Emergency Management Recovery Phases
Write a short essay on the topic below. You must demonstrate that you understand the terminology and the concepts used.
Use APA format for all source citations in both the body of the essay and in the reference page. (OWL APA Formatting and Style Guide)
2-3 typewritten or computer-generated pages
12 font in Times New Roman
Use the following format:
A Title Page
Abstract that summarizes the essay
General Introduction of the topic
Research the web and others sources for your responses.
Discuss the topic required.
Analyze what you have learned and evaluate it expressing your thoughts and supported opinions on the topic.
Suggest changes in the topic based on society’s needs today
Reference page, using APA style (OWL APA Formatting and Style Guide)
Essay Topic
Using the state or local agency from Units 2 and 4 essays, describe what the recovery phase is in EM and how the agency plans for recovery after a disaster or serious event. include examples of actual recovery events that it has participated in and critique it
Military applications should not be used as they operate differently.
Abstract
Disaster recovery is a vital phase within Emergency Management as it deals with the stability of a calamity. This paper analyses the issue of natural disasters, such as the floods in South Bend, alongside the approaches offered by disaster recovery strategies. Through online research, it was possible to conduct this brief study concerning disaster recovery. There are two strategies within recovery and they involve short term and long term. This is to facilitate for immediate response as well as progressive planning to evade similar dangers in the near future. However, there is a need for more resilient strategies to meet societies’ needs today. People in this era are not willing to waste time as disasters are being managed. This calls for state and local governments to partner up with agencies and draft responses that are applicable whenever disaster strikes. Hopefully, preparedness will improve the impact of calamities as recovery is executed.
Emergency Management Recovery Phases
Emergency management is the ability to assess potential risks, come up with possible prevention measures, figure out ways to reduce impacts if unavoidable, and recover seamlessly after a disaster. It is this last phase that is commonly known as disaster recovery. As most agencies focus on emergency management when preparing for risks, disaster recovery is an aspect that every organization should acknowledge. Bypassing recovery strategies is a way to admit that emergencies may not occur, which is naïve. It is the only way to restore normal societal functions after a calamity (Lindell, 2013). Hence, state or federal agencies need to consider recovery phases to create a holistic EM plan.
Research
South Bend is a city in Indiana that has over the past eight years experienced heavy rains that have led to 500-year floods and 1000-year floods in a span of two years. The city was overwhelmed since the floods were unexpected, and people were homeless. And just before they could recover from the first flood, a second more significant flood hit. Luckily, local agencies such as the US Army Corps of Engineers partnered with the local government to upgrade technology for flood detection in real-time (Buttigieg, 2019).FEMA is a well-known agency that Helps disaster victims during recovery across all US States. In America, about $150 billion is spent on disaster recovery every year. It is only reasonable to pull together all available resources to mitigate disaster but through strategic planning.
Discussion
Disaster recovery is usually the fourth phase in Emergency Management. It includes the restoration of the community to its previous state before the disaster struck. Two aspects characterize this section, and they include:
Short term recovery: after an accident, there is a need for immediate reaction to aid those in need and salvage what can be saved. This phase lasts typically for a minimum of 6 months and may continue up to a year. Businesses that are affected during disasters are given immediate services to help contain damages (Long, 2017). Within this phase, issues such as donation management, infrastructure restoration, temporary housing, emergency demolition, and debris management are executed.
Long term recovery: this phase often takes years or even decades since it requires thoughtful planning and strategies. Since serious action is taken, there is a need to draft more serious plans to help the community. These strategies involve land-use practice, historic preservation, disaster memorialization, area protection, building construction processes, and environmental recovery.
Typically, when people consider the issue of disaster recovery, they only think of reconstruction of buildings. However, such an approach is dangerous since the initial hazard vulnerabilities are not mitigated. It is, therefore, essential to go through the phases of disaster recovery to avoid making the same mistake again. If an area is prone to flooding, communities should mitigate that hazard to avoid a repetition of disasters.
Opinions on the topic
In my opinion, disaster recovery is an essential segment within emergency management as it helps stabilize a disaster once it takes place. In the case of South Bend, Indiana, the city experienced floods where citizens were displaced. Were it not for disaster recovery measures; the affected individuals would have continued to suffer (Crutchfield, 2013). Some people lose everything during a disaster, while the environment may also lose its aesthetics appeal. Through the short and long-term phases, I believe both issues are addressed to restore the community to its previous state. However, I do agree that similar mistakes leading to the calamity should be avoided where possible. Disasters are natural, and preparation for them is the best approach to take. It is encouraging to know that there are agencies such as US CORPS and FEMA that are ever willing to Help those in trouble.
Changes based on society’s needs today
Today’s society is ever-changing hence the need for disaster recovery plans to keep up. Communities are busy trying to continue with their daily routines such that simple disasters can disorient people. Putting businesses on hold means lost revenues and customer frustration (Dittemore, 2018). People need to feel that their taxpayer’s money is used efficiently, such that the results are visible when problems arise. To act differently, local and state agencies need to create resilient cultures, improve coordination to help those in need, and improve disaster relief. The relationship between communities and federal agencies should be strengthened so that help is administered immediately. Routine drills can be conducted to ensure residents and agencies are aware of appropriate reactions to execute once disaster strikes. The days of trial and error are long gone, and there is a need to be more sure to the last detail concerning disaster recovery.
References
Buttigieg, P. (2019). Resilient Communities: A New Dsaster Preparedness Approach. Retrieved from https://medium.com/the-moment-by-pete-for-america/resilient-communities-a-new-disaster-preparedness-approach-89fd78a689e2
Crutchfield, M. (2013). Phases of Disaster Recovery: Emergency Response for the Long Term. Retrieved from https://reliefweb.int/report/world/phases-disaster-recovery-emergency-response-long-term
Dittemore, D. (2018). Change is Constant. Is Your Disaster Recovery Plan Keeping Up? Retrieved from https://news.lightbound.com/change-constant-your-disaster-recovery-plan-keeping-up
Lindell, M. K. (2013). Recovery and reconstruction after disaster. Encyclopedia of natural hazards, 8, 12-824.
Long, R. (2017). The Three Phases of Disaster Recovery. Retrieved from https://www.mha-it.com/2017/05/09/phases-of-disaster-recovery/
