Category: Essays

Pre planning for disaster events makes recovery from them more efficient and effective. In a two page paper discuss the core recovery principles of the National Response Framework as it relates to recovery planning. Use real world examples of successful disaster recovery operations to illustrate your points. Use your text book, chapters 6 and 7, the class lectures and one outside source as references.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/preliminary-fema-flood-zone-maps-add-35-000-nyc-buildings-flna1C8152430

https://training.fema.gov/emiweb/is/is100c/english/student%20manual/is0100c_sm.pdf

Lecture 1:

Emergency Planning – Week # 4 Lecture 1
The Disciplines of Emergency Management: Response
When an emergency event or a disaster occurs, the first government officials to respond are always local police, fire and emergency medical personnel. Their job is to rescue and attend to those injured, suppress fires, secure and police the disaster area and to begin the process of restoring order. They are supported in this effort by local emergency management personnel and community government officials.
If the size of the disaster event is so large that the capabilities of local responders are overwhelmed and the costs of the damage inflicted exceeds the local government capacity, the Mayor or County Executive will turn to the Governor and the State’s emergency management agency (and possibly the State National Guard and other State resources) to provide this assistance to the stricken community. Should the Governor decide that the disaster event exceeds the State’s response capacity, he or she will make a formal request to the President for a major disaster declaration. The Governor’s request is analyzed first by the FEMA Regional Office, then by FEMA headquarters in Washington, DC, and finally by the President, who makes the decision to grant or refuse the declaration.
If the President grants a major disaster declaration, Federal government departments and agencies involved in the response effort would follow the guidance provided in the National Response Framework in working with State and local officials, emergency managers, non-governmental groups and the private sector. The Presidential declaration also makes available several disaster assistance programs through FEMA and other federal agencies designed to assist individuals and communities to begin the process of rebuilding their homes, their community infrastructure, and their lives.
In the 1990’s the emergency management system in the United States was tested repeatedly by major disaster events. In each instance, the system worked to bring the full resources of the Federal, State and local governments to produce the most comprehensive and effective response possible. However, the September 11 terrorist attacks have caused all levels of government to reevaluate response procedures and protocols.
Local Response
Minor routine emergencies occur daily in communities around the U.S., and local fire, police and emergency medical personnel generally respond to these events in a systematic and well-planned course of action. Their job is to secure the scene and maintain order, rescue and treat those injured, contain and suppress fire or hazardous conditions and retrieve the dead.
Local officials are also the first responders to major disaster events such as large floods, hurricanes and major earthquakes, but these efforts are often supported by the State and Federal governments. The actions of local first responders are driven by procedures and protocols developed by the responding agency. Most U.S. communities have developed emergency plans incorporating these procedures and protocols, as well as identifying roles and responsibilities for all responding agencies and personnel for a wide range of disaster scenarios. The roles of responsibilities of first responders are often detailed in the community emergency plan. It is usually the responsibility of the local emergency manager to develop and maintain the plan.
State Response
All U.S. states and territories maintain an emergency management office. Funding for these offices comes almost entirely from FEMA and state budgets. For years, FEMA has provided up to $175 million annually to States and territories to fund State and local government emergency management activities, which is used to hire staff, conduct training and exercises and for purchasing equipment.
The principal resource available to Governors in responding to a disaster event in their state is the National Guard, which can provide personnel, communications systems and equipment, air and road transport, heavy construction and earth moving equipment, mass care and feeding equipment and emergency supplies such as beds, blankets and medical supplies.
In early 2007, with the passing of the John Warner National Defense Reauthorization Act, the authority of Governors to deploy the National Guard was severely eroded because the president was given the authority to effectively commandeer total control of the Guard. States can also provide assistance to each other through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC).
Volunteer Group Response
Volunteer groups are on the front line of any disaster response. National groups like the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army roster and maintain local chapters of volunteers trained in emergency response. These organizations provide shelter, food and clothing to victims of disasters large and small. In many communities, specific volunteer organizations are given defined response roles within the Emergency Operations Plan, most commonly for mass care, shelter, psychosocial counseling, case management, and more.
There are numerous volunteer groups across the country that provide aid and comfort to disaster victims. The National Volunteer Organizations Against Disasters (NVOAD) is comprised of 49 national member organizations, 55 State and territorial VOADs and a growing number of local VOADs involved in disaster response and recovery operations around the country and abroad. NVOAD helps member groups to coordinate and communicate to provide the most efficient and effective response.
Hurricane Katrina changed the response landscape in terms of the involvement of voluntary agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) and the private sector in disaster response. NGO’s and the private sector provided many of the support services to help Katrina victims to get back on their feet.
The Federal Response
FEMA is responsible for coordinating all Federal activities in support of State and local response and recovery efforts in a Presidentially-declared disaster. In such an instance, FEMA implements the National Response Framework (NRF). FEMA has developed a number of factors it considers in making its declaration recommendation to the President including individual property losses per capita, level of damage to existing community infrastructure and insurance coverage. But in the end, the decision to make the declaration is the President’s alone. The Preliminary Damage Assessment, or PDA, is used to formulate the request.
FEMA developed the Federal Response Plan (FRP) in 1992 to maximize available Federal resources in support of response and recovery actions taken by State and local emergency officials. Following the absorption of FEMA into DHS, HSPD-5 was created authorized the design and development of a National Response Plan (NRP) to align Federal coordination structures, capabilities, and resources into a unified, all-discipline, and all-hazards approach to domestic incident management.
The NRP was designed around the National Incident Management System (NIMS) to ensure a consistent framework exists for incident management at all jurisdictional levels regardless of cause, size, or complexity. NIMS was created to integrate effective practices in emergency preparedness and response into a comprehensive national framework for incident management. In January 2008, DHS replaced the NRP with the National Response Framework (NRF), which currently serves as the guide for response to major disaster events in the United States. The NRF is based on five key principles, namely:
1. Engaged partnership
2. Tiered response
3. Scalable, flexible, and adaptable operational capabilities
4. Unity of effort through unified command
5. Readiness to act
Through the NRF, the Federal Government organizes resources and capabilities under 15 Emergency Support Functions (ESFs). ESFs align categories of resources and provide strategic objectives for their use. During a response, ESFs are a critical mechanism to coordinate functional capabilities and resources provided by Federal departments and agencies, along with certain private-sector and nongovernmental organizations. ESFs may be activated to support headquarters, regional, and/or field activities.
The National Incident Management System, or NIMS, was created in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks, per Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5 (HSPD-5), to improve coordination between all emergency management stakeholders. NIMS was developed as an outgrowth of ICS that allows for increased inter-organizational coordination that is not necessarily addressed under standard ICS structures. The system is designed to be a more comprehensive incident management system than ICS because it goes beyond the field-level incident command and control and addresses all phases of emergency management, as well as all stakeholders (including the NGO and private sectors). It does not, however, replace ICS.
Other FEMA Response Resources include 28 Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) teams and a cadre of nearly 7,000 National Disaster Reservists who support FEMA response and recovery activities in the field in areas such as logistics, facility management, public affairs, community relations and customer service.
The Incident Command System (ICS)
ICS establishes a set of planning and management systems that help agencies responding to disasters work together in a coordinated and systematic approach. The step-by-step process enables the numerous responding agencies to effectively use resources and personnel to respond to those in need. There are multiple functions in the ICS system, including common terminology, integrated communications, unified command structure, resource management and action planning. In most instances it is the local fire chief or fire commissioner who is the Incident Commander. There are five major management systems within the ICS. They include:
1. Command
2. Operations
3. Planning
4. Logistics
5. Finance
ICS allows for a range of command structures that change according to the size, scope, and the nature of the incident, including:
1. Single incident command
2. Unified command
3. Area command

