Comprehensive Emergency Management - Research Paper Example

Reflective Journal of "Comprehensive Emergency Management" Comprehensive emergency has been viewed as the preparation for and carrying out of emergency functions by the military forces. These emergency functions are never the primary responsibility of the military. Their primary duties involves; to prepare for, to mitigate, to respond to, and to recover from disasters and emergency among others (Gordon 45). This paper is a reflective journal of some of the lessons learnt in class about comprehensive emergency management, and a discussion of earthquakes in Japan. Lecture 1: A Sustainability Framework for Hazards This lecture defines Comprehensive Emergency Management (CEM) as one of the most poorly understood terms among many organizations today. CEM is a broad process focused at the reduction of loss of life and property, and the protection of assets from all hazard types. CEM is based upon the pillars of Emergency Management which are; preparedness, mitigation response and recovery. Emergency phases for all types of disasters and emergencies are usually four and they include; the mitigation, response, preparedness, prevention, and recovery phases. This lecture lists Ontario’s Community Emergency Management Program, which consists of an Essential, Enhanced, and Comprehensive Program. In addition, four roots of hazard management; which form the basis of CEM’s have been outlined. These roots are; human ecology, disaster research, blending approaches and hazards adjustments paradigm schools of thought. An analysis of this lecture brings out the following in respect to CEM. First of all, this lecture avails strategies of coping with hazards which includes; assessing hazard vulnerability, examining possible adjustments, analyzing the decision-making process and identifying the best adjustments given the social constraints. The most confusing aspect of this lecture is the data aspect, in which reported cases of disasters have been outlined. Somehow, this portion appears out of context even though it is necessary to deal with facts and figures in this lesson. Questions Derived How is hazard management related to CEM? Are they the same thing? Is CEM a form of risk management? This lecture, concludes by discussing the underlying themes in CEM, which are; the environment, risk estimation, and ethics and values; and advices students to join the Canadian Risk and Hazards Network for only ten dollars. Lecture 2: The Interactive Structure of Hazard This lecture begins by outlining the factors that determine losses as the social world, the human-made constructed environment and the natural environment. Furthermore, reducing losses requires addressing each one of them. Reducing losses requires a systems approach which analyses disaster losses as the result of interactions between three systems, which are; the components, feedback, and uncertainty. Reducing losses also requires a moving target. Just like lecture one, the data and graphs provided in this lecture; as a way of emphasizing the moving target aspect are a bit confusing. This is because disasters are dynamic, and using historical data may not benefit as such unless they are deeply analyzed and useful data obtained from them. However, this lecture touches on real life natural and climatic hazards which are the results of human activities like greenhouse emissions. These hazards are the, Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans which started off as a Cat 3 storm and progressed to a Cat 5 storm. This lecture asserts that the problem that could have made New Orleans vulnerable is because it is situated at approximately seven feet below the sea level on sinking clay soils and it has been sinking further as the levees and pumps constructed to keep the city dry and operational prevented soil replenishment in the coastal wetlands. These soils gave additional protection to the city. The city of New Orleans was vulnerable to climatic hazards since it is exposed to hazards (hurricanes), it has lost most of its natural environment coastal protection, it was developed in a hazardous area, it has groups of vulnerable people, and the city, state and federal governments lack adequate preparedness. Questions Derived What is the relationship between New Orleans and earthquakes? Why has it been assumed that New Orleans is hazardous? This lecture concludes by viewing disasters as socially constructed rather than local phenomenon experiences. In this respect, disaster management should make use of local communities, in a meaningful way, both in a-priori and post-priori perspectives. Lecture 3: Mitigation This lecture outlines mitigation as one the CEM strategies. It defines mitigation as an activity carried out with a purpose of eliminating or reducing the degree of long-term risk to human life and property from man-made or natural hazards. This strategy is taken to assume that the society is exposed to risks whether or not an emergency takes place. The mitigation measures outlined in this lecture include; disaster insurance, land use management, monitoring or inspection, building codes, tax incentives, and risk mapping among others. This lecture also outlines five categories of influence on human choice and action in relation to hazard reduction and risk management. These factors are the decision-making process, social, economic, legal and other influencing factors. These other influencing factors include noneconomic incentives like limited regulation, reduced administrative oversight, mass care, transportation assistance, technical assistance and information hotlines among others. Questions Derived How is the economic value of mitigation calculated? Can the decision-making process be changed to embrace mitigation? This lecture concludes by outlining some of the key issues in mitigation in relation to cost-benefits. Mitigation has been found