Approaches To Disaster Management Essay Example

2013). Hazard vulnerability constitutes a risk. Risk management ensures clarification of the risk dimensions such as causes, its occurrence probability, and severity of possible consequences and therefore improve decision making. A strong emphasis on risk mitigation measures is a sustainable approach to reducing the social-economic costs related to an emergency that occurs for using strategies that entirely focus on preparedness and response. Prevention measures reduce vulnerability while increasing resilience. Failure to adequately manage risks produces extremely adverse consequences to the society.

All-hazards approach addresses all vulnerabilities that are either natural or human-induced. All-hazards approach recognizes and integrates common elements of emergency management across all types of hazards and then supplement these common components with the specific hazard sub-components to fill any gaps thus increase efficiency.

Resilience, clear communication and continuous improvements are other approaches for emergency management. The process of the citizen, government and organization empowerment to share disaster prevention ideologies builds resilience among them. Resilience mitigates dependence, vulnerability, and susceptibility by strengthening the physical and social capacity of people to adapt to, cope with, respond to, recover and learn from calamities (Rahman., Khan, & Shaw, 2015).

Clear communication by relevant authorities is critical and necessary continuous process before, during and after a disaster. Before an emergency, communication aims to provide public education regarding emergency management. Clear communication during public awareness campaigns inform them of risks, vulnerabilities, and hazards and thus strengthen the components of emergency management (Rahman., Khan, & Shaw, 2015). Public alerts communicate warning messages before the occurrence of a disaster. During and after a disaster, communication guides people on the responsive actions to prevent impacts and maintain security and safety.

Continuous improvement results from lessons learned

from the experience of an emergency. Continuous improvement focuses on increasing efficiency and effectiveness of disaster management actions. Documentation of a calamity occurrence helps minimize recurrence of similar problems in future. Replication of all of the above management strategies in the United States can significantly reduce the impacts of hazards affecting the region.

References

1. Coppola, D. (2011). Introduction to international disaster management. Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann.
2. Rahman, Khan, A. & Shaw, R. (2015). Disaster risk reduction approaches in Pakistan. Tokyo: Springer.
3. Simonovic, S. (2013). Systems approach to management of disasters: methods and applications. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley.