**** IMPORTANT MUST HAVE ACCESS TO 2 TEXTBOOKS George D. Haddock, Jane A. Bullock, & Damon P. Coppola, (2014) Introduction to Emergency Management, 5th Ed. Butterworth-Heinemann Publishers, ISBN: 978-0-12-407784-3 AND William L. Waugh, Jr., & Kathleen Tierney (2007) Emergency Management: Principles and Practice for Local Government 2nd Ed, ICMA Press, ISBN: 13-978-0-87326-719-9.****** Summary is based on the following: Mitigation as presented in the chapter 3 of George D. Haddock, Jane A. Bullock, & Damon P. Coppola, (2014) Introduction to Emergency Management, 5th Ed. Butterworth-Heinemann Publishers, ISBN: 978-0-12-407784-3 and chapter 6 of William L. Waugh, Jr., & Kathleen Tierney (2007) Emergency Management: Principles and Practice for Local Government 2nd Ed, ICMA Press, ISBN: 13-978-0-87326-719-9 READ THE SUMMARIES BELOW and EXPAND ON THE THEM (DISAGREE OR AGREE) DO NOT COPY THE PARAGRAPH INTO YOUR REBUTTAL. MUST HAVE A LEAST 2 SOURCES Denese Mitigation Disasters have always been a factor of human existence, and as our large populations tend to be concentrated in small geographical locations, the impact of disasters is affecting larger amounts of citizens at a cost that is becoming financially astronomical. A communitys goal should endeavor to be able to endure a catastrophic event without experiencing major failures of its infrastructure systems, and without needing to depend on outside assistance. It should make preparations to protect its citizens and property from disaster before an event occurs to create the resiliency required; this act of instituting measures to minimize or eliminate the risks or effects that disasters may have before they occur is called mitigation. As we continue to affect the planets climate with overdevelopment, deforestation and the filling in of the flood plains, we are likely to see the frequency of disastrous events increase. The likelihood of a disaster impacting a large portion of a population has also increased with the large migration of peoples to the coastal areas. The function of mitigation differs from the other emergency management disciplines because it looks at long-term solutions to reducing risk as opposed to preparedness for hazards, the immediate response to a hazard, or the short-term recovery from a hazard event (Haddow, p. 72). It usually involves a wide range of participants such as town and building planning experts, public officials and politicians, private businesses and insurance companies. This collaborative effort between those inside and outside of the emergency management domain provides the best mix of skills and expertise needed to plan for the mitigation of disasters. It requires building consensus within the team, marketing and the use of public relations to communicate the plan, and the use of political shrewdness to secure funding for the plan. Mitigation is a highly cost-effective investment for local governments, states, and the nation. By protecting a community against disaster before disaster strikes, mitigation saves lives, property, time, money, and resources (Waugh, p. 90). Disaster mitigation measures may be structural (e.g. building flood dikes) or non-structural (e.g. zoning for land use). Other examples of mitigation measures include hazard mapping, implementation of and enforcement of land use, zoning practices and building codes, flood plain mapping, and mitigation public awareness programs. Mitigation activities should incorporate the measurement and assessment of all potential risks to the environment. Activities may include the creation of comprehensive, pro-active tools that help decide where to focus funding and efforts in risk reduction that will yield the best results. As officials and politicians see the impact from the last big event, they tend to make changes to existing practices to mitigate damage from future events; for example, after Hurricane Andrew in 1992, southern Florida municipalities revised their building requirements for new construction, and we have seen those buildings survive large scale hurricanes recently. After the storm, South Florida approved a building code intended to make structures better withstand high winds. The state came to be seen as an international leader in storm preparation. Laws were passed that required supermarkets, gas stations and hospitals to be equipped with generators so they could reopen quickly after a storm (Alvarez). It is important to review a communitys emergency management plans each time it faces a disaster, and to make changes as necessary to limit exposure to damage that could have been avoided through mitigation efforts. The growing impact of natural disasters demonstrates the need to further advance mitigation through well-coordinated activities (Press). It is well known that there is an enormous return on investment for each dollar spent on mitigation efforts, and as it is more cost-effective to mitigate the risks from natural disasters than it is to repair damage after the disaster, communities should make their mitigation efforts a priority and provide the financial support this effort will need. The legacy these events leave us with is in the lessons learnt and how we can better prepare our communities to survive the next big catastrophe without suffering from their devastating effects. Waugh, W. (Nov 2007). Chapter 6. Emergency Management: Principles and Practice for Local Government. ICMA Publishing. Haddow, G. D. (Nov 2013). Chapter 3. Introduction to Emergency Management. Elsevier Science. Kindle Edition Press, F. & Hamilton, R. (Jun 1999). Mitigating Natural Disasters. Science Magazine. Vol. 284, Issue 5422, pp. 1927. Retrieved https://science.sciencemag.org/content/284/5422/1927.full Alvarez, L. & Santora, M. (Sep 2017). After Andrew, Florida Changed Its Approach to Hurricanes. NY Times. Retrieved: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/06/us/hurricane-andrew-miami.html
Hide
