Introduction
The government, among other duties, protects citizens in the nation and promotes their well-being. In many occasions, the government works together with the private sector groups with the aim of managing emergencies. The private sector plays a major role before and after the incident (Sylves & Clark, 2015). Before the incident, the sector provides protection to the welfare of the employees in the workplace. The private sector is also involved in the decision-making process on how to thwart emergency. The non-governmental organizations play a major role before, during and after the incident. For instance, many NGO’s provide shelter, food and any other basic commodities to people hit by the incident (Sylves & Clark, 2015). Ensuring that there is a mutual and strong relationship among all the groups ensures that there are better measures laid to prevent the incidence from occurring.
Nature of inter-relationship between the federal, state, and local government, the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations
With an aim of strengthening the security of the nation posed by greatest risks which are either caused by natural or human causes led to the creation of Presidential Policy Directive (Sylves & Clark, 2015). The presidential policy directive outlines five preparedness mission areas. The five preparedness mission areas were aimed at explaining and guiding the nation approach towards enhancing and ensuring that the government was prepared to combat any security threat. The National Planning Framework (NPF) is a branch of the Presidential Policy Directive (Sylves & Clark, 2015). The NPF ensured that there was mutual co-existence in the whole society to ensure that the security of the nation was safer. The government ensured that there was mutual existence between the federal, state, the local government and the non-governmental organizations. Through the mutual co-existence among all the groups, the fight against security threats could be made easier and manageable.
The responsibility of responding to both the humanmade and true threat begins with the local level. That is the local leaders in the area, the non-governmental organizations in the area, representatives of the local government and the people living in the area. Through the mutual co-existence between all the groups, the threat can be thwarted much quickly (Sylves & Clark, 2015). For the bodies to interact with each other and ensure that their responsibilities are carried out in an efficient way, an overall leader is selected among the groups. The roles and the responsibilities of the elected leader is (Sylves & Clark, 2015);
Ensuring a strong working relation between all the groups
Leading and urging the leaders of another group to attend training programs to ensure that they are prepared
Supporting mitigation of threats in any area in the country
The five preparedness mission areas in the “National Planning Frameworks” article
The five approaches in the preparedness of national planning frameworks (NPF) as outlined by the Presidential Policy Directive (PPD) are the prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery (National Planning Frameworks, 2016). The National Planning Framework was aimed at preventing any security threat whether natural or humanmade. Countering these threats is the primary goal before they pose a threat to human. This body was also formed to protect the citizens of the country against any threat that may be posed to them (National Planning Frameworks, 2016). In any case, if any of the risks happens the body has the role in mitigating the risk and to lessen the effects of the risk that has occurred. The national planning frameworks have the mandate to respond effectively to the risk that has hit the response. Lastly, the body has the mandate to help the people who have been hit by the risks. Through the cooperation with other bodies such as non-governmental organizations, they should help the people by providing with their needs as they recover from the incident.
Requirements that the government must meet in order to declare a federal disaster and provide federal assistance and the importance of each process.
The federal government can announce a national disaster and provide the affected persons with federal assistance provided that some specific elements are met. The federal law was designed to ensure that there was an orderly and a systematic way of providing federal assistance to areas where a national natural disaster took place (Robert, 2007). This makes the government work to be a bit simpler. In the case of any major disaster that might require federal assistance, it is passed by the head of the state. The announcement is based on the nature and the magnitude of the disaster. A federal government can only declare a federal disaster only, and after assessing the disaster and coming up with the conclusion that the disaster cannot be controlled by the state and the local governments hence federal-state support is needed (Robert, 2007). However, there are three types of declarations. These are the local emergency declaration, governor’s state of urgency proclamation and the presidential declaration of a major federal disaster (National Planning Frameworks, 2016)
The local emergency declaration is declared by either the city council or the board of supervisors. It is usually made within ten days since when the event occurred, and it is renewed after every 14 days. The Governor state of emergency proclamation is made by the governor. The Presidential declaration of a major federal disaster is made by the president within the 30 days after a major disaster and within five days if it is an emergency occurrence (Robert, 2007).
The governor has a right to announce a state of emergency in the states if the disaster conditions cannot be controlled by any person, equipment or any other facilities that are present in the county and requires support from the central government (Pordes, 1979). The governor also has the right to announce a state of emergency after disaster evaluation and the only option left to seek support and aid from the federal government to combat the catastrophe. Before the president makes a step of declaring a major national disaster the governor of the requesting region must submit two copies: One copy of the local emergency declaration and the other copy of the state of emergency proclamation (National Planning Frameworks, 2016). Furthermore, the Governor’s written request must also have;
A certificate showing how the execution of the emergency plan will occur
A description that shows that the disaster needs cannot be undertaken by the local authority solely and requires help from the federal government
the description of resources that the government has already committed
The initial estimates of supplementary federation assistance that might be needed. Also, he should attach a certificate of agreement with cost-sharing necessities as stated by the Stafford Act (Pordes, 1979).
However, he may not attach all those documents if the catastrophes cause massive damage in a way that assessment cannot be easily made. I believe that if these guidelines can be affected the lives lost within the period can be saved and the property lost can be salvaged.
After receiving all these documents, FEMA considers some factors too before declaring a federal declaration. These factors include the damages that have taken place, the available resources in the state and local government, any previous disaster history and the past hazard mitigation history (Pordes, 1979). After FEMA approves that there is need to give a general disaster announcement the president goes ahead to announce it to the public. However, if FEMA rejects the application, the Governor may ask the president for an emergency declaration to save lives people’s lives as well as protecting property from destruction, provide the public with health and safety and also the need to avert the threats (Pordes, 1979).
Two requirements that the government should follow in order to declare a federal disaster and provide federal assistance
Some requirements need to be enacted by the government and should be followed prior to declaring a national disaster and providing state assistance. Some of the new policies should be not only new laws but also an improvement on the current laws. The first requirement is the time limit for reporting any catastrophe should be shortened. The current period of 10 days plus some few days before FEMA makes its decision is a long period. Even when the decision-making process is still going on a lot of damages is continued to be noted. Hence, the first requirement would be to shorten the decision-making process to fewer days to lessen some damages noted before the government declares a federal disaster and start offering assistance to the affected individuals.
The second requirement would be that the government should start offering assistance to the regions that have been affected by the catastrophe even before it declares the situation as a federal disaster. This action will save lots of lives and property from destruction. Current guidelines state that the state can only provide support to the region that has been hit by the disaster only after it declares that there is a federal disaster in the region which requires federal assistance.
References
National Planning Frameworks | FEMA (2016). Retrieved January 22, 2017, from https://www.fema.gov/national-planning-frameworks
Pordes, R. (1979). The Funding of International Relief Assistance in Disaster Situations. Disaster Assistance, 49-79.
Robert, T. (2007). Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as amended, and Related Authorities, FEMA
Sylves, R., & Clark, L. (2015). Emergency management: Stafford disaster relief and emergency assistance act of 1988. Encyclopedia of Public Administration and Public Policy, 1-6
