("Lessons from New Orleans," 2005, pg. 58)
The idea behind relying on ones self to provide a backup plan for communication is only truly realized when mitigation occurs. The infrastructure of the local, state and federal governments may seem strong, but the idea that individuals and individual organizations will have less to deal with in quantity, when it comes to meeting people's immediate needs in a disaster, and can therefore ensure a better quality of response is one that all emergency managers should learn from this particular mitigation situation. Communication is key to ensuring a reduced loss of life as well as resources. One lesson learned was that the most successful of organizations in the process of communication, in the Katrina disaster were those that recognized that people came first and property second, as the largest asset of any business or region is the people who are employed by it and live in it. Though the local, state and federal governments recognize this fact the sheer numbers of people who needed to rely on them overtaxed their ability to provide relief. ("Lessons from New Orleans," 2005, pg. 58)
Prevention:
Lessons intoning the need for prevention have multiplied exponentially since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Many local and state governments have been seriously mitigating since the 9/11 attacks as a way to create a better system of security and reaction in the event of terrorist attacks. (Baum, 2003, pg. 28) One of the ways in which agencies are responding to the mitigation from 9/11 and other terrorist events is reestablishing the chain of command that collectively makes decisions regarding prevention measures for homeland security. One example in the literature that clearly effects all emergency managers is the understanding that the chain of command must be clear. So, that individuals in private and public institutions immediately know who to contact for assistance in any given situation and that the plans that they implement are decided and cemented by the group prior to the occurrence. Mitigation has determined that in situations where only one agency makes all the decisions regarding prevention and security, abuses occur, as these centralized sources either...
(Baum, 2003, pg. 28)
Understanding when and where to evacuate, has also been discussed exponentially since the Katrina event occurrence. "The Louisiana Superdome turned out to be a lousy place for a long-term shelter, but it was only meant as a short-term shelter of last resort." Through mitigation, "Other jurisdictions in hurricane-prone areas have taken note of New Orleans' problems and are reviewing their own procedures on shelters." ("Lessons from New Orleans," 2005, pg. 86) In the wake of Katrina other locals are taking this plan into consideration, analyzing how such an occurrence took place and how they can avoid such problems in the future by carefully analyzing the local and regional offerings for services and potential locations for last minute evacuation options. ("Lessons from New Orleans," 2005, pg. 87)
Conclusion:
The way in which all of this effects the individual emergency manager is complex but can be assessed briefly here, by stating that mitigation is essential in determining what the potential best practices are for every organization. The lessons that have been learned by the recent disasters, including the need for back up plans for communication with the goal of protecting resources is one that every emergency manager must review in establishing such communication practices and protocols within his or her agency or company. Additionally having a clear answer to as many possible perceived events is also key, an emergency manger must know who to call and how to call, in order to develop a system that can respond to every possible threat and relying on the larger community to resolve all these issues is not only foolish it could be criminal. ("Storm Forces Officials to Rethink Plan," 2005, p. A1)
References
Baum, K. (2003, September). Austin's Integrated Homeland Security Approach. Public Management, 85, 28-37.
Lessons from New Orleans. (2005, November). Security Management, 49, 58-62.
Mileti, D.S. (2004) Disaster By Design: A Reassessment of Natural Hazards in the United States. Washington DC: Joseph…