to be horrendously difficult since it means estimating savings from events that do not occur. It also lacks a standard accepted methodology of mitigation, and some of the mitigation benefits are not easily quantifiable or subjected to values, these benefits include nature, value of life and many others. Lecture 4: Mitigation Tools This lecture focuses on some of the tools used for mitigation of risks. These tools include building codes, insurance, engineering, warnings, insurance, land-use planning, and an integrated approach utilizing a mix of tools. This integrated approach has been singled out as the best tool mix. Land use planning is the best opportunity of reducing risks for a good number of hazards. This is because it is the tendency of most people to develop in hazardous areas like; coastlines, New Orleans and Richmond among others. Whenever people make use of the vulnerable, the result is always a disaster. Insurance has been viewed as fitting better in the disaster preparedness stages rather than in mitigation. Despite this, it has proved a powerful incentive for mitigation whenever it is utilized properly. The only confusing aspect of insurance is its questions like, who should pay for the disaster? Is it the victims or society? Should some people be accorded special treatment? What is the level of subsidization? And what are the conditions? In its conclusion this lecture advocates for a shift of emphasis in is mitigation and an application of a sustainability approach. This sustainability approach calls for an increased use wise, long-term land-use approaches, an enhanced production and utilization of long-term hazard forecasts in community decision-making and insurance as a vehicle to foster mitigations efforts. Questions Derived How effective are the mitigation tools in mitigating risks? Is insurance a mitigation tool? Lecture 5 to 11: Overview Lecture five is about preparedness, response and recovery (PRR). Engagement in PRR requires a deeper understanding of what disasters are, and the perception the disasters managers have towards it. This perception often changes from hazard based rapid onset events. Lecture six provides a historical perspective of emergency management. Historical disasters had some shortcomings like; they did not tell how the nature of disasters shifts in relation to technological changes, globalization, and pollution among others. Lecture seven looks at emergency management as a social science comprising of two disciplines mainly the physical sciences like geo-physics and social science like sociology. Lecture eight singles out the pillars of emergency management as history, technical expertise, and understanding of human nature. This lecture focuses on technical expertise and professionalism as core aspects in emergency management. Lecture nine focuses on establishing the emergency management and emphasizes on the fact that it is not a sole responsibility of the EM manager. Effective emergency management has four major components, the program coordinator, the advisory committee, the program administrator, and program evaluation. Lecture ten looks at a key aspect of emergency management, which is developing strategies of managing risks and hazards. Four ways of managing risks in CEM have been discussed in this lecture and they include avoidance, retention, mitigation, and transfer of risks. Lecture eleven looks at planning concepts towards effective CEM. This lecture brings out the EM Program as the context within which planning takes place and warns of plan-centric emphasis. Earthquake in Japan Japan has been viewed as among the most dangerous places to live on earth. This is because this nation is known for volcanic eruptions and earthquakes which are prevalent in it in a good measure. Japan is situated in a position where four plates of the others crust, come together (Green 267). These plates probably do not ‘like each other’ and their interaction causes these negative and hazardous geographical changes. Japan is a relatively small and heavily urbanized island and whenever volcanic eruptions and tsunamis hit it, they are magnified. This nation of an island is made up of three thousand nine hundred minor islands, and four major ones: Kyushu, Hokkaido, Shikoku and Honshu. Green asserts that Japan was not surrounded by waters, until fifteen million years ago when subduction of oceanic crusts of the Philippine and Pacific plates below Asia, created an arc of volcanoes (267). This subduction pushed old heavy slabs of the oceanic crusts; descending steeply under Japan, opened up the Sea of Japan between the modern day Islands of Japan and the Asian continent coast. The subducting Pacific and Philippine plates often stick to the plates above them, consequently bending their outer edge downward. The bending plates often spring back violently creating minor earthquakes in different parts of Japan every day. Some areas in Japan have recorded close to one thousand earthquakes every year (Green 267). Additionally, it has been estimated that within every ninety to one hundred and fifty years, a disastrous earthquake has to take place in Japan. Most of these earthquakes have been named after places of their occurrence like the Tonankai Earthquakes which took place in five different years. In conclusion, earthquakes are a common occurrence in Japan and have resulted in the loss of many lives for a number of years. Since these earthquakes can not be prevented, mechanisms of reducing the risk of lass by embracing CEM strategies should be put in place. Work Cited Gordon, James. Comprehensive Emergency Management for Local Governments: Demystifying Emergency Planning. Brookefield, CN: Rothstein, 2002. Print. Green, Walter. A Study of Core Functions in Emergency Management as Reflected in Training Requirements for Professional Certification. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional, 2003. Print. Read More