Emergency Management
According to Steven Stehr, the ability of a community to effectively respond to an emergency disaster recovery incident is dependence on the type of intra-community strategies the community leaders are able to adopt in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Stehr identifies three particular variables as they related to a community's problem solving capabilities: horizontal integration, vertical integration and network centralization. Horizontal integration involves the coordination of disaster relief services across a community. Vertical integration refers to the coordination of disaster relief services between the community and state and/or national disaster relief services. Network centralization refers to the disaster relief services organization being centralized, as opposed to spread out among various centers of control and agencies.
In the mid-sized Midwestern community of Iowa City, which recently experienced a serious tornado, the city was able to respond effectively and efficiently. First, the services available between the community and the University, including the fire and public safety departments, the local hospitals and local charity organizations were prepared to perform specific services that did not overlap. Second, Iowa City had quick connections with State level disaster response crews that allowed for quick clean-up and rebuilding. They also coordinated with outside communities to provide shelter and other basic needs through local Red Cross organizations.
On the other hand the small, rural community of Holy Cross, also hit by a severe storm, was not as well prepared to respond. The main reason for this lack of efficient response was because of a lack of a centralized network. Due to the small size of the city, there is no permanent emergency relief plan. The community's response was reactionary and thus took longer and was very unorganized. Much of the response came from the State.
Bibliography
Stehr, Steven D. (2002): "Community Recover and Reconstruction Following Disasters," Handbook of Crisis and Emergency Management. New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc.
