects of global warming is far too conspicuous to ignore. Remarkably, the worst are the hydro-meteorological events which have dominated the geological ones. Consider the devastating floods which nearly took Brisbane off the world map, or the tsunami which took thousands of lives of the coasts of the Indian Ocean. Then there was the landslide in Brazil; all these catastrophes are linked to the abuse of the environment. Not long ago, countries like the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, and all of Europe enjoyed unchallenged advantage as they were the forerunners to industrialization. However, due to their insensitivity, they have raised a monster which threatens to decimate the whole of mankind. The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina remains firmly embedded in the minds of the thousands of Americans who faced its wrath. While it would be futile to even look at ways to stop the recurrence of such natural disasters, man can change his fate by invoking an emergency management program that ensures that they are prepared to face these calamities with a more positive mind than they were earlier. Mitigating problems is important, so too are response, recovery and preparedness. Contamination of the Earth and its atmosphere has caused serious health hazards to people all over the world. Global warming is an international issue of immense importance and it has come about due to the non-management of waste control. In the U.S, while Federal statutory authority to control the environmental impacts of product systems is limited, EPA, in coordination and collaboration with states, local governments, industry, and non-governmental organizations, are using their market leverage to propagate the development of products which are environmental-friendly. EPA's Product Stewardship program has primarily focused on end-of-life considerations as one means of encouraging more environmentally conscious design and greater resource conservation.
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