Analyzing the Phases of Emergency Management

Phases of Crisis and Emergency Management

Preparedness is the process of making plans and having the needed equipment and supplies for saving lives when a disaster occurs. Preparedness takes the form of plans or procedures that have been put in place to save lives and to minimize damage when a disaster strikes (Kunz, Reiner, & Gold, 2014). This is usually a continuous cycle of organizing, planning, training, exercising, equipping, evaluating, and improving activities to ensure that there is effective coordination for mitigating the effects of a disaster. Mitigation is the process of preventing a disaster or taking steps to reduce the impact of unavoidable disasters. In the real sense, mitigation should take place before an emergency occurs. However, mitigation and preparedness mostly occur after a disaster has taken place and repairs are being made. Mitigation is aimed at preventing hazards from developing into disasters or to reduce the effects of disasters.

Response involves taking immediate action once a disaster has occurred. The action taken is aimed at protecting oneself and others from harm or further arm. The onset of the event will determine the response that a person takes. This stage is aimed at making sure that all the necessary emergency services and first responders are alerted of the disaster and they are dispatched to the affected area (Sahebjamnia, Torabi, & Mansouri, 2015). Response puts the preparedness plans into action. Response is geared towards saving lives and preventing any further damage. Recovery refers to the actions that are taken to return the community back to its normal after a disaster. Replacing, repairing, or rebuilding property are some examples of recovery. The main of recovery is to restore the affected area back to its previous state. This is quite different from the focus of the response phase. Recover is concerned with the issues that must be addressed once the immediate needs have been addressed.

Preparedness is the most effective crisis and emergency management phase. This is because it allows for the preparation of all the plans and procedures that are aimed at saving lives and mitigating the risks of a disaster. The preparedness phase is also concerned with ensuring that there are enough equipment, training, organizing, and exercises that are aimