Emergency Response Plan for Irving, Texas - Essay Example

Emergency Response Plan for Irving, Texas Your First Your Submitted Introduction New York Times named Irving, Texas as the area with the highest risk of natural disasters that affect the area, except earthquakes (New York Times, 2011). Knowing that the community is vulnerable to these disasters, it is appropriate that Emergency Response Procedures are in place. Three natural disasters were chosen, namely hurricanes, hail and drought, because these disasters are localized but result to great damages and losses, even death of thousands of people in affected areas.

Furthermore, these natural disasters occur on different seasons within a year, requiring different procedures, if necessary. Irving, Texas The community of Irving, Texas currently has a population of 216,915; with a median age of 31. Its land area is allotted to more than 9,000 acres for residential purposes, 4,500 acres of commercial area, 6,045 acres for its airport and 6,094 acres of undeveloped land (“Irving Demographics”, 2011). With this demographic information, the city council must take on the responsibility to keep the community well-informed and prepared at all times on the possible natural hazards that may occur.

Failing to do so will greatly affect a huge number of civilians within its jurisdiction. Knowing that their community has the highest risk of natural disasters, the city council must recognize the need for compliance to the 44 CFR Requirement of the Stafford Act be able to acquire future funds (FEMA, 2011). Therefore, the city council is expected to work hand in hand with its civilians, as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA], to be able to create a comprehensive emergency response plan for its jurisdiction.

FEMA has provided a Multi-Hazard Mitigation Planning Guidance to be able to assist all the communities in creating their own emergency response plan. The first step is gathering information on the resources of the community. This will also involve the participation of interested civilians and other organizations, as well as technical experts (FEMA, 2011). The city council of Irving must be able to identify the areas where drought, hurricanes and hailstorms have the highest occurrence. From this information, experts will be able to suggest structures which can help the community reduce the effects of the disasters, since drought, hurricanes and hail are unpredictable forces of nature, and preventing these disasters from happening is impossible.

Planning and Mitigation Drought is a natural occurrence characterized by a long period of decreased rainfall, and occurs in almost all parts of the world. Although the dry conditions may happen slowly, extremely long periods, coupled with the day-to-day requirements of humans for water, can severely affect agricultural crops, livestock, and a community’s water supply (www.nhcgov.com, 2010). Dams and levees surround the city of Irving (Irving Office of Emergency Management [IOEM], 2007), and these structures have both beneficial and destructive consequences.

Consistently filling the dams to maximum capacity before summer begins is appropriate as a preventive action during the dry season or in the occurrence of drought. However, during seasons where hurricanes and hail are most likely to occur, these structures pose more danger than the benefit they can provide, as dams may be destroyed and result to more damages. Knowing so, the time at which certain mitigation procedures have to be carried out is important. Although there has been no history of hail in Irving, Texas, there has been an occurrence of a hailstorm in the region in 2001 (IOEM, 2007).

This shows that with the on-going climate change and global warming, Irving is not spared from this phenomenon and it is still best to have preparations and mitigation procedures even for the most unlikely disasters. The community must be able to identify the basic tools needed for their own homes before winter, such as shovels, rock salt to melt the ice, fire extinguishers in sidewalks and sand. Residential and commercial structures must also be checked by city engineers to ensure that the frameworks of are sturdy enough to withstand the impact of the hailstorm and all buildings are insulated, including pipelines to prevent disruption of water supply (FEMA, 2011).

The city council is expected to inform its jurisdiction of timely weather updates, and designate evacuation centers for civilians who have lost their homes during the disaster. Hurricanes are the most destructive, as they have winds of more than 74 miles per hour. Furthermore, the centrifugal force that comes with it creates a vortex which can sweep away everything that it passes through. It is a general knowledge that hurricanes can cause severe damages in localized areas, and even death because of the strong winds that it carries together with the heavy rains (www.nhcgov.com, 2010).

Categorically, whether the hurricane is intensity 1 or 5, still, a community has to be prepared for it. The most vulnerable members of the community of Irving are those that live in mobile homes, and near the coastal areas where tidal waves may likely occur because of the strong winds. These are the people that have to be fully informed on any observed on-set of a hurricane, even a typical tropical storm (IOEM, 2007). Buildings, houses and other infrastructures, if possible have to be built steadily, roofs attached to structural frameworks to reduce damages and being swept out by the wind.

Safe rooms such as basements, constructed properly and with food and water supply can aid in the immediate response of the civilians when the disaster happens (FEMA, 2010). Conclusion Natural disasters and other forms of emergencies are unpredictable, and most of the time, these happen when people are at their most vulnerable state. No matter how much we prepare for such events, forces of nature still has the power of man’s intelligence, which leaves us only the chance to protect ourselves from its effects and find means to reduce the damage that it can bring.

Preparation and mitigation are the key steps in helping ourselves and the community more vigilant in times of disasters. As most experts say, the “when” brings more impact than the “if” (IOEM, 2007). References “Irving Demographics”. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.ci.irving.tx.us/common/demographics.asp. Irving Office of Emergency Management. (2007). Hazard Identification and Vulnerability Management. Retrieved from http://www.ci.irving.tx.us/emergency-management/pdfs/2007-HIVA-FINAL-PUBLIC.

pdf Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2010). Before a Hurricane. Retrieved from http://www.fema.gov/hazard/hurricane/hu_before.shtm Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2011). Before Winter Storms and Extreme Cold. Retrieved from http://www.fema.gov/hazard/winter/wi_before.shtm Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2011). Hazard Mitigation Planning Overview. Retrieved from http://www.fema.gov/plan/mitplanning/overview.shtm “Section 5: Hazard Analysis”. (2010). 2010 New Hanover County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan.

Retrieved from http://www.nhcgov.com/EM911/Documents/Hazard%20Mitigation/Section%205%20Hazard%20Analysis.pdf Where to Live to Avoid a Natural Disaster. (2011, April 30). The New York Times. Retrieved from http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/weekinreview/05012011-natural-disaster-risk-map.pdf