English
Introduction
In the movie World War Z, one of the issues is government preparedness in handling crises. Nowadays, the whole world is confronted with possible disasters or crises that can significantly affect the lives of the people in a community. During these difficult times, governmental response is vital in order to meet all the needs of those affected by these possible crises such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and other catastrophic events (Neil 14). The main resource and official regulatory organization that is tasked to handle these crises in the U.S. is the Department of Homeland Security. The National Response Framework (NRF) was updated in 2013 for the purpose of providing guidelines that will educate the community on how they will respond during calamities and disasters. The NRF served as a guideline that was published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security to give insights on how the nation will respond to all types of crises and emergencies (Neil 14).
Thesis Statement: The disaster management programs should focus on the deployment of physical and human resources outside the disaster zone to minimize the loss of human lives and economic resources.
When the terrorist attack occurred in September 21, 2001 in America, the whole world was left in shock when they saw two airplanes struck Twin Towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington. It was one of the worst disasters that were ever recorded in history. It was the first bold act of terrorism which caused the collapse of Twin Towers and new videos featured people jumping out of the windows to be saved. The 9/11 terrorist attack in the U.S. has been the worst act of terrorism that hit the country (Willis 171). This disaster killed at least 3,000 people who were passengers of Flight 93, while some of the victims who died were employees who worked in the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. As the whole world expressed sympathy over this tragedy in the U.S., they wanted to see how the American government will respond to this crisis.
After the 9/11 terrorist attack, the U.S. government enforced strict security measures to prevent future disasters from happening. It was then President Bush who assured his countrymen that the government will enforce security measures to ensure that these terrorists shall not be left unpunished by taking the lives of many innocent victims. (Rhatican 505). As a result, the U.S. government created agencies and enacted counterterrorism policies to make America a safer place for its people. This included the reorganization of the government and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that will protect the nation from future terrorist attacks (Haulley 9). The primary objective of the DHS is suppress lawless violence and to prevent immigrants, smugglers, and suspected terrorists from entering the American soil. The department was also tasked to guard the entry and exit points within U.S. territory. The department shall enforce measures that will minimize future losses and to devise a recovery plan that will be implemented in the event that there will be terrorist attacks in the future. At the same time, it shall be the duty of DHS to develop new anti-terrorism technologies to strengthen the security of the nation. Before these anti-terrorist technologies will be carried out, DHS shall conduct an intelligence review and testing of any anti-terrorism device (Haulley 9).
The anti-terrorism devices will aid the intelligence agencies to locate potential terrorists and monitor the criminal activities by using “IMINT” or the imagery intelligence, “SIGINT” or the signal intelligence, and “HUMINT” or the human intelligence (Maras 455). The purpose of “IMINT” is to become the instrument in order to detect future threats and conflicts using a modern photo imaging satellite that will give a visual image of an impending aim of any covert operation (Maras 455). This technology was able to identify the location of known terrorist leader, Osama Bin Laden. Other technologies such as the “SIGINT” has the ability to detect the transmissions that came from broadcast systems, radar, communication involved in any wiretapping activities (Maras 455). “HUMINT” does not use technology but shall cover the gathering of intelligence using informers to know the future plans of terrorist organizations.
Aside from terrorist attacks, several natural calamities and disasters will also need the prompt attention and response of the government. Most disaster studies have concentrated on various natural disasters which have been identified as damaging or destructive natural events including tornados, hurricanes and earthquakes that can affect the well-being of the people (Mishra, Fuloria, & Singh 383). In an attempt to ensure sound timely preparation efforts, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are also tasked to develop an Emergency Preparedness Checklist to help save more lives in times of calamities and disasters (Neil 14). The response to an emergency can cause a significant impact on the affected communities through the help of several medical and public health entities, including health care provider systems, public health departments, emergency medical services, medical laboratories, and medical support services. This coordinated response is vital to ensure the higher chance of survival for the people (Neil 14). Caring for children with special needs during a disaster is one of the challenges being faced by the rescue and recovery units due to lack of adequate resources and the unique reunification needs of the young victims (Baker and Cormier 106).
Aside from these issues, there are also other factors that have to be considered during national emergencies such as natural calamities. Part of the legal issues in disaster preparedness is health care of the people. Hence, there must be a creation of the Public Health Law Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and handouts that will provide the Frequently Asked Questions regarding Federal Public Health Emergency Law (Neil 15). It is also imperative that legal issues that are involved in emergency disaster preparedness be addressed such as the designated legal authorities, the public health emergency procedures, isolation and quarantine concerns, and the assigned workforce during times of disaster (Neil 15). The primary legal authority for health care providers is the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act. The PREP Act gives the Secretary of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to issue a declaration that will allow immunity from tort liability, but subject to exceptions such as any wilful misconduct (Neil 15).
Disaster preparedness is also associated with some demographic variables that will have significant influence on preparedness (Miller, Bradley & Scott 3). Hence, those communities who live with small children and other people with disabilities have a more probability to hold a higher level of preparedness (Miller, et al. 3). However, the failure in communication between the government and its agencies and the public is the major cause of the breakdown of disaster management and prevention. Therefore, the government is duty-bound to educate the people on the importance, benefits, and the necessary methods to ensure that adequate preparedness is in place during impending catastrophic events.
Conclusion
The best way to ensure the speedy recovery and to prevent the loss of human lives is by mapping out the disaster proneness of and the availability of resources in advance (Mishra, et al. 383). Disaster management is critical not only to prevent human and material loss, but also to avoid other related contingencies and threats that may affect the community. Managing disasters is essential in modern-day time since disasters can cause a greater impact on people and economies. Since these calamities and disasters may strike independently of each other, there should be concerted disaster management and disaster prevention and recovery efforts that should be employed to avoid these occurrences in the future.
It is also imperative for the government to ensure strategic preparedness by understanding the interface and interdependencies that exist among neighboring communities that may affect the people, organizations and cyber-physical infrastructures (Haimes 1843). The importance of risk assessment, management, and communication is to predict the impending emergent forced changes by using the theory of scenario structuring, and to pursue the originators of an impending catastrophic event that can be done by strategic preparedness, response, and recovery (Haimes 1844). It bears to stress that the interconnected and interdependent systems within the government should exert joint efforts to ensure that disaster and calamities will be managed smoothly.
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