North Dakota and Flood Disaster Management - Coursework Example

Introduction

Many sources provide different definitions and meanings for the word hazard. The best definition is any source of potential harm to the environment, people, and property. Therefore, a hazard may be considered to be a behavior, situation or object that might lead to the destruction or damage defined above. To prepare themselves to minimize the potential accidents, injuries and losses of lives, governments, institutions or people have come up with ways that will ensure hazards are adequately managed and tackled if by any chance they do arise or come by. Potential causes and consequences that are not needed are well analyzed after distinguishing a possible hazard in a process that is known as hazard analysis. It also involves documenting the causes and consequences of the particular danger. Hazard analysis tends to kick off with a Preliminary Hazard Analysis which goes on all the way through the life cycle of the system’s product (Kryzsztofik et al., 2015). There are different types of hazards, and they include; physical, psychological, ergonomic, hazardous substances, biological, radiation and environmental risks. There is also the category of workplace hazards which constitutes of slips, falls, trips, temperature, noise, etc. To fight and manage hazards, one needs to come with a disaster management plan to minimize the damages that might be caused by the dangers. This case study will be in North Dakota and flood disaster management using the four known phases.

Mitigation

This is the first step in disaster management, and it entails knowing the geographical features and what hazard or disaster might happen in the given place. When it comes to rural areas in the United States, North Dakota is considered to be the most rural. The state’s 90% land is covered by farms that stretch for miles and miles. The state is the leading wheat provider in the country. This is durum and spring wheat, but there are other products such as; sunflowers, barley, sugar beets, beef cattle, hay, oats, honey, sheep, hogs, rye and, dry edible beans. The availability of these crops and products has led to the growth of the manufacturing industry in particular; farm equipment and food processing ones (Shultz et al., 2013). However, there is an environmental hazard that is looming over the state of North Dakota this coming spring. Devil’s Lake, Red River, and the Souris River have been predicted overflow thus increasing the risks of flooding in the state of North Dakota. Snow caps are melting, and the soils in the state will not be able to take in and hold the excess water thus leading to flooding. Scientists and weather forecasters have warned people should be ready for the floods and as it will be severe.

The reason as to why parts of North Dakota have high risks of flooding is their proximity to the three rivers mentioned earlier. As it is known, rivers lie in valleys which are low lands. Cities, towns, and communities that are found in these flatlands are thus more likely to be affected in the case of flooding occurring. As records will show, there have cases of extreme flooding in the state of North Dakota that has happened in the past decades (Wiedrich, Sickler, Vossler, & Pickard, 2013). The most recent of these cases was witnessed and recorded in the year 2011 whereby both Missouri and the Souris rivers both flooded due to heavy rainfalls that were recorded at that time. At any given time, there is the risk of excess rain or ice caps melting then chances of flooding are quite high (Shultz et al., 2013).

In the past occurrences, places that were hit most by the floods include; Minot community which saw more than 25% of the town go underwater with North Dakota’s northern area being completely isolated, Logan, Burlington, Sawyer and other little communities that were situated along the Souris River were affected by the waters. In Bismarck, over 4000 residents were forced to evacuate the affected areas their homes were destroyed. Not only homes as schools, institutions, and infrastructure were all destroyed by the raging floods. Livestock and other domestic animals were lost as a result of this flood. The people had to be taken to higher grounds where they could not be affected (Fore, Overmoe, & Hill, 2015). Families lost their belongings, but the destruction of their houses was the most significant loss as it meant they had nothing or no place to return to after the water levels that had been raised by the floods had receded. These floods are therefore always expected to occur at times of high rainfalls and when ice melts in the American plains (Siders & Jacobson, 1998).

Preparedness

The most important part of knowing about the impending doom, flooding, in this case, is coming up with ways in which the consequences and adversities can be minimized as much as possible. Governments and states should always ensure that they have set guidelines and plans on how they are going to deal with the floods once they hit their lands hence this second phase in Emergency Management which is known as preparedness (Zheng, Barta, & Zhang, 2014). The most critical factor that authorities need to note is that these affected farms in North Dakota lie in valleys. The low lands are the worst hit areas if floods tend to hit the state at any time. As earlier stated, regions that are near the rivers Souris, Missouri River, Red River and Red Lake get affected first when the banks of these water bodies are no longer able to hold rising water levels within them. In cases that this is expected to happen, plans should be put in place in preparedness to avoid the loss of lives and properties. Preparation needs one to consider many different aspects such as; communications, transportation, morgue operations, logistics and resource management, firefighting and security competences, availability of behavioral/mental health services for responders and survivors, and medical and public health services. Each of these tasks should be allocated to the qualified teams that can handle them accordingly (Siders & Jacobson, 1998).

The process of allocating these essential responsibilities to the necessary and qualified personnel is known as Emergency Support Function (ESF). The ESF has a structure whereby roles and responsibilities of the support agencies, primary agencies, and Federal departments are described. This arrangement is made possible by the help of the Stafford Act and for non-Stafford Act incidents which declare how states can assist each other in times of disasters or hazards (Veenema, 2008). This ascertains that preparedness should be taken very seriously and handed to parties that are best fit to do the job thus ensuring the process is a success. Below are the ESF roles and responsibilities as recorded in the Emergency Support Function Annexes?

• Transportation: The ESF team tasked with overlooking the scope of transport needs both road and airspace. In this case of flooding, there should be aircraft such as helicopters that are readily available to rescue victims that are trapped in areas that ground personnel cannot access. They should also ensure that the roads which are more likely to be affected by the flooding regarding them becoming impassable and damaged are closed, and citizens warned from using them to minimize casualties. After the hazard, the situation is likely to be bad as the floods will have destroyed roads and any other ways of reaching and accessing the towns and communities affected (O’Brien, O’Keefe, Rose, & Wisner, 2006). The people that will still be in the affected areas will need to be evacuated, and the ESF team in charge of transport will have to make that possible. The team is also tasked with assessing the impact of and damages caused by the floods.
• Communication: There should be a laid-out plan on how the ESF teams will be communicating after the hazard has hit. This includes corresponding on how to rescue the people in the affected areas. Adequate communication involves coordination between the information technology and telecommunication industries.
• Public works and engineering: This ESF is tasked with the responsibility of overlooking the contracting of services such as life-sustaining and life-saving support.
• Firefighting: Sometimes flooding might lead to destructions of electricity and power supply stations which can lead fire outbreaks. ESF should ensure that a firefighting team is in place to deal with the threat if it does arise.
• Emergency Management: This can be termed to be the most of ESF. It deals with the planning for what will be carried out when incidents have occurred. The Emergency Management is in charge of issuing mission assignments, providing human and resource capital and estimation of how much finance will be needed (Veenema, 2008).
• Mass Care, Emergency Assistance, Housing, and Human Services: When it comes to medical assistance, ESF needs to have a plan and come up with ways in which the injured are going to be taken for treatment, and where the survivors will be accepted for shelter to be provided to them.
• Logistics Management and Resource Support: ESF in charge of logistics and resources has to ensure that there will available means to transport the affected from the flooded areas to the save selected safe zones. There should also be volunteers or people mandated to oversee this process on the ground.
• Public Health and Medical Services: EFS should make sure that there are enough facilities and hands to help with taking care of the affected and injured. These they should be able to handle the estimated or more than the expected number of casualties. There should be specialists to assist those that might face trauma after the hazard, and these includes to both the victims and rescuers.
• Search and Rescue: Teams should be assembled and be ready to be called upon at any time depending on the time the hazard is expected to happen. These should be well-trained persons that are well versed with life-saving techniques and processes.
• Agriculture and Natural Resources: With North Dakota well known for its wheat production and other agricultural products, ESF should ensure that food security is provided. Agricultural products that had already been harvested should take to safer grounds whereby they will be stored and assist the people after the floods have passed.
• Public Safety and Security: This part of the ESF is tasked with ensuring that the public and affected people are protected at the place where there have been taken to security wise. Security should be planned for accordingly to ensure a smooth running of the rescue operations (Veenema, 2008).
• Long-Term Community Recovery: This involves helping the affected communities of North Dakota recover after the hazard has surpassed and they are now required to get back to their normal lives. ESF has to ensure that there is enough help offered to the local government and private sector of the state of North Dakota.
• External Affairs: ESF has to come with proper ways and channels in which situation about the situation will be communicated to outside parties and the media at large.

The ESF is supposed to be headed by a coordinator who will be in charge of overlooking all operations to be carried out by the floods or responding and recovery process. There are also other support agencies that will assist the ESF teams in carrying out their operations accordingly. The primary responsibilities of the ESF controller are;

• • • Organizing what is needed to be done before, during, and after the flooding.
    • Ensuring that the ESF members and teams are updated or brought to speed with any changes or happenings.
    • Holding and presiding over the ESF conference calls and meetings.
    • Indulging the important organizations in the private sector that assist in the flood response and recovery process.
    • Last but not least, ensuring that the ESF is in possession of the necessary infrastructure that will help them in doing and carrying out their work as need be.

Response

After the disaster has taken place, flooding in this case, it is essential for the rescuers to be well versed with appropriate information regarding how the people of North Dakota are going to be helped most importantly in matters regarding them claiming their food insurances. There should also be the provision of food to the survivors and affected through the help of National Flood Insurance Program also known as NFIP (Wiedrich et al., 2013). There should be protective guidelines that the rescuers and volunteers should follow to avoid the threat of them being injured at the time that they are carrying out the rescue processes. Durin the preparing phase, they should have been trained on how they will be required to go about the rescuing process. They need to have been provided with the necessary equipment and protective gears that will assist in keeping them safe from possible harm or attacks. Communication networks that had been set up before in the previous phase as illustrated in this paper will be the most crucial element of carrying out rescue operations and responding to the victims as well in the coordination between the teams that will be taking part in it (Veenema, 2008).

All the information discussed in the above paragraph is only possible if the ESF has been activated or put into play. The NRCC will be developing and issuing orders that will result in the activations of individual ESFs that will already be available within the magnitude and scope of the areas ravaged by the floods. Once activated, the ESF teams and personnel will be responsible for the following;

• The ESF personnel needs to work together with ESF controller. Secondly, they will be making sure that they actively work near the support and other primary agencies that will also be participating in the flood response.
• The ESF should then coordinate and start with offering their Federal support to the affected people of North Dakota.
• Ensuring there is the availability of staff that will be carrying out the necessary operational functions on the ground that also includes the field and fixed facilities.
• The ESF then is required to let the support agencies know of the situation and request for their support.
• As per the missions that were assigned to them in the previous phase of preparedness, coordinating and managing of them done with the help of support agencies and other fitting agencies such as; operations centers and State officials.
• Working together with organizations in the private sector that to ensure that needed resources are available and used to the maximum.
• Other organizational constituents and ESFs should be well conversant with the ESF activities and priorities when it comes to carrying out the rescue and response operations effectively.
• Procuring the needed goods and services that will be needed in response to the destructions caused by the floods.
• ESF then needs to come up with both the long-term and short-term plans for managing the operations that aid recovering after the disaster strikes.
• The NSF having known of what they are going to should be able to respond to the hazard accordingly (Veenema, 2008).

In responding to flood-affected areas, the responders must be wary of their surroundings and thus be able to protect themselves from potential safety risks and other hazards that might arise from the flood hazard itself. These areas are as follows;

• Electrical hazards- Power must be turned off at main stations to avoid the rescuers and workers from being electrocuted at any place where there is standing water. Turning off the power should be the first thing that is done before they get into the flood zone or area.
• Tree removal and debris- When doing clearing, the workers should be provided with the necessary equipment that is usable in wet conditions and the outdoor. As stated earlier in preparedness, they should have protective gear such as; chaps, fall protection, eye protection, chaps, gloves, eye protection, head protection, hearing protection, etc.
• Lifting injuries- When responding to the flood-hit North Dakota lands, a lot of lifting will be required of the workers and rescuers. They ought to have been thinking about how they will be required to be lifting heavy and bulky items to prevent them from being injured.
• Mold- People with lung diseases such as sinusitis, asthma and other allergies should stay away from places that have developed mold to avoid being affected by being exposed to it.
• Rodents, snakes, and insects- Rescuers and workers should make a point of putting on socks, long-sleeved shirts and long pants to minimize chances of bitten by exposing as little flesh as possible. Insect repellents that contain Picaridin and DEET should also be used.
• Chemical and biological hazards- Chemical storage tanks and containers may be forced to float and release their dangerous contents thus causing hazards to people that may come into contact with them. The water may also be contaminated due to getting mixed by rotting food, dead animals, and untreated sewage. Any food substances that have been contacting with this water should be discarded.
• The floods may damage Fire- Systems that need to be up and running to prevent fires thus rescuers should be wary of this and expect fires that will be hard to fight.
• Drowning- Moving water is dangerous as people might be carried by it causing drowning and death. Workers and rescuers should work in teams, and each person should be provided personal floatation device approved by the Coast Guard.
• Hypothermia: To avoid this, responders should make sure they are in clothing and attires that are appropriate for windy, wet and cold conditions.
• Exhaustion: If a worker is tired or exhausted; he or she is encouraged to take rests to avoid injuries that might be brought about inattentiveness.
• Heat: Responders should be well conversant with symptoms of heat illnesses and monitor their body temperatures. During the time that they were being prepared for the rescue operations, they should have been educated on how to avoid heat stress. Employers, ESF coordinator, should ensure there is enough water around to help cool the responders.

Recovery

Recovery after floods is not easy, and it might take victims such a long time for them to come to terms with what happened to them, the losses they incurred and so on and so forth. This dictates that a proper recovery plan should have been prepared long before the disaster hit North Dakota (Atkinson, 2014). Plans should have been made on how the residents in the affected communities will be helped on how to get back to their normal livelihoods. As stated earlier, victims that had filed for the National Flood Insurance Program will also be eligible for compensations for their destroyed properties most importantly, houses. Health officials and therapists to provide mental and emotional support to the victims should be readily available as earlier stated (Price, 2008).

