Disaster Response: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Policies

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Application of measures to policies
Effectiveness of policies
FEMA: Responsibilities
Goal
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Responding to disasters is critical for the government, so the policies designed to prevent adverse consequences for the population or minimize potential harm should be adequate. Collaboration with governmental agencies is essential to addressing technological and natural disasters and the damaging effects of terrorist attacks(Kneeland, 2020). Therefore, the emergency management system in the United States focuses on the issues mentioned above. It is necessary to emphasize the work of such organizations as FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the DHS or Department of Homeland Security (Kneeland, 2020). Implementing the appropriate leadership strategies allows FEMA and DHS to cope with disasters effectively, regardless of the existing challenges (Kneeland, 2020).

Have disasters been accurately predicted?

It is almost impossible to prevent natural disasters, even though the negative consequences of these hazards can be slightly reduced with the help of engineers and scientists. It is possible to forecast some types of natural disasters, so the government and the population can prepare for them in advance (Kneeland, 2020). For instance, scientists can predict tornadoes, and people receive notifications in advance and can save their lives by hiding in secure places (Kneeland, 2020). At the same time, other natural disasters, including earthquakes, cannot be predicted in advance, which means that adverse outcomes are possible (Kneeland, 2020). The houses in the regions where the seismic activity is comparatively high are always built according to the specific requirements to reduce the harm from the earthquake (Kneeland, 2020).

Have citizens and stakeholders been properly notified/warned about disasters?

As was already mentioned, notifications about natural disasters are widespread in the United States. It allows citizens to save their lives and avoid potential injuries (McGee, 2021). In addition, the notifications system reduces the losses of people and companies and their anxiety (McGee, 2021). It gives people the feeling that they can control events beyond their powers. The alerts and notifications about natural disasters are usually sent by phones to all citizens and articulated in the media, including television and radio. In addition, there is a system of loud alerts in the city when the situation is critical and all people should find shelter to hide from the disaster (McGee, 2021).

Technologies make alerts and notifications easy to access for all categories of citizens. Media sends them to organizations, school systems, and governmental agencies (McGee, 2021). For this reason, if the danger from the natural disaster has a local character, only people from the particular town or district will receive the notifications (McGee, 2021). Targeting the specific social group at risk from the natural disaster is crucial in diversifying the alerts (McGee, 2021). For instance, if the disaster affects students from a particular school, the local government will notify the school administration first, who will contact students and their parents in their turn. Complex targeting makes the alerts and notifications more personalized and useful for citizens (McGee, 2021).

Have there been effective response and recovery efforts to disasters?

Even though whether the response and recovery efforts to disasters are always practical is controversial, these measures show positive results. It allows government agencies to reduce the number of causalities during disasters and minimize potential losses (McGee, 2021). Therefore, lessening the disaster’s adverse outcomes is the primary concern that justifies using response plans and recovery efforts (McGee, 2021). Communication and early warning are essential in reducing the damages in critical situations, and the emergency services are always prepared to react to new problems during these periods.

Has there been practical future mitigation efforts in response to disasters?

The researchers assume that future mitigation efforts in response to disasters are usually adequate. The past events prove this assumption by showing the positive impact of early notifications and public alerts (McGee, 2021). At the same time, these plans should be regularly updated according to the new requirements. The officials should ensure that these mitigation efforts are improved, and the mistakes made in the past programs are changed. Among the issues that should receive special attention are providing people from vulnerable social groups with medical help, water, food, and shelter (Kneeland, 2020). The experience shows that regular drills and training are critical for a quick and organized response to an emergency (McGee, 2021).

The measures to mitigate the disaster’s harmful effects also include improving the warning system. The officials and the business owners should remember this while implementing policy changes. There is a vital need to install monitoring and early detection systems to prevent disasters (Picou & Nicholls, 2019). Communication between all groups of society and the government should also work without problems to ensure that all citizens will be notified about natural catastrophes on time (Picou & Nicholls, 2019). Another crucial detail is the practical working and transparent system of funds distribution to help people suffering from natural disasters (Picou & Nicholls, 2019). The recovery from the hazard should be quick, and the funds from the budget should be assigned to people who need help without bureaucratic problems (Picou & Nicholls, 2019).

Are disaster response policies and systems cost-efficient?

The disaster response policies and systems in the United States are cost-efficient because human lives and health are the primary values of the government. Therefore, making everything possible to reduce the potential harm from disasters is the responsibility of the governmental agencies that work with the hazards. There is a multi-level system of funding agencies that work on preventing and mitigating the harmful effects of disasters in the United States (Weber, 2020). These agencies receive stable annual funding from the federal budget, and Congress assigns them additional financing to cope with wildfires and hurricanes (Weber, 2020). The increase in the disaster level leads to a rise in the expenses of the government to cope with these hazards (Weber, 2020). For instance, the financing of FEMA, or the Federal Emergency Management Agency, increased by 23% during the recent decade compared to the past (Weber, 2020).

How does the government pay for disaster assistance?

The government pays for disaster assistance from the federal budget. The system of national disaster relief was ratified in 1950, and it works nowadays without significant changes (Weber, 2020). The Stafford Act is the continuation of the Disaster Relief Act articulated in 1950 and features the same basic principles (Weber, 2020). For example, this model supposes that the state and the local governments can ask for additional financial support from the federal government if they cannot cope with the hazard on the local level. FEMA controls the Disaster Relief Fund in the United States, and the states receive financial assistance from this fund. Almost 44% of the federal budget on disaster relief expenses was taken from the Disaster Relief Fund (Weber, 2020).

