Roles and Responsibilities of Local and State Agencies - Research Paper Example

Emergency Management al Affiliation) Event Response Plan When a local area is hit by a catastrophic event of a disaster such as floods, the local agencies initiate the initial response to the event. These agencies assess the situation, ascertain its magnitude and scope, and make a decision on whether additional assistance is necessary (Federal Emergency Management Agency, U. S. Fire Administration, 2012). Whenever possible, emergencies are management at the local level with the Local Emergency Management Director monitoring progress and reporting to the District Emergency Management Coordinator. The County Chief Executive may declare a “state of emergency” at the local level in line with formal activation of response and recovery efforts by local agencies. If the event surpasses the capability of the local jurisdiction, the state emergency management is notified in order to inform the governor to declare a “state of emergency” and initiate the state assistance. The state agencies get a notification of the emergency and mobilized to initiate a collaborative approach towards managing the event. Proper coordination strategies including organization by function and application of appropriate technologies are important in allowing for proper coordination of the governmental, faith-based, and non-governmental agencies towards mitigating threats posed by emergencies (Pinkowski, 2008). Requesting State Assistance After the floods emergency has been deemed to be beyond the local jurisdiction’s control, the Local Emergency Management Director may forward a request to the Governor. This is to allow for declaration of a “state of disaster” or “state of emergency” in order to facilitate activation of the state assistance according to the set forth provisions (Federal Emergency Management Agency, U. S. Fire Administration, 2012). The request is forwarded to the District Emergency Management Coordinator before it is passed on to the State Emergency Management Director, who informs the Governor of the emergency. Before seeking the state assistance, it is important for the local jurisdiction to have utilized all the appropriate emergency relief forces such as the mutual aid, local contractors, and regional or any other reachable resources. For the state assistance to be authorized, the State Emergency Management Authority will verify the proper use of and exhaustion of any local resources. It is important to note that state assistance only supplements the local resources and efforts towards relieving any extraordinary burden that are attributable to imminent threats to public safety, health, and property. Thus, such assistance cannot be offered by the state primarily to relieve hardship or for relief budgeting. Since immediate actions are required in case of floods, including rescuing those caught in the floods, offering medical attention, and offering both nutrition support and shelter for the affected, the State Emergency Management Director should initiate quick temporary assistance in order to facilitate emergency response and recovery in the local area. The state emergency management team should also closely monitor the ground situation and constantly contact the local jurisdiction in order to facilitate appropriate response. It is upon the State Emergency Management Director to mobilize and notify any appropriate state agencies (Federal Emergency Management Agency, U. S. Fire Administration, 2012). The State Director also plays a role in the coordination of the response and recovery processes. Roles and Responsibilities of Local and State Agencies The local agencies have a major role to play in the management of flood emergencies. To start with, such agencies are the primary players in the maintenance of levees. The maintenance of levees is a responsibility of different players including the public levee districts; private owners; local government agencies; and the State water Resources Department. All these agencies collectively form the Levee Maintenance Agency. The local agencies thus play a major role in the prevention of floods through maintaining the levees in good condition in order to prevent the overflow of rivers and possible floods (Woodward, Gouldby, Kapelan, & Hames, 2014). Another responsibility of the local agencies during floods is flood fighting. In this case, the local agencies control the floods on the levees and take on other duties such as evacuation of the affected individuals to safety and offering of assistance to the injured in terms of transport to medical facilities. However, if the flood incident is beyond the capability of the local agencies, and if it threatens the wellbeing of the community, it is the responsibility of the local authority to seek assistance from the county or city responsible. On the other hand, the state department of water resources leads the response of state agencies in offering assistance to local jurisdictions in fighting floods. The state agencies have a responsibility to embark on any remedial measures that are important in alleviating, averting, repairing, and restoring destruction or damage to property that may result from floods, in the interest of the public and the state (Woodward, Gouldby, Kapelan, & Hames, 2014). The state agencies also provide advice to local agencies concerning fighting of floods upon request. Interagency Coordination The dynamic nature presented by disasters and the characteristics of cross-jurisdiction boundaries call for the need for multi-organizational response, both from governmental and non-governmental agencies. Considering the bureaucratic nature of governmental agencies, the efficiency and effectiveness of response to disasters may face hindrance. For instance, during the Hurricane Katrina disaster, the complex nature of the government bureaucracy led to a prolonged evacuation period, which elevated the level of damages (Maya-Jariego, 2014). Thus, coordination of governmental, non-governmental, and faith-based agencies at the local and state levels are important in enhancing motivation, creativity, and flexibility when fighting floods. It is important to note that the temporal and urgent nature of extreme events such as floods calls for a series of non-profit activities. This