Resources and the necessary professionals should have been procured and acquired to ensure the process runs smoothly. As advised in the text, recovery planning should be long-term to ensure its effectiveness. Therefore, the ESF should have developed the plan, coordinated the people that will volunteer and coming up with a system that will be able to cater for the unsatisfied needs of the residents and a case management (Islam et al. 2016). Before the rebuilding of the homes of the affected commences, The North Dakota Department of Commerce posit that state officials need to consult the authorities in charge of housing on how to go about the construction of emergency shelters for the affected North Dakota residents” (North Dakota Department of Commerce).

Conclusion

From all the information given above, it is right to state that floods as a disaster should be taken very seriously. If authorities and appropriate agencies do not plan themselves well enough, a lot of lives and property might be lost. As it has been witnessed in the past, crops and livestock were destroyed by the floods. Thanks to advanced technology, the majority of the environmental hazards can be predicted and thus make it easier for specialists to prepare themselves and take the necessary steps. The well-detailed plans should be put in place whenever floods are expected to be experienced in North Dakota or any other state for that matter. If possible, people should be encouraged to carry their valuables and take their families to other places where it will be safe for them to stay until the floods recede. Many people tend to ignore when called upon to temporarily evacuate from their homes due to fear of people going to loot and steal their belongings. It is vital for them to note that their lives are more important than property. The ESF and appropriate authority should ensure that they have enough and well-trained personnel that will help with the rescuing and recovery phases. They should have enough resources and funding to cater for the whole responding process to avoid disappointments that might be brought about by failures.

The mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery phases are crucial when it comes to disaster or hazard management. The whole process helps in saving lives and provides a way forward after the disaster has taken place. A planned recovery method is essential as it allows for the affected to be able to get back and continue with their lives as soon as possible. Catering for and providing doctors in the psychology area to help those that might be traumatized by what they experienced is also essential for if they are not catered for other mental complications might arise later, and this goes for both victims and rescuers. Another recommendation is that proper drainage to be constructed to help drain off the excess water that the soil is projected not being able to handle (Price, 2008).

The reason as to why parts of North Dakota have high risks of flooding is their proximity to the three rivers mentioned earlier. As it is known, rivers lie in valleys which are low lands. Cities, towns, and communities that are found in these flatlands are thus more likely to be affected in the case of flooding occurring. As records will show, there have cases of extreme flooding in the state of North Dakota that has happened in the past decades (Wiedrich, Sickler, Vossler, & Pickard, 2013). The most recent of these cases was witnessed and recorded in the year 2011 whereby both Missouri and the Souris rivers both flooded due to heavy rainfalls that were recorded at that time. At any given time, there is the risk of excess rain or ice caps melting then chances of flooding are quite high (Shultz et al., 2013).

In the past occurrences, places that were hit most by the floods include; Minot community which saw more than 25% of the town go underwater with North Dakota’s northern area being completely isolated, Logan, Burlington, Sawyer and other little communities that were situated along the Souris River were affected by the waters. In Bismarck, over 4000 residents were forced to evacuate the affected areas their homes were destroyed. Not only homes as schools, institutions, and infrastructure were all destroyed by the raging floods. Livestock and other domestic animals were lost as a result of this flood. The people had to be taken to higher grounds where they could not be affected (Fore, Overmoe, & Hill, 2015). Families lost their belongings, but the destruction of their houses was the most significant loss as it meant they had nothing or no place to return to after the water levels that had been raised by the floods had receded. These floods are therefore always expected to occur at times of high rainfalls and when ice melts in the American plains (Siders & Jacobson, 1998).

Preparedness

The most important part of knowing about the impending doom, flooding, in this case, is coming up with ways in which the consequences and adversities can be minimized as much as possible. Governments and states should always ensure that they have set guidelines and plans on how they are going to deal with the floods once they hit their lands hence this second phase in Emergency Management which is known as preparedness (Zheng, Barta, & Zhang, 2014). The most critical factor that authorities need to note is that these affected farms in North Dakota lie in valleys. The low lands are the worst hit areas if floods tend to hit the state at any time. As earlier stated, regions that are near the rivers Souris, Missouri River, Red River and Red Lake get affected first when the banks of these water bodies are no longer able to hold rising water levels within them. In cases that this is expected to happen, plans should be put in place in preparedness to avoid the loss of lives and properties. Preparation needs one to consider many different aspects such as; communications, transportation, morgue operations, logistics and resource management, firefighting and security competences, availability of behavioral/mental health services for responders and survivors, and medical and public health services. Each of these tasks should be allocated to the qualified teams that can handle them accordingly (Siders & Jacobson, 1998).

The process of allocating these essential responsibilities to the necessary and qualified personnel is known as Emergency Support Function (ESF). The ESF has a structure whereby roles and responsibilities of the support agencies, primary agencies, and Federal departments are described. This arrangement is made possible by the help of the Stafford Act and for non-Stafford Act incidents which declare how states can assist each other in times of disasters or hazards (Veenema, 2008). Read More