Emergency management

“ The term “voluntary preparedness standards” means a common set of criteria for preparedness, disaster management, emergency management, and business continuity programs, such as the American National Standards Institute’s National Fire Protection Association Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs (ANSI/NFPA 1600) . ”

“ In General.--The Administrator shall enter into a memorandum of understanding with the administrators of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, State, local, and tribal governments, and organizations that represent emergency response providers, to collaborate on developing standards for deployment capabilities, including for credentialing and typing of incident management personnel, emergency response providers, and other personnel (including temporary personnel) and resources likely needed to respond to natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters. ”

“ The Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency also shall assist in the implementation of national security emergency preparedness policy by coordinating with the other Federal departments and agencies and with State and local governments, and by providing periodic reports to the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council on implementation of national security emergency preparedness policy. ”

“ The basic plan establishes the authority, sets forth references, addresses hazard vulnerability, states the planning assumptions, establishes an emergency services organization, assigns tasks, formulates a mutual aid system, and directs the development of specific support annexes. For those hazards identified in the basic plan, a separate contingency plan is then developed to address the unique nature of the hazardous event. The contingency plan contains service support plans for each of the functional operations, including detailed standard operating procedures. ”

“ Americans can start today to improve our readiness for the next disaster. The first steps include making and practicing a family emergency response plan, creating an emergency supply kit, and signing up for emergency alerts. The w:Federal Emergency Management AgencyFederal Emergency Management Agency's Ready campaign outlines additional important and low-cost measures Americans can take right now to protect their family, pets, and property before a major disaster. Together, we will create a stronger and safer Nation. ”

“ Each involved element of the emergency organization details its response actions in Service Support Plans and itemizes functions appropriate to the specific contingency. The contingency plans, service support plans, and related checklists and standard operating procedures constitute the "operational" portions of the overall emergency plan. They address internal procedures to accomplish stated objectives and document, in advance, the specific organizational elements that will respond to each type of disaster or "need," with identification of procedures and resources. ”

“ Provide facilities protection guidance material adapted to the needs of the facilities and services concerned and promote a national program to stimulate disaster preparedness and control in order to minimize the effects of overt and covert attack on facilities or other resources for which he has management responsibility. Guidance shall include, but not be limited to, organization and training of facility employees, personnel shelter, evacuation plans, records protection, continuity of management, emergency repair, dispersal of facilities, and mutual aid associations for an emergency. ”

“ The emergency services coordinator at any level of government is effective only to the extent he or she is backed by the political leadership at that level. This is especially true when preparedness activities must be done, for the most part, within existing resources. City and county officials must increasingly accept their share of the responsibility for preparedness, but commitment by State or Federal leaders is also essential. The general tendency among elected officials and the public is to ignore the existing hazard problem. ”

“ Emergency management, including construction, reconstruction, and maintenance of the Nation's civil airports, civil aviation operating facilities. civil aviation services, and civil aircraft (other than air carrier aircraft) , except manufacturing facilities. (3) Emergency management of all Federal, State, city, local, and other highways, roads, streets, bridges, tunnels, and appurtenant structures, including: (a) The adaptation, development, construction, reconstruction, and maintenance of the Nation's highway and street systems to meet emergency requirements ”

“ The written plans also serve valuable purposes for training and familiarization of new organizations, individuals, and public officials. Experience has shown repeatedly that when emergency operations are conducted in accordance with existing plans, reaction time is reduced and coordination improved, with fewer casualties, less property damage, and a higher surviving socioeconomic capability to undertake recovery. Other benefits that accrue from planning include the enhancement of hazard awareness. ”

“ The most difficult task in the development of an emergency plan is to anticipate as many of the problems and complications resulting from a given disaster situation as possible and to provide a basis for response to those not anticipated. ”

“ The people's governments of towns and townships, sub-district offices, management institutions of, inter alia, development zones, industrial parks, ports, and scenery resorts shall formulate their respective emergency plans for accidents related to work safety, and assist local government departments, or as authorized, to fulfill their duty for work accident rescue in accordance with the law. ”

“ There is widespread public support for government action. Most people have some ideas as to what government should be doing. There is understanding of the need for hazard reduction as well as emergency response planning. [28] People are willing, in the abstract, to have government funds spent for hazard mitigation. The public is not very satisfied with what government officials have done. Public officials perceive that current preparedness plans and response are inadequate at best.
As discussed below, the review indicates that all is not well in earthquake plans and preparedness. ”

“ To be successful, such planning must be accomplished within the framework of the day-to-day governmental structure and activity but at the same time provide for response to the extraordinary circumstances and requirements inherent in disaster situations. ”

“ Effective mass casualty management requires careful planning. The guide is designed to support such planning by providing medical planners and staff personnel with a systematic means for estimating the number of biological casualties. However, casualty management also involves practice of self-aid and buddy aid, on-site triage and emergency care, decontamination, transport to medical facilities, infection control measures, communications, health services, logistics, and evacuation by ground or air transportation. ”

