Communication Issues in all Phases of Emergency Management - Assignment Example

 Communication Issues in all Phases of Emergency Management Special needs are those needs that apply to a broad base of people who are with disabilities, minority groups, the homeless, orphans and refugees. These groups of people are vulnerable to a variety of challenges that afflict them in their day to day lives. Their needs are complex and at times, they are left out of crucial government programs, services and emergency planning. Their state, therefore, places a huge responsibility on emergency management programs to make it possible for these groups of people to experience normal lives.

For any strategy meant to alleviate the suffering of the special needs groups to work, there must be an organized way that makes it possible for information to be shared and disseminated (Kailes, 2005 ). At all levels, information should be shared between government bodies and crisis management teams, so that adequate resources can be set aside to mitigate the different needs. Since various groups are disadvantaged, there is a need to limit the usage of the term “special needs” to terms that specifically refer to the disadvantaged groups according to their specific situations.

This would make it easy for emergency managers to know the vulnerabilities of each group and how to address them (CDC, 2002). Q 2: Do you think that the definitions listed in the "nuclear events" section could apply to every type of disaster? How might you go about improving definitions for when / how to shelter-in-place vs. evacuation? The definitions within the nuclear events section can apply to every type of disaster even though in varying degrees. This will depend mainly on the situation and the catalysts of the particular disaster or emergency.

In such circumstances, therefore, the level of contamination or exposure, that the people within an area are affected by, will determine the warning systems to be established and the type of attention that will be given to it. However, not all disasters are caused by nuclear accidents and as such, there would be a need to create a strategy to look into the underlying cause to determine effective ways through which the disaster can be brought under control (Baltimore County Government, 2007). The definitions that relate to the evacuations will largely depend on the nature of the disaster that affects a particular area, and the necessary mitigating factors that are necessary to alleviate or reduce the level of human suffering taking place.

Therefore, the definitions that relate to the measures that can be adopted to shelter evacuated populations will depend on the accessibility of the affected areas by the emergency care givers. The definition for each particular evacuation and disaster mitigation strategy will largely be guided by the situation on the ground which faces the emergency manager (Baltimore County Government, 2007). Q 3: Do you agree / disagree that (given the above information) there is adequate information for standby procedures / advisories for the general public?

I agree that there is adequate information that can help the public to be prepared for the various issues that are brought about by disasters that happen. The public can have better training on how to cope with the different forms of disasters which can make it easy for emergency workers to minimize the harmful impacts that are likely to result. The public needs to be made aware on the safety practices they can undertake to minimize on the likely harm that can come their way during such disasters (Fischer, 1998).

The challenge for emergency managers remains the need for the public to be made aware of the different types of disasters and the ways in which they can be prepared for them. This would avert any situation that may cause death and destruction of property. Warning systems ensure that everyone remains on high alert to watch out for disasters that can cause property loss and destruction (Fischer, 1998). References Baltimore County Government. ( 2007, August). Emergency Operations Plan . CDC. (2002).

Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , pp. 11-26. Fischer, H. (1998). Response to Disaster. Lanham: University Press of America. Kailes, J. (2005). Disaster Services and “Special Need”: Term of Art or Meaningless Term? Nobody Left Behind. 3-6.