The drills and training that have been conducted at the organization are important means for preparing for terrorist attacks, fire incidences and natural disasters. In this case the pre-planned and impromptu drills are useful in keeping people alert and prepared in case of anything. The major flaw in the drills was that despite the well-documented procedures for carrying out the drills and training, they were only after 9/11. Disaster preparedness and emergency planning ought not to be reactive but rather pre-emptive. Another flaw in the disaster drill is rendezvous, which, was about a mile from the office. This would make it difficult to go back and check on those who may have been left behind during an emergency evacuation. In addition to this, the roads out of Washington DC are always congested; a situation that could get worse during an emergency.
The Fukusami nuclear disaster in Japan was preventable. It was the culmination of the human failures by the regulators, the Tokyo electric power company and the government. The regulators failed to upgrade the safety measures at the plant to global requirements. This led to the plant becoming prone to natural disasters such as the earthquake and the tsunami that led to its meltdown. Experts have also states that an active fault was present at the Kansai power station that supplies electricity to the nuclear station. The prime minister at the time also handled the disaster with little enthusiasm; the government did little to clean up the mess or take responsibility for it. The government also failed to ensure that safety measures had been implemented by the plant officials. The failure by the government was the result of the intense lobbying by nuclear power companies.
References
King, D. (1999). Emergency Disaster Survival Guidebook. New York: Process.
Lipscy, P., & Kushida, K. E. (2012). The Politics of Disaster Preparedness: Japan’s Nuclear Plant Vulnerability in Comparative Perspective. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Sieg, R. M. (2012, July 5). Japan's atomic disaster caused by "collusion": panel report. Retrieved from Newfuelist: http://www.newfuelist.com
