Definition of terms ➢ Is about managing risks of communities and the

1. Accident environment. It is the core business of emergency

➢ an undesirable or unfortunate happening that services but every individual and organizations has
occurs unintentionally and usually results in part to play. It is about prevention, preparedness,
harm, injury, damage or loss. (Dictionary.com) response and recovery.
➢ something bad that happens that is not expected or
intended and that often damages Why prepare for an emergency?
something or injures someone. (Cambridge Benefits to being prepared:
Dictionary) ⚫ Being prepared can reduce fear,anxiety, and
➢ an unfortunate event resulting especially from losses that accompany disaster. Communities,
carelessness or ignorance families and individuals should know what to do in
(Merriam Dictionary) the event ofa fire and where to seek shelter during a
powerful storm. They should be ready to know how
2. Hazard to care for their basic medical needs.
➢ any source of potential damage, harm or adverse ⚫ People can also reduce the impact of disasters and
health effects on something or someone. sometimes avoid the danger completely.
➢ something dangerous and likely to cause damage (Deschutes County Sheriffs Office, Oregon)
(Cambridge Dictionary)
➢ a source of danger, the effect of unpredictable and What is emergency preparedness and why do we need
unanalyzable forces determining events to prepare?
(Merriam Dictionary)
➢ The term refers to the steps you take to make sure
3. Vulnerability you are safe before, during and after an emergency
➢ The quality of being vulnerable (able to be easily or natural disaster.(DOH)
hurt, influenced, or attacked), or something that is ➢ The ability of governments, professional response
vulnerable (Cambridge Dictionary) organizations, communities and individuals to
➢ Capable of being physically or emotionally wounded, anticipate and respond effectively to the impact of
open to attack or damage (Merriam Dictionary) likely imminent or current hazards, events or
➢ Vulnerable weak and without protection, with the conditions.It is putting in place a mechanism which
result that they are easily hurt physically or will allow national authorities and relief
emotionally. (Collins Dictionary) organizations to be aware of risks and deploy staff
4. Disaster and resources quickly once a crisis
➢ An event that results in great harm, damage or strikes.(Humanitarian response)
death or serious difficulty (Cambridge Dictionary)
➢ A sudden calamitous event bringing great damage, Disaster preparedness consists of a set of
loss or destruction (Merriam Dictionary) measures undertaken in advance by governments,
➢ A serious disruption of the functioning of a organizations, communities, or individuals to better
community or a society at any scale due to respond and cope with the immediate aftermath of a
hazardous events interacting with conditions of disaster whether it be human-induced or caused by
exposure, vulnerability and capacity, leading to one natural hazards. The objective is to reduce the loss of
or more of the following: human, material, economic life and livelihoods. (Civil protection humanitarian aid
and environmental losses and impacts. UNDRR, Europa)
United nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction)
5. Emergency Emergency preparedness refers to the
➢ Is sometimes used interchangeably with the term preventative measures taken to reduce the effects of a
disaster, as, for example, in the context of biological disaster on your property, family, and life. The goal is
and technological hazards or health emergencies, to lessen the impact on your life, prepare organizations
which however, can also relate to hazardous events for extra activity, and create a plan that makes the
that do not result in the serious disruption of the most of resources and time and reduces the efforts
functioning of a community or society. (UNDRR) needed to keep the population safe. Being prepared
➢ can save your property and get entire populations back
6. Safety management to normal faster than would be possible if you weren’t
➢ Is commonly understood as applying a set of prepared when the disaster strikes. When you break it
principles, framework, processes and measures to down, disaster preparedness can save lives. Although
prevent accidents, injuries and other adverse it takes some time to plan ahead, it’ll serve your entire
consequences that maybe caused by using a family if you plan ahead. Seymour EMS- Emergency
service or a product. It is an organizational function medical Services
which ensures that all are safety risks have been
identified At-Home Checklist
7. Emergency management You probably don’t think about preparing
your home for an emergency every day. But, thinking
 about it at some point is important. That’s why we’ve experiencing a traumatic event, proper planning can
taken some time during National Emergency reduce suffering by preventing needless hardship and
Preparedness Month to educate you on ways you can eliminating or reducing uncertainty. Knowing what to do
plan ahead to keep yourself, your family, and your and where to go can lessen the fear of the unknown and
property safe. To start, prepare a basic emergency kit for help all involved reach safety faster.
your home.
The kit should carry items that will help you survive if you Preparation Can Make It Easier to Recover
are suddenly displaced or left without electricity and
other life resources. Your at-home survival kit should
Even with the best possible planning, a disaster or
have enough of each item to get you through several emergency often results in loss of property and/or life.
days. It should also be packed and ready to go in case One of the keys of emergency preparedness is to ensure
you need to leave in a hurry. losses aren’t catastrophic. Important documents need to
Your kit should contain things like: be backed up in a safe location. Vital positions of
✓ Pack a gallon per person, per day. Don’t forget to leadership need succession plans. Families need wills.
include enough water for pets, if you have any. Everyone—from individuals to businesses to
✓ Non-perishable food will help you survive until help government agencies—needs a place to relocate in the
arrives. Have enough food to feed the entire family event a home or office is destroyed. Knowing how you