“ Strengthen significantly its management, research, application, and coordination functions, as delegated under the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program and Disaster Relief Act. Lead other agencies in the development of a comprehensive preparedness strategy detailing specific objectives and assignments, and periodically monitor accomplishments in meeting assigned responsibilities. Departments and agencies with appropriate capabilities will provide needed support to FEMA in strengthening Federal preparedness and hazard mitigation programs. ”

“ Experience in other areas of planning and preparedness, particularly for civil defense, indicates that damage to existing programs occurs when the Federal Government raises expectations of the public and of other levels of government and then fails to follow through with implementation and funding. It is better to maintain the status quo with minor changes at the margin than to announce substantial program initiatives and not meet their requirements. ”

“ It constantly monitors the civil transportation system for indications of potential adverse impacts from all hazards. It conducts scheduled periodic training and readiness exercises for DOT emergency personnel and maintains quick response cells and emergency operating facilities at DOT headquarters and in the field to provide an immediate reaction capability. ”

“ Regular joint training at all levels is essential to ensuring close coordination during an actual incident. (6) In Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5, the President directed the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop an incident command system, to be known as the National Incident Management System (NIMS) , and directed all Federal agencies to make the adoption of NIMS a condition for the receipt of Federal emergency preparedness assistance by States, territories, tribes, and local governments beginning in fiscal year 2005. ”

“ Certain agencies such as the Corps of Engineers and the Federal Highway Administration, which provide services and support that are used on a regular and fairly extensive basis in disaster, tend to have more highly developed disaster response plans. Some of them even have rather basic earthquake response segments included in their basic plans. ”

“ CHAPTER VToC AN ASSESSMENT OF THE SOCIAL IMPACTS
Often, it is assumed that disasters leave masses of the population in the impacted areas dazed and helpless and unable to cope with the new conditions, or that those not so immobilized panic or display antisocial behavior. Another common assumption is that local communities and organizations are rendered ineffective to handle the many problems, leading to further disorganization, loss of morale, and requiring the quick assertion of "strong" outside leadership and control. ”

“ Cooperatively conduct practice response exercises with State and local officials that will prepare officials and the public for conditions that might be encountered in a catastrophic earthquake and that would reveal deficiencies in planning.
Issue: Improving the current inadequate preparedness of the public for a catastrophic earthquake requires a substantial increase in public information and public awareness. Although public information is primarily a State, local, and private-sector responsibility, the Federal Government has a role as well. ”

“ History in the area of natural hazard mitigation suggests that assignment of responsibility, even by the President, when not followed by leadership and regular oversight over the allocation of financial resources, seldom leads to programs which can be expected to function. The same weakness is evidenced at the State and local government levels with few exceptions. The stresses likely to occur in emergency response programs after a catastrophic earthquake will be such that effective response will require a cooperative, integrated effort among different jurisdictions and levels of government. ”

“ An earthquake of catastrophic magnitude, with or without credible warning, happens suddenly. The potential for disaster, however, does not occur suddenly. The degree of preparedness and commitment to comprehensive planning and mitigation programs for the inevitable event will largely determine the degree of hardship to be experienced through loss of life, human suffering, property destruction, and the other related economic, social, and psychological aspects of disruption to day-to-day community activities. ”

“ A major deficiency that has been identified is the potential for delay following a catastrophic earthquake in processing a request for a Presidential declaration of a major disaster, and the subsequent initiation of full-scale Federal support for lifesaving actions. The first few hours are critical in saving the lives of people trapped in collapsed buildings; consequently, this is when Federal support is needed most. Decisions on post-event recovery aspects of Federal assistance can be deferred until lifesaving operations are underway and sufficient information about damage is in hand. ”

“ The uncertainty is so large that the estimated impacts could be off by a factor of two or three, either too high or too low. Even if these lowest estimates prevail, however, the assessment about preparedness and the capability to respond to the disasters discussed in this report would be substantially unchanged.
Assuming a catastrophic earthquake, a variety of secondary problems could also be expected. Search and rescue operations—requiring heavy equipment to move debris—would be needed to free people trapped in collapsed buildings. ”

“ The departments and entities participating in the accident rescue shall obey the unified directions, strengthen coordination and interaction, take effective emergency rescue measures and adopt, in light of the needs of the accident rescue, the measures such as alerting or evacuation to prevent the expansion of the accident and the occurrence of secondary disasters and to reduce the human casualties and property loss. ”

“ Property losses are expected to be higher than in any past earthquake in the United States. For example, San Francisco in 1906, and Anchorage in 1964, were both much less developed than today when they were hit by earthquakes. And the San Fernando earthquake in 1971, was only a moderate shock that struck on the fringe of a large urban area. Each of these three earthquakes caused damage estimated at about $0.5 billion in the then current dollars. ”

“ Article 24
⁠The units that operate or manage public means of transportation, public places or other places with a high concentration of people shall make precautionary plans in response to specific emergencies, install alarm devices and the necessary emergency rescue and relief equipment and facilities on the means of transportation and in the relevant places, clearly indicate their usage, mark the passages and routes for safe evacuation, and ensure that the safety passages and exits are unblocked. ”