Strategies Available for Disaster Management - Essay Example

Emergency Management Introduction In the article “Public education and disaster management: is there any guiding theory?” by Samuel Nielsen and John Lidstone the disaster management and guidance to the event has been explained. Here, many strategies available for disaster management and need for public education in this context is described. The individual safety of the people victimized by disaster is a concern among many disaster managers according to the authors. The writing suggests that much disaster management does not employ cost – effective and feasible measures in regard to disaster management. To facilitate increased safety must be the aim of any disaster management. As per (WCPT,2014 ) “Not all disasters, particularly natural disasters, can be prevented, but the risk of loss of life and injury can be mitigated with good evacuation plans, environmental planning and design standards”. The article suggests that the technology and strategies available today should allow the disaster manager to mitigate hazards. The article suggests that the public need to be educated well in advance to contain natural hazards more effectively. As per (Nielsen & Lidstone,1998,pg.1-6 ) “It seems the majority of opinion amongst disaster researchers and practitioners is towards the value of education as an effective and practical tool for hazard management”. The education must prepare the people for life, work security, rapid societal and technological changes and happiness. This would enable them to prepare themselves toward uncertainties and changes in the world. The author suggests that this public education should be theory integrated which has practical value in disaster management context. Concerns addressed by Authors The article raises many concerns with regard to disaster management and mitigation of natural hazards. They are as follows. Public Safety – The main concern of the disaster management in relation to this article is the public safety issue. It is explained that despite all the technology and knowledge the disaster management experts have not come up with a measures to give proper safety to public in regard to natural disasters. As per (Kuehn,2011,pg.43-60)“Public safety information systems are part of the overall government infrastructure that must withstand natural and man-made disasters”. Public education and awareness – The authors raise concern over the inadequate public education regarding disaster management. The authors suggest that government should prepare the pubic towards the disasters which can be natural or general. There should be individual and lifelong learning practice to contain natural disasters. Proper understanding of public education- The public education with regard to emergency management needs to be well planned. The authors suggest that there is no integrated education framework with regard to emergency management. The article claim that the education policy must be practical and theory based. Study of public attitude toward emergencies-The public attitude towards disaster management is considerable inadequate and this is a problem pointed out by the authors in this article. . According to (Ahayalimuddin, 2012,pg.1-4) ) “Adequacy of knowledge and practice, and portraying positive attitude is driven by being involved in disaster response and attending disaster-related education”. So public attitude need to be more practical when it comes to emergencies. Importance of these concerns These specific concerns raised by the authors are of great importance as any disaster management goals is public safety. A disaster whether it is natural or general brings forth great deal of damage to humans and property. So this point raised by the article is valid of extreme and prime importance. If a disaster management cannot assure public safety then the purpose of the management is lost. In case of inadequate public safety lot of mishaps can occur at the event of disasters. As per (Busch, 2013) “Officials have avoided issuing warnings for fear of causing panic and have allocated public safety resources based on erroneous fears of looting”. Also it is important to educate public regarding disasters so that they can take proper measures to contain the disasters. In emergency situation like terrorist attacks, fire hazards, earthquakes the public need guidance to encounter it. However, the public education needs to be given with proper understanding and planning. The education should be of practical value and of importance as it should be useful to public in emergency management. The public education in relevance to disaster management should be theory based and this allows the people to face disaster in a scientific manner. Also the public attitude towards disaster management needs to be studied by experts. Government should ensure that the public has a positive attitude towards facing disaster and all confusions and inhibition on the part of public need to be studied and understood. As an emergency manager one need to perform myriad of roles. As per (Patwardhan,2007,pg.20 ) Considering that many impacts of climate change will be manifested through increased occurrence and intensity of extreme events, disaster management becomes a natural context for exploring the possibilities of mainstreaming climate change adaptation The emergency manager needs to address these facts essentially to face disasters and emergencies. The public safety is a critical area which needs attention from emergency manager. The manager needs to keep an alert disaster relief to enhance public safety. The emergency preparedness plan need to be intact and must be co – ordinate well with the ream for quick and appropriate action. The emergency manager needs to educate the public regarding disaster well in advance. He can make use of media, brochures and other materials to educate the public. As per (IFRC,2011) “ Public awareness and public education for disaster reduction seek to turn available human knowledge into specific local action to reduce disaster risks. It mobilizes people through clear messages, supported with detailed information”. The specific action to reduce risk related to disaster and behaviour to reduce accidents and other problems need to be educated to the public. The emergency manger needs to understand the proper implication of public education agenda. He should understand the effectiveness and practicality of public education in relation to disaster management. The emergency manager needs to analyse the public attitude towards disaster management. He needs to create a positive attitude among public regarding emergencies and hazards. The emergency manager needs to eradicate the inhibitions and misconception of public regarding disasters. As per (Pinkowski,2008, pg.20) “Disaster management is rooted in the fundamental belief that we can do something about avoiding disasters and lessen the potential for substantial loss of life and property” The emergency manager faces many challenges as a part of his profession. The emergency manager need to understand different hazards and explore various perceptions of hazard types and the way it affects preparedness while including terminology like “terrorism”, “disaster” “ pandemic flu” and “ preparedness”. He should understand how sociodemographic factors relate to preparedness and in which way outreach strategies need to be tailored to achieve maximum benefit for the targeted population. He needs to identify new approaches and technologies existing that could be used to manage disasters. He need to analyse the risk related to different hazards and the communication strategies which can be used to reach the populations. He needs to plan programs related to evacuation and epidemic control. Event the long term recovery effect of disaster also needs to be studied by the emergency manager. The catastrophe survival technique need to study by the emergency manager and he need to reinforce all the resource as a preparedness strategy. The emergency manager needs to plan well to integrate people with disabilities, children, pregnant women and old people. The community capacity of rural community needs to be identities by the emergency manager. As per ( Bennett,2012 “Managing an emergency incident requires a calm leader. This task is stressful but experience has shown that successful managers properly utilize subordinate staff and focus everyone on achieving a common goal”. The role of an Emergency Manager An emergency manager has many roles to play with regard to emergency management. They can be seen as follows. As per (Collins,200,pg.2 ) “Appropriate planning and preparedness before a disaster happens are essential to maize the risks and resulting damages”. Responsible for day to day activities An emergency manager needs to manage every day affairs of emergency management as he have to co – ordinate and plan activities. He has to take into account all hazards and create a relationship with his entire team. He has to be creative and innovative in approaches solving challenges related to disaster. Many programs related to emergency management and activities come under the responsibility of the emergency manager. As per ( Coppola,2010,pg.6)“While emergency management structures vary from country to country, having formed largely independent and irrespective of each other, pattern does exist” Co – ordination of resources The emergency manager needs to co – ordinate all resources as a part of his profession. He needs co – ordinate resources before, during and after a disaster. The resources like personnel, teams, facilities, and equipment. As per ( FEMA,2013) “Emergency management and incident response activities require carefully managed resources (personnel, teams, facilities, equipment and/or supplies) to meet incident needs”. Managing activities in four phases The management of activities during four phases is an important responsibility of an emergency manager. The four phases like mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery need to be well handled by the emergency manager. Public awareness and education An emergency manager also has the responsibility to educate the public regarding disasters