Research Paper on "How Prepared Are American for Disaster"

Research Paper 12 pages (4083 words) Sources: 8

[EXCERPT] . . . .

). It has been advised that, as much as possible, preparedness activities be carried out using emergency response tactics and practices (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2012).

Response activities

These deal with risk impact directly, and include activities undertaken in expectation of an imminent catastrophe (such as a tornado or hurricane), and activities in the course of, and following, occurrence of impact. EOP takes care of particular event response guidance, including asset deployment procedures. A sound plan steers the initial response (i.e., reactive activities), while also promoting transition to later incident management (proactive action).

Recovery

Recovery process helps restore disaster-hit areas to "normal" following the incident. The first stage of recovery (which, in truth, starts with later response stages) is combined with response processes; EOP disaster management procedure must extend into the recovery phase. Transition of management from the response phase to recovery (i.e., methods as well as timing) needs to be planned and executed cautiously for avoiding problems. With the progress of recovery, its management moves over to routine agency management procedures or an intermediate technique described by the organizations responsible (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2012).

Hence, preparedness forms one key disaster management process. The following section concentrates exclusively on the area of personal preparedness.

Personal preparedness

Emergency management leaders have, for many decades, attempted to coach citizens in crisis preparedness. Yet, several citizens remain ill-prepared, at least in terms of the definition of preparedness given by the nation's disaster management community. The entire emergency management system might very well be broken if there is a flaw in the standard approach employed by the disaster management community for the past many decades. The issue may not, perhaps, be with only inaction or action by people; it may be that the actions defined as well as messages utilized for promoting them are flawed. On the whole, stagnancy is observed in the share of population showing preparedness for emergencies. Though the surveys prove beneficial, their measurement of personal preparedness relies on a rather specific action set, outlined by governmental leaders. Some actions among these might be common to all Americans everywhere in the nation (i.e., universally desired). Some, on the other hand, might be inappropriate or illogical in view of a particular region's risk or individual capacity. In such instances, respondents might believe preparedness costs for a certain action are not justified. What officials view as obstacles might, in truth, be sensible decisions based on a comprehension of the hazard and perceived preparedness cost-benefit ratio. Outcome measurement rather than measurement of actions might require another tool that takes into account how people choose to act on the basis of how they perceive and react to a disaster, and how their assumed position during a crisis impacts their action. "Click it or ticket," "stop, drop and roll," and other such successful drives for public safety often require low time and cost investment, while having a powerful and certain negative outcome in the event an individual fails to take action. Present preparedness activities necessitate time investments -- for knowledge acquisition, plan formulation, kit preparation -- and money for purchasing and storing emergency kit items. Plan as well as a kit needs to be maintained for being effective (Dragani, 2015).

To What Extent Are Individuals Prepared for Disasters?

To What Extent Have Individuals Gathered Disaster Supplies?

This measure, of self-reported gathering and maintenance of particular disaster supplies by citizens, has been utilized as a key real preparedness marker (as opposed to perceived preparedness). Respondents were questioned with regard to the presence of emergency preparedness supplies at home, in their automobiles, and in their workplaces. Barely more than half (i.e., 53%) respondents reported presence of supplies at home, kept exclusively to use in the event a disaster strikes. This figure is a very small increase from the figure in 2003, when 50% survey respondents reported owning a disaster kit at home.

To What Extent Do Individuals Have a Household Emergency Plan?

Only 42% of respondents reported the presence of a home emergency plan, including instructions for members of the family regarding what they must do and where they must go in case of emergency. Compared to 2003 results (58%) on this measure, there has been a drop in this indicator. A majority of people having plans (i.e., 88%) have discussed them with family members. Further, 7 out of 10 persons (70%) revealed that they secured copies of vital insurance and financial documents in some safe location for helping them acquire assistance or rebuild after a catastrophe.

How Familiar Are Individuals with Their Community-based Disaster Preparedness Systems?

Respondents had to rate their knowledge about different community-based systems for disaster preparedness. Less than half the respondents reported familiarity with governmental and agency sources of community safety knowledge (34%) and warning systems and alerts in their respective communities (i.e., 45%). Respondents reported much lesser familiarity with shelter locations in their locality (31%) and community evacuation paths (26%). 58% of respondents with school-going children, including kindergarten and day care enrolled kids, reported awareness of details of school's evacuation/emergency plan, including the location students would be evacuated to, and how parents can obtain information on their children in case of disaster.

What Is the Extent of Volunteer Support for Emergency Responders/Community Safety?

23% of participants reported committing time during the past year to back emergency response agencies or community safety agencies, like Neighborhood Watch (the finding is quite similar to that of the 2003 finding, which was 22%). Roughly a third of respondents (32%) reported volunteering to aid during a disaster some time or other in their life -- this item was newly added to the survey conducted in 2007. Respondents commonly volunteered for Neighborhood Watch, local police and fire departments, and Red Cross (FEMA, 2009).

Preparedness Barriers

Numerous factors influence the preparedness ability of individuals. FEMA asked survey participants to state their views with regard to 4 widely cited preparedness barriers. Participants mostly agreed that they were not aware of how to prepare themselves (24%), and that preparing was a rather costly activity (26%). The number of participants who believed preparation process, or information gathering, to be overly tough was below 20%. By better comprehending the problems that may impact motivation to prepare, preparedness messages as well as strategies for outreach must be developed for reframing or responding to perceived obstacles. On the whole, not even a quarter of 2011 participants reported that they were not met by any obstacles to their preparedness ability (FEMA, 2014).

Perception of Risk and Utility of Preparedness

With only some exceptions, researchers concur with the view that recognizing and accepting risk is one of the drivers in a person's wish to be prepared personally for a disaster. California and some other jurisdictions are employing technology for helping citizens realize the hazards and perils to society. It is past the time for America's overall disaster management community to realize that risks and threats are not universal -- a single, general message does not suffice. According to positioning, language conveys as well as governs how people act on the basis of their self-positioning in relation to the utilized language (Davies & Harre, 1990, p. 2). The attempt of Craig Fugate, FEMA Administrator, to reframe disaster victims to survivors complies with positioning theory. FEMA, by positioning those who suffered a calamity as survivors, is enabling them to bear the duty of being responsible for their personal survival; the implicit duty to aid others is also hinted at here. By taking on the "survivor's" role, individuals become enablers in personal response and recuperation, while also enabling governmental resources to concentrate on individuals positioned, irrespective of the cause, as disaster victims. Though the FEMA surveys are comprehensive, their measurement of personal preparedness is grounded on a rather specific collection of actions that are determined by governmental leaders. Some actions among these might be common to all Americans everywhere in the nation (i.e., universally desired). Some, on the other hand, might be inappropriate or illogical in view of a particular region's risk or individual capacity. In such instances, respondents might believe preparedness costs for a certain action are not justified. What officials view as obstacles might, in truth, be sensible decisions based on a comprehension of the hazard and perceived preparedness cost-benefit ratio. A 2013 FEMA report concludes that the proportion of American citizens who have prepared for emergency has changed much since the year 2007 (FEMA, 2013, p. 1). Knowledge of preparation expenses and how one must prepare are still perceived as obstacles by 25% of respondents (FEMA, 2013, p. 3).

As the disaster management community carries on challenging citizens to prepare, numerous recommendations might encourage those who are more resistant. Reframing how preparedness looks, concentrating not on actions, but on outcomes, and pursuing new means to engage community members in the dialogue on disaster management can elicit novel means for emergency preparedness. Reconsidering preparedness measurement and performing research… READ MORE

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