Lecture 2:

Emergency Planning – Week # 4 Lecture 2
The Disciplines of Emergency Management: Recovery
Recovery often begins in the initial hours and days following a disaster event and can continue for months or years. Recovery involves decisions and actions relative to rebuilding homes; replacing property; resuming employment; restoring businesses; and permanently repairing and rebuilding infrastructure. Because the recovery function has such long lasting impacts and usually high costs, the participants in the process are numerous, and include all levels of government, the business community, political leadership, community activists and individuals. An effective recovery brings all players together to plan, finance and implement a recovery strategy that will rebuild the disaster-impacted area safer and more secure as quickly as possible.
Recovery activities begin immediately after a Presidential declaration as the agencies of the Federal Government collaborate with the State in the impacted area in coordinating the implementation of recovery programs and the delivery of recovery services. The Federal government plays the largest role in providing the technical and financial support for recovery, with FEMA obligating an annual average of $2.88 billion on public assistance projects for major disaster declarations (with an average of $58 million per major disaster declaration) and $153 million in individual assistance for emergency declarations (averaging nearly $11 million per emergency declaration). However, local government predominantly drives the decisions during recovery.
In January 2008, the National Response Framework (NRF) was published to guide how responding parties coordinate in responding to a major disaster. Beginning in August 2009, FEMA initiated the process for developing a National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) to help coordinate recovery functions among Federal, State and local governments, the private sector, Tribal organizations and voluntary agencies. In September 2011, the final version of the National Disaster Recovery Framework was released. Like the NRF, the NDRF seeks to establish an operational structure and to develop a common planning framework. The NDRF defines core recovery principles, describes the roles and responsibilities of recover coordinators and stakeholders, provides a coordinating structure for recovery, and guides recovery planning.
The NDRF replaces the NRF Emergency Support Function #14 (ESF #14) – Long-Term Community Recovery. Key ESF #14 concepts are expanded in the NDRF and include recovery-specific leadership, organizational structure, planning guidance and other components needed to coordinate continuing recovery support to individuals, businesses and communities.
Hurricane Sandy in 2012 was the first major disaster in which the NDRF was deployed and used extensively to support the recovery process.
The NDRF introduces four new concepts and terms:
1. Federal Disaster Recovery Coordinator (FDRC)
2. State or Tribal Disaster Recovery Coordinators (SDRC or TDRC)
3. Local Disaster Recovery Managers (LDRM)
4. Recovery Support Functions (RSFs)
Each RSF has coordinating and primary Federal agencies and supporting organizations that operate together with local, State and Tribal government officials, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and private sector partners.
When established in coordination with State and local jurisdictions, a Disaster Recovery Center is a satellite component of the Joint Field Office (JFO), providing a central facility where disaster victims can obtain recovery assistance information. The JFO is the coordination point for recovery assistance delivery.
Individual Assistance programs are oriented to individuals, families, and small businesses, and the programs include temporary housing assistance, individual and family grants, disaster unemployment assistance, legal services, and crisis counseling.
The Disaster Housing Program assures that people whose homes are damaged by disaster have a safe place to live until repairs can be completed, and provides funds for expenses often not covered by insurance. This includes Lodging expenses reimbursement, Emergency minimal repair assistance, Temporary rental assistance, and Mortgage and rental assistance.
The Individual and Households Program provides funds for the necessary expenses and serious needs of victims that cannot be met through insurance or other forms of disaster assistance. IHP provides assistance through 5 programs, including Temporary Housing, Repair, Replacement, Permanent Housing Construction, and Other Needs. FEMA pays 100% of the Housing portion grants, and 75% of the Other Needs (states pays the remaining 25%). The maximum assistant for each family or individual in FY05 is $25,000. Most aid is provided in the form of Small Business Administration (SBA) loans.
Disaster Unemployment Assistance provides unemployment benefits and re-employment services to individuals who have become unemployed because of major disasters.
Legal Services are provided free to low-income victims through the Young Lawyer’s Division of the American Bar Association for insurance claims; counseling on landlord/tenant problems; assistance in consumer protection matters, remedies and procedures; and replacement of wills and other important legal documents destroyed.
Special Tax Considerations, in the form of federal income tax deductions, are given to Taxpayers who have sustained a casualty loss from a declared disaster. Businesses may file claims with ATF taxes paid on appropriate lost alcohol, tobacco, or firearms inventories.
Crisis Counseling is offered to affected people to help relieve any grieving, stress or mental health problems caused or aggravated by the disaster or its aftermath.
The Cora Brown Fund can be used for the relief of human suffering caused by natural disasters to assist victims whose needs will not be met by other programs.
The Public Assistance Grant Program provides federal assistance to state and local governments and to certain private nonprofit (PNP) organizations, to allow them to recover from the impact of disasters and to implement mitigation measures. Work that is eligible for supplemental Federal disaster grant assistance is classified as either emergency work (includes debris removal from public roads and rights-of-way as well as from private property when determined to be in the public interest) and permanent work (work that is required to restore an eligible damaged facility to its pre-disaster design).
Other Federal Agencies have programs that contribute to social and economic recovery, primarily triggered by a Presidential Disaster Declaration, and include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Small Business Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Labor, the National Voluntary Relief Organizations, and The American Red Cross.
Recovery Planning Tools
Many communities are looking at ways to reduce their future vulnerability, making the long-term investment in mitigation. A partial list of available policy areas and tools includes:
• Land use planning techniques
• Zoning
• Building codes including design controls
• Financial incentives
• Information and Oversight
Most agree that one of the critical factors in a successful recovery is local leadership. A clear common vision, a well-defined plan, the active participation of the community, especially the business community, financial resources and a good functioning partnership with Federal, State and local levels all make a difference in an effective and swift recovery. But leadership is the absolute key.