places the non-governmental and faith-based agencies into play as they offer non-profit services. Nevertheless, the limitations experienced by faith-based organizations and Non-governmental agencies in terms of resources, coordination, and accountability compromises their efficiency and effectiveness in some cases, as well as proper and equitable service distribution, as much as they are less bureaucratic and agile as compared to government agencies. As such, the voluntary agencies cannot guarantee effective and just social response in emergencies and they require working in coordination with the government agencies (Waugh Jr & Streib, 2006). Different agencies have different roles to play during emergencies and thus there is need for proper coordination of such agencies in order to facilitate a collaborative approach towards ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the affected individuals during flood events. Coordination Strategies Coordination during emergencies has proven to be difficult in most instances especially when determining the departments that are supposed to be linked and the methods through which they ought to be linked. Given that emergencies call into action different organizations, it is always a problem when it comes to drawing a line between their responsibilities. In order to curb such difficulties, it is important for the managers of incidents to employ appropriate strategic approaches. The employment of organizational theory in the division of functions is applicable to enhance coordination (Pinkowski, 2008). In this sense, establishment of an organizational structure allows proper division of functions among the key players in the incidence response process, allowing for a linear process through which these players can coordinate towards meeting the same objectives. In view of the organizational theory, the organization by function approach would be effective in drawing a clear line between the functions of the different agencies involved in the disaster management process. On the other hand, proper coordination among the agencies is achievable by applying sophisticated technologies. Developing a shared platform for communication between the agencies is important in ensuring that they are well coordinated in addressing the arising challenges during the emergency response process (Pinkowski, 2008). Critical Incident Response The National Incident Management System provides a proactive and systematic approach that guides agencies and departments at all government levels, in non-governmental organizations, and any other part of the private sector towards collaborating in the management of incidents that threaten the lives and livelihood of the public (Walsh, Lord, Christen Jr., & Miller, 2012). This is aimed at ensuring that all threats, regardless of their size, complexity, cause and location, are well curbed in order to minimize property and life loss, and to prevent any environmental harm. The NIMS provides different jurisdictions with a template upon which incident management operations are established. Through NIMS, a common approach for disaster management is provided, which involves standardized yet flexible practices for the management of incidents, while emphasizing on the common principles. In the management of the flood emergency, application of the Incident Command System (ICS) allows for compliance with the provisions of NIMS. The ICS provides for a system of management that has been designed to allow for efficient and effective management of domestic incidents through integrating various facilities, procedures, equipment, communications, and personnel operating in a single organizational structure (Dempsey & Forst, 2015). Through the ICS, all the functional areas in the management of the incident including operations, command, logistics, administration, intelligence and investigation, planning and finance are well addressed. This allows the managers of the flood incident to recognize any key concerns of the emergency without compromising the attention required for each of the command system’s components. Conclusion It is evident that managing emergencies require proper coordination of all the key players in quick response in order to avert any adverse effects of the emergencies. As such, there is need for the management to adapt strategies including the Incident Command System (ICS) that would allow for proper management of such cases without jurisdiction hindrances. Proper reporting of the incidences is important, as it would allow for timely assistance from both the regional and state organs towards minimizing loss of life and property. The local and state agencies have different roles and responsibilities to play in the management of floods. Proper investment in technologies that would enhance such coordination is important in ensuring that incidences with greater impacts are handled by both these agencies. The National Incident Management System has offered different jurisdictions a proper framework that can be utilized towards ensuring that emergencies are well contained and that the recovery process is initiated. References Dempsey, J., & Forst, L. (2015). An Introduction to Policing. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. Federal Emergency Management Agency, U. S. Fire Administration. (2012). Operational Templates and Guidance for Ems Mass Incident Deployment. New York: Federal Emergency Management Agency. Maya-Jariego, I. (2014). Ronald J. Angel, Holly Bell, Julie Beausoleil and Laura Lein: Community Lost. The State, Civil Society, and Displaced Survivors of Hurricane Katrina. International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 25(3), 839-841. Pinkowski, J. (Ed.). (2008). Disaster Management Handbook. Boca Raton: CRC Press. Walsh, D. W., Lord, G. C., Christen Jr., H. T., & Miller, G. T. (2012). National Incident Management System: Principles and Practice. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Waugh Jr, W. L., & Streib, G. (2006). Collaboration and leadership for effective emergency management. Public Administration Review, 66(1), 131-140. Woodward, M., Gouldby, B., Kapelan, Z., & Hames, D. (2014). Multiobjective Optimization for Improved Management of Flood Risk. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 140(2), 201–215. Read More