for at least three days. will keep everything functional after a loss can help you
✓ Pet Supplies. If you have pets, make sure there is recover more quickly.
enough supplies for anything they may need.
✓ Can Opener. If your non-perishables include cans
of food, be sure to have a can opener packed. How do we prepare for disasters?
These will come in handy if you’re left
without power.
✓ Extra Batteries. To be used for your flashlights. 1. Get a Kit- learn the essential supplies to put in your
✓ Cell Phone Chargers. Be sure at least one person family's survival kit.
keeps a cell phone nearby and have an extra 2. Make a plan- plan effectively for you and your family
charger in your kit. It’ll help you keep an open line of in case of an emergency
communication. 3. Be informed- understand which disasters are likely to
✓ In case it gets cold, having blankets or sleeping occur in your area and what you must know to stay safe.
bags will keep everyone warm.
✓ Wet Wipes. Easy to store and great for getting rid Unit III. Causes and Effects of Disaster
of germs, keep wet wipes and hand sanitizer in your 1. Floods
kit. 2. Drought
✓ First-Aid Kit. Just in case someone gets injured. 3. Typhoon
Make sure you have a fully-stocked first-aid kit. If 4. Climate Change
you need to know what to keep in your kit, check 5. Fire
out our first-aid kit checklist
✓ Extra Clothing. Include a pair of shoes and light Three classifications of causes for disasters:
but comfy clothes for everyone in the family.
✓ Extra Cash. You never know if you’ll need money 1. Natural. Examples are earthquakes, floods, and
for something. tsunamis
2. Man Made. Chemical spills, pollution, landslides
Preparation Can Save Lives (due to bad farming practices or poor
infrastructure decisions), or nuclear fallout
Emergency preparedness can be a life-or-death matter. 3. Complex. Combination of any of the above
This is as true for your family as it is for businesses,
cities, and nations. Predetermined escape and There are several factors that can heighten or lessen the
evacuation routes can ensure people aren’t trapped in effects of a disaster on a population segment:
dangerous locations. Accessible stores of water and
food can prevent people from starving or suffering from
dehydration. Emergency shelters can keep people out of • Poverty. Usually, the greater the poverty, the
perilous weather and offer a temporary place to live after harder the impact of a disaster.
a disaster has occurred. • Increased population density. Generally, the
higher the population at the epicenter of a
disaster event, the greater the impact on that
Preparation Can Reduce Fears
disaster. Loss of human life and injuries are one
of the major determinants of disaster severity.
Disasters and emergencies can take a psychological toll • Rapid urbanization. Poor planning and
on both victims and responders.While there’s no way to provision of safe infrastructure can be an
completely prevent the adverse psychological effects of aggravating factor in severity of disasters. For
 example, rapid building construction in 1917 Flood Control Act: Floods on the Mississippi,
urbanizing areas may cut corners on good Ohio, and other rivers in the northeast led to the Flood
building practices. Control Act of 1917, the first act aimed exclusively at
• Environmental degradation. Removal of trees controlling floods.
and forest cover from a watershed area can o In 1934, a version of the legislation increased
remove ability of rainfall absorption into the soil the authority of the Army Corps of Engineers to
and aquifer causing larger volumes of surface design and build flood control projects in 1934.
runoff after a tropical storm.
• Lack of awareness or preparation for common 1930s
disasters
• War and civil strife. 1932 Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC): On
• Socio/political issues. January 22, 1932, the US Congress established and
authorized the agency to originate disaster loans for
When it comes to disasters, it’s never a matter of if they repair and reconstruction of certain public facilities
will happen. They are guaranteed to happen, and people following an earthquake, and later, other types of
in poverty will always feel the impact most strongly. We disasters.
need the help of caring people like you to get them back o The 1953 RFC Liquidation Act terminated its
on their feet and help them survive lending powers in an effort to fulfill President
Dwight Eisenhower’s vision of limiting
government’s involvement in the economy. By
1957, its remaining functions had been
Unit IV. Emergency Management transferred to other agencies.
1934 Bureau of Public Road: In 1934, the agency was
Historical Background on Emergency management given the authority to provide funding for highways and
bridges damaged by natural disasters.
Historical background on Emergency management was institutionalized in 1979 with the creation of
emergency management the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Five Federal
1950s
agencies that dealt with many types of emergencies consolidated to form
FEMA. Since that time, many State and local organizations have changed
the names of their organizations 1950to Disaster
include the Relief Act: Authorized
words: emergencythe President of
management. the United States to issue disaster declarations. As a
result, the declaration permitted federal agencies to
The name change indicates a change provide direct assistance
in orientation to state
from and local governments
specialized
in the wake of a disaster.
preparedness for single or narrowly defined categories of hazards toward
1950potential
an all-hazards approach that includes Federalthreats
Civil Defense
to life andAct: The threat of nuclear
property
war and its subsequent radioactive
through environmental and technological hazards, and domestic and foreign fallout precipitated
numerous defense legislations.
attacks. This change reflects not a reduction in security, but an increased The Act provided the
emphasis on making the nation’s emergency management capability the effects of
basic preparedness framework to minimize
responsive to any major emergency.an attack on the civilian population and a plan to
respond to the immediate emergency conditions created
The concept of emergency managementby the attack.
consists of three interrelated
components, as shown in this table.
1960s

HISTORY OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT 1960 Office of Emergency Preparedness: As a result

Emergency management has ancient roots. Early of a series of disasters (Hurricane Donna, Hurricane
hieroglyphics depict cavemen trying to deal with Carla, and a 7.3 Montana earthquake) the Kennedy
disasters. As long as there have been disasters, administration established this agency to oversee the
individuals and communities have tried to do something seemingly growing risk of natural disasters.
about them. However, organized attempts at disaster 1968 National Flood Insurance Act: The legislation
recovery did not occur until much later in modern history. was prompted by the unavailability or prohibitively
expensive flood insurance coverage. The Act resulted in
1800s the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

1803 Congressional Act: One of the first examples of 1970s

the U.S. Federal government proactively addressing a
local disaster. The act enabled the government to 1970 Federal Emergency Management: By 1970, over
provide assistance to a New Hampshire town after a 100 federal agencies and thousands of state and local
devastating fire. entities were involved in risk management and disaster
response efforts. The scattered, fragmented, and
1910s decentralized concept led to duplicated efforts, confusion,
and political power struggles. FEMA was created to developed to enhance the principles of the National
centralize efforts and minimize disorder. Response Plan. The changes incorporated the concept
1974 Disaster Relief Act: With passage of the Disaster that an effective incident response is a shared
Relief Act of 1974, prompted by past hurricanes and the responsibility of all level of governments, the private
San Fernando earthquake of 1971, the Department of sector and NGOs, and individual citizens.
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) possessed the
most significant authority for natural disaster response
and recovery. This existed through the National Flood Four Phases of Emergency Management
Insurance Program (NFIP) under the Federal Insurance
Administration (FIA) and the Federal Disaster Assistance In this section, the four phases of emergency
Administration (disaster response, temporary housing management will be defined: mitigation, preparedness,
and assistance). response and recovery.
1978 Reorganization Plan No. 3: On June 19, 1978,
President Carter transmitted to the Congress, the Mitigation
Reorganization Plan Number 3 (3 CFR 1978, 5 U.S.
Code 903). The stated and achieved intent of this plan The discipline of mitigation provides the means for
was to consolidate emergency preparedness, mitigation, reducing these impacts. Mitigation is defined as a
and response activities into one federal emergency sustained action to reduce or eliminate risk to people
management organization. The President proclaimed and property from hazards and their effects.
that the plan would provide for the establishment of the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The The function of mitigation differs from the other
FEMA Director would report directly to the President. emergency management disciplines in that it looks at
long-term solutions to reducing risk as opposed to
1980s-1990s merely accepting that they will happen and preparing for
their consequences, responding to their consequences,
1988 Stafford Act: The Robert T. Stafford Disaster or recovering from them. Mitigation is usually not
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act) considered part of the emergency phase of a disaster as
amended the Disaster Relief Act of 1974. The act was in response, or as part of emergency planning as in
designed to bring an orderly and systematic means of preparedness, or following the disaster as with recovery.
federal natural disaster assistance for state and local Mitigation can be performed during each or all of these
governments in carrying out their responsibilities to aid phases.
citizens.
1992 Federal Response Plan: The plan aimed to Preparedness
provide a systematic process and structure for
coordinated delivery of Federal assistance to address Preparedness within the field of emergency
the effects of any major disaster or emergency declared management can best be defined as a state of readiness
under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and to respond to a disaster, crisis or any other type of
Emergency Assistance Act. emergency situation.

Preparedness is not, however, only a state of readiness,

2000s
but also a constant theme throughout most aspects of
emergency management. If one looks back into the
September 11, 2001: FEMA activates the Federal history of the Nation, they will see the predecessors of
Response Plan as a response to the worst terrorist today’s emergency managers focusing most heavily
attack on the United States. The attacks can be upon preparedness activities.
identified as one of history’s turning points for the rapid
advancement and coordination of emergency Response
management.
2002 Homeland Security Act: Was established as a When a disaster event such as a flood, earthquake or
result of the September 11, 2001 attacks in effort to hurricane occurs, the first responders to this event are
protect the United States from further terrorist attacks, always local police, fire and emergency medical
reduce the nation’s vulnerability to terrorism, and personnel. Their job is to rescue and attend to those
minimize the damage from potential terrorist attacks and injured, suppress fires, secure and police the disaster
natural disasters. area and to begin the process of restoring order. They
2004 National Response Plan: Developed out of the are supported in this effort by local emergency
need to implement common incident management and management personnel and community government
response principles. The NRP replaced the Federal officials.
Response Plan.
2008 National Response Framework: Through
stakeholder feedback, a series of disasters, and Recovery
subsequent lessons learned, the framework was
The immediate actions to save lives, protect property,
and meet basic human needs. The recovery function is
not so easily classified. This function often begins in the
initial hours and days following a disaster event and can
continue for months and in some cases years,
depending on the severity of the event.