It is vital to remember that no system of prediction of natural disasters can give precise data. Therefore, the budget of FEMA is more than $500 million annually (Weber, 2020). The DRE annually appropriates funding for future hazards, which means that there is always money to help people in case of a sudden natural disaster with catastrophic outcomes (Weber, 2020). This information shows that there is no opportunity to objectively evaluate the amount of money the government needs to finance the emergency services and the agencies responsible for disaster prevention. According to the statistical data, the costs for these aspects increased almost by 30% (Weber, 2020). There is no opportunity to estimate the expanses of the disasters in advance because these events are unpredictable.

There are specific problems concerning the financing of disaster assistance and its cost-effectiveness. Among the issues the disaster response organizations face is the increased costs for restoration after the hazards. For instance, the prices for construction materials increase, and the agencies require more funding to pay the expenses. At the same time, it does not mean that the intensity of natural disasters has increased significantly during the last few years (Picou & Nicholls, 2019). There is a need to balance the expanses of the state and the federal governments, in this case, to make this sphere more cost-effective.

Application of measures to policies

The policies ratified in the disaster management sphere aim to improve the reaction to hazards. Even though this sphere is the subject of constant attention, there are still many problems in applying the policies in practice. For example, the FEMA’s response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Andrew showed that the Federal Response Plan has significant drawbacks (Picou & Nicholls, 2019). Even though the organization manages to provide people with sufficient life-sustaining assistance, it needs to improve its complicated system. The analysts agreed that FEMA was required to change the approach to assessing damages and improve legislation to make preparations for the disaster easier (Picou & Nicholls, 2019).

Effectiveness of policies

The Congress evaluates the effectiveness of the policies regarding natural disasters annually. The FEMA and other agencies that work on the federal level develop the legislation to prepare for catastrophic natural disasters better. Their efficiency is evaluated based on the time of the initial response to the disaster (Weber, 2020). In addition, their ability to warn the population about the hazard in advance is considered. For instance, the NSIAD reports allow politicians to analyze the agencies’ responses to natural disasters and improve their proposed policies (Weber, 2020).

DHS and FEMA are appropriately organized to effectively deal with natural and technological disasters, even though they face particular challenges in their work. They can warn the population and provide them with the necessary help in the case of hazards, which justifies their adequate structure. According to the Individual and Households Program, FEMA helps citizens who lost their houses due to natural or technological disasters (Weber, 2020). The organization also provides these populations with free medical care and childcare and allows them to clean and restore their homes after the disaster (Weber, 2020).

FEMA: Responsibilities

FEMA helps citizens, localities, and states cope with catastrophes’ consequences. The peculiar detail is that the Federal Emergency Management Agency works not only with cases of natural and technological disasters but also with terrorist attacks (Weber, 2020). The organization is responsible for emergency management on the federal level and deals with all national security questions (Weber, 2020). FEMA coordinates its actions with DHS or the Department of Homeland Security. Both organizations are parts of the Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) (Weber, 2020).

FEMA is the primary federal authority responsible for financial and technical assistance in case of emergencies. FEMA helped American citizens to cope with the consequences of the terrorist attack on September, 11 (Weber, 2020). It also has an active position in other situations connected with terrorist danger. There are controversial opinions about the integration of FEMA into DHS (Weber, 2020). In all cases, the current situation is satisfactory, while changes in the agency’s structure are connected with certain risks.

Goal

Those politicians who support their integration are the logical process because these two organizations are connected with the same goal of providing emergency management services on the federal level. Those politicians who oppose this idea claim that not all responsibilities of FEMA are consistent with the duties of DHS (Weber, 2020). In case of their integration, FEMA will have to work more on the issues connected with homeland security, and will not pay enough attention to natural disaster management (Weber, 2020).

How effective are federal government disaster response policies?

After the declaration of the disaster by the federal government, the state and local officials have to take action. The plan for the response to the natural or technological disaster is described in the National Response Framework (Weber, 2020). The State Office is responsible for coordinating the efforts of the local governments and federal agencies (Weber, 2020). Therefore, the federal government has to manage all power levels according to disaster response policies (Weber, 2020). It serves as the source of coordination for all local authorities to avoid potential mistakes in disaster planning and implementation of the response policies.

In this case, the federal government’s role is to develop and analyze the practices connected with disaster management. It also helps local officials to prepare a plan for disaster management. It makes sure the citizens are ready for a particular disaster. The last responsibility of the local government is to ensure the resources for disaster management are allocated effectively. As the principal federal agency responsible for disaster response, FEMA was reformed in 1993, and its work has been evaluated as effective since that time (McGee, 2021). Even though certain aspects require improvement, the federal government provides the state and local authorities with adequate support and management in critical situations.

Conclusion

FEMA has a proactive position in disaster response and management, which politicians on the federal level emphasize. It develops online resources where people can check the situation concerning natural disasters and ask for help in an emergency. These measures reduce the time the organization needs to respond to the problem, which is effective and practical. FEMA and the federal government should take subsequent actions to improve the quality of their disaster management. They should increase the flexibility for funding on the local level to satisfy the needs of the population (McGee, 2021). They should also improve the training in disaster response to ensure the system works without problems.

References

Kneeland, T. W. (2020). Playing politics with natural disaster: Hurricane Agnes, the 1972 election, and the origins of FEMA. Cornell University Press.

McGee, K. (2021). A place worth protecting: Rethinking cost-benefit analysis under FEMA’s flood-mitigation programs. The University of Chicago Law Review, 88(8), 1925–1970. Web.

Picou, J. S., & Nicholls, K. (2019). Caught in the path of Katrina: A survey of the hurricane’s human effects. University of Texas Press.

Weber, A. (2020). FEMA puts new data on the map for policymakers. Cityscape, 22(1), 273–278. Web.

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