Emergency management involves creating and implementing strategies to handle disasters. The four main principles are preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery. It can be used by governments, organizations, families, and communities. Disaster preparedness involves assessing potential problems and setting plans in motion. Mitigation reduces potential damage, response plans include clear instructions, and recovery mechanisms restore essential services. Emergency management is handled by government organizations, first responders, businesses, schools, and families.
Emergency management is the process of creating and implementing strategies to handle emergencies or disasters. The four main principles of emergency management are preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery. While management programs are often run on a government or organizational basis, they can also be used by families and small communities to better manage emergency situations.
One of the first keys to managing an emergency is disaster preparedness. To prepare for an emergency, an emergency management team must assess potential problems and set plans in motion that can help a community weather a disaster. For example, building tornado shelters and stocking them with water and preserves can be one way to prepare for a possible tornado. Seeking funding to develop advanced earthquake or tsunami warning technologies could also be a means of disaster preparedness.
Mitigation refers to the steps in disaster management that reduce the potential damage of a catastrophe. In earthquake-heavy California, for example, some local governments have mandated that older buildings be retrofitted to withstand an earthquake, while new buildings must be constructed under earthquake-proof code. By reducing the dangers that could arise during a disaster, emergency management teams can help reduce the level of danger.
Much of the effectiveness of emergency management lies in the ability to respond quickly and skillfully to a disaster. Creating a strong response plan includes coming up with clear and concise instructions on how to respond to emergencies, such as health care workers or firefighters, in the event of a crisis. Response plans can also include several sets of contingency plans, which can be activated should unforeseen circumstances prevent the use of a primary response plan. Every minute wasted in a disaster can cost lives and financial damage, so creating an agile and effective response plan is key to surviving any catastrophe.
Disaster recovery mechanisms can also be crucial to a disaster preparedness plan. Restoring water, electricity, and other essential services following a natural disaster can be a major concern for a recovery team. After initial concerns have been addressed, recovery efforts can focus on assessing and repairing structural damage and finding temporary housing for displaced citizens and businesses. Without recovery plans, disaster-affected communities can be left adrift for years without the ability to rebuild or move forward.
Large-scale emergency management is often handled by government organizations, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the United States, or the Emergency Management Agency in Australia. At the regional level, police, firefighters and first responders can also use the principles of emergency management to address potential crises in their community. Businesses, schools, and other small organizations often have a unique disaster response plan for their workers or students. At home, families can help prepare for possible emergencies by eliminating safety hazards within the home, creating a clear plan of action for any likely disasters, and maintaining an emergency kit with food, water, medicine, and other supplies essential.
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