Local Mitigation Planning Discussion

How important do you feel the mitigation phase is in emergency management? Explain.

Mitigation which refers to the effort made towards reducing the loss of property or life through lessening the severe impact caused by disasters is very important in the society. The natural hazards can happen any place at any time without anyone’s knowledge causing the loss of life and finances and they are not easy to predict or even prevent them from befalling. Taking measures and preparedness on how to handle such emergencies becomes a great concern. The mitigation phase enables us to secure our lives, property and finances from severe impacts in case of a disaster. The cost of responding to disasters is very high hence the need to implement strategies for managing such occurrences. It is, therefore, important to become prepared and equipped for emergencies.
What do you think are the most important operations to conduct within the mitigation phase? Explain.

Some important operations include relocating the property to the lessor or non-vulnerable places. This ensures that in the case of a disaster, all the property is not lost causing heavy losses but ensure at least some is saved. The population density should be put in control. People should not be densely populated in the most vulnerable places. This will help to avoid losing a lot of people’s lives in the case of a disaster. Establishing buildings using strong structures and roofs is also vital. Safe rooms should be built which can withstand strong winds and mild floods according to the pre-engineering specifications.  The dry and fire-prone vegetation around residences should be cleared away to avoid an easy spread of fire.
What is the role of the emergency management community in the pre-disaster phase? Explain.

The emergency management community educates people on the vulnerability to disasters identified in their surroundings and the likeliness of them occurring. They educate them on the security measures relevant to the possible hazards and how to implement them. They help to improve the health status of the population and make people more resistant when they have to face a further tension of tragedies (Islam, 2016). The management team also educates people on how to respond and recover from such hazards. The team organizes sanitation and water projects through self-help basis as a measure to curb vulnerability.
Should emergency managers be working with planning boards and community planners? Why or why not?

Yes. This is because the planning boards will help in managing the resources meant for emergencies. This helps to enhance the efficiency of emergency management to avoid a further harm that may arise from poor handling of the disaster. The community is able to provide information which may help identify the magnitude of vulnerability and realize new measures of curbing emergencies. This becomes a core responsibility for every individual and eases their work (In Ha, 2015). It becomes beneficial to the community since they are taught on how to handle emergencies on their own before the relevant authorities come for rescue hence saving much life and property.
If emergency managers were going to work on the planning boards, how should they do so? What are the best practices?

The emergency managers should establish an appropriate team which is responsible for responding to emergencies. The chosen team should be adjusted according to the nature of the hazard and those that are directly involved in it. The emergency managers should also identify some external expert advisors as part of the response team. Their contact information should be identified and updated occasionally (In Ha, 2016). A communication plan should be established which would serve well in passing information in case of an emergency.  If a disaster occurs, the team should investigate the facts associated with the disaster and assess the damage caused thereof. They should identify the cause of the disaster and its severity and implement the necessary measures.

References

Islam, T., & Ryan, J. R. (2016). Hazard mitigation in emergency management. Kidlington,

            Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.

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In Ha, H., In Fernando, R. L. S., & In Mahmood, A. (2015). Strategic disaster risk management

            in Asia.

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Sulphey, M. M. (2016). Disaster management –. Place of publication not identified: Phi

            Learning.

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