Emergency Preparedness

Following the Mayor of the City of Mertzville’s declaration of an emergency, the severe weather flood caused by the North River necessitates the rapid implementation and application of an Incident Command System (ICS). As a result, I attempted to establish an ICS to aid in emergency response. The goal of this ICS would be to ensure the safety of responders and other staff members, to achieve the goal of limiting the damage caused by the flooded river, and to ensure the efficient use of disaster management resources. It enables the proper combination of resources and manpower to return Mertzville to normalcy (Nelson et al., 2007).

Planning, Command, Operations, Logistics, and Finance are the five major sections of the ICS. The Incident Commander leads the Command Section, which is in charge of ensuring effective coordination and cooperation in the flood response. The other four sections are located beneath the Command Section. The Operations section is made up of the various units that create the initial response strategy. It is made up of the following functional units: Public Safety, Communication, Search and Rescue, Medical, Health and Safety, Buildings and Utilities, and Information Technology. These groups collaborate to ensure that all operations approved by the Command section are followed and carried out.

The Planning section determines flood response priorities, communicates with all other agencies involved, and is in charge of information exchange. It is divided into two assessment units: structural damage assessment and infrastructure damage assessment. It also includes the Situation Status unit, which is made up of technical specialists who deal with such risks. The Logistics Section includes the Food Services and Shelter units, as well as the Human Resources group. It provides personnel and materials to help with the hazard response. It collaborates with other city departments to establish field centres for function coordination, public information, and other supporting facilities. Finally, the Finance Section provides disaster management with financial and administrative support. It is made up of the Accounting, Insurance, and Procurement departments (Nelson et al., 2007).

Goals for the Initial Response and the Crisis

The first strategy is to evacuate people from flooded areas due to the health risks posed by the various dangerous chemicals stored in the various warehouses. People should be relocated to higher altitudes that have not been affected by the floods, and adequate shelter should be provided for those who are without a place to live while the flooding is contained.

Second, emergency response teams will be sent to warehouses to look for materials and products that can be salvaged from the flood. The food stored in the city’s food reserves is especially important. Specialists in the handling of hazardous chemicals would investigate the effects of the floodwaters on the chemicals stored in the warehouses and, as a result, devise a method of removing the chemicals from the stores to safer locations.

Finally, the command centre will be based at the Mayor’s office, from which the Incident Commander will issue instructions and coordinate with other city agencies and departments (Nelson, Lurie, & Wasserman, 2007).

System Interoperability

Interoperability refers to how responders and organizations communicate, function, operate, and respond to one another during an incident. A set of standards is used to assess responder performance, ability to collaborate, and operation of management, equipment, and communication systems. Information sharing is a critical component of the interoperability system for responders, which includes notifications, status reports, and communication status, all of which aid in learning from incidents through training and exercises.

The Interoperability system used in this event allows communication between different agencies and organizations via multiple wireless technologies known as Federal Emergency Responder Participation, which allows communication via video or shared data and has a wide range of communication through the military, private, and other responders responding to an incident. The FERP system enables access and communication via IP and MAC address communication via various types of computers, and your information technologist is required to ensure proper communication even if an organization or department uses an analogue network.

The situation or incident involves a regular hazardous event, such as a flood, with multiple agencies and departments responding to help with support, rescue, recovery, and the return of the community to a somewhat normal state. All contribute to the interoperability system used by emergency responders.

Structure of Decision-Making

The structure is built on state funds. Unit heads in the sections of Planning, Finances, Operations, and Logistics report to section coordinators, who report to the Incident Commander. The Mayor answers directly to the Incident Commander. The state is the source of funding for all emergency systems. As a result, the Mayor’s office is heavily involved in the process.

Recovery Procedure

The first step in recovery is to ensure that the flooding has ended. The Federal, State, and Local Agencies responsible for the incident must ensure that the flood waters have receded and that no subsequent floods or other incidents, such as mudslides or fires, occur, potentially resulting in another major event. Once total security is in place, federal, state, and local agencies must enter the affected area to assess the damage and repair costs. Once that is completed, people will be able to return to the area.

The responsible agencies must then allow voluntary organizations, also known as VOADs, into the affected area; these organizations include the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, and other Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster. VOADs play an important role in disaster relief efforts, providing critical assistance with food, shelter, clothing, household items, medical expenses, clean-up, repairs, and rebuilding. Another type of agency is one that is part of the Individual Assistance Program, which includes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Once these organizations begin to assist the affected people, the local and state governments must look to repair, rebuild, and begin to plan for future events.

Local and state programmes will require funding for both preparation and repair. These grants will be made possible by federal disaster grants. The government will then need to build a bridge between citizens and insurance companies in order to ensure a quick and organized process for obtaining money from damaged items provided. Most importantly, everyone involved must remember that recovery will take time, and patience will be a valuable personal trait at this time.

References

Nelson, C., Lurie, N., Wasserman, J., & Zakowski, S. (2007). Conceptualizing and Defining Public Health Emergency Preparedness. American Journal of Public Health, 97(Supplement_1), S9-S11. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/1264/f7ee1b779912726e7badfc3cba4b7046cd33.pdf

Nelson, C., Lurie, N., & Wasserman, J. (2007). Assessing Public Health Emergency Preparedness: Concepts, Tools, and Challenges. Annual Review of Public Health, 28(1), 1-18. Retrieved from https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev.publhealth.28.021406.144054

Gebbie, K. M., & Qureshi, K. (2004). Emergency and Disaster Preparedness: Core Competencies for Nurses: What every nurse should but may not know. AJN the American Journal of Nursing, 102(1), 46-51. Retrieved from https://journals.lww.com/ajnonline/Fulltext/2002/01000/Emergency_and_Disaster_Prepar redness Core.23.aspx

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