and need to create awareness among them. The disaster manager needs to work in co – ordination with the entire team of disaster management. Everybody in the team have their own opinion and suggestion in relation to an emergency operation. The staff in a disaster management team may be people from different professions. The disaster may need to consult various professionals and technical experts to make the emergency operation a success. In case of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction the disaster manager need to take the opinion of medical experts and other technical professionals. As per ( Briggs,2003,pg .585-89) “All disaster management teams must adhere to this structure to integrate successfully into the rescue effort. Increasingly, medical specialists are determining how best to incorporate their medical expertise into disaster management teams that meet the functional requirements of the incident command system”. If there is a limited amount of human resources at the set then the disaster manager may have to alter plans. For this reason, the disaster manager may need to possess an alternative plan where there is contingency with human resource staff. As per ( Rahman,2003,pg.10-13) “Human resource development is an important aspect of disaster reduction. Skilled manpower contributes a lot to pre –disaster awareness building, post disaster evacuation and relief operations”. The human resource attending the disaster zone can be sometimes less than expected and the manager need to make sure he has provisions to overcome these challenges. Conclusion Disaster management or Emergency management is a highly responsible and risky activity and the disaster manager need to employ his complete skill and knowledge in the field. When a disaster or emergency occurs there is loss to life and property, disruption of power and services and causality. The emergency management teams needs staff, medicine, food supplies, equipments and many other supplies and faculties to encounter a disaster. In emergencies like terrorist events or earthquake sometimes causality can be high. The disaster manager needs to plan well ahead against a disaster. Disasters are no longer seen as extreme events created entirely by natural forces but as manifestations of unresolved problems of development. According to ( Yodmani, 2001) “TheDisaster management practices have evolved from largely a top-down relief and response approach to a more inter-sectoral risk management approach”. The disaster manager also needs to educate public on the disaster and precaution they need to reduce the impact of disaster on their health and life. As per ( Busch,2013,pg .1-22) “Whether in preparation for natural disasters or terrorist attacks, resilience-oriented public-private partnerships are now an essential part of U.S. disaster management”. So the education of public on disaster encounter, public safety, communication and co – ordination with staff of the management team and planning is important responsibilities of a disaster manager. Disaster manager need to plan against contingencies of human resource attend the scene. Disaster manager has a many roles to play like as a planner, strategic thinker, educator and leader. Work Cited Ahayalimuddin (2012). Disaster management: a study on knowledge, attitude and practice of emergency nurse and community health nurse. BMC Public Health, 12(3), 1-4. Bennett (2011). Effective Emergency Management. Retrieved April 23, 2014, from https://www.asse.org.org/professionalsafety/pastis sues/056/11/028_037 _F1Bennet t_1111Z. Busch, N. E. (2013). Achieving Resilience in Disaster. Journal of Strategic Security, 6(2), 1-21. Briggs, S M (2005).Disaster management teams. Pub Med ,11(6) 585-89. Cappola, D. P. (2011). Introduction to International Disaster Management . Burlington: Elsevier Inc. Collins, L. R. (2000). Disaster Management and Preparedness . Florida: CRC Press. FEMA (2013). Resource Management. Retrieved April 23, 2014, from http://www.fema.gov. IFRC (2011).Public awareness and public. Retrieved April 23, 2014, from . Kuehn, A (2011). Interoperability and Information Brokers in Public Safety: An. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 6(1), 43-60. Pinkowski, J. (2008). Disaster management handbook. Boca Raton: CRC Press Patwardhawan, A(2007). Disaster Prevention, Preparedness . Retrieved April 23, 2014, from http://www.basic-project.net/data/final/Paper10India%20Dis aster%20Prevention%20%2 0Prepared ness%20%20Linkages%20w%85.pdf Rehman, F(2003) Human Resource Development for Disaster Reduction. Internation Training Program on Total Risk Disaster Management , 10(1),10-13. Nielsen, S., & Lidstone, J. (1998). Public education and disaster management ; Is there any guiding theory? Australian Journey of Disaster Management, 1-6. WCPT (2014). What is disaster management?. Retrieved April 24, 2014, from http://www.wcpt.o rg/disas ter-management/what-is-disaster-management Yodmani, S(2001). Disaster Risk Management and Vulnerability. Retrieved April 24, 2014 from http://www.adpc.net/infores/adpc-documents/povertypaper.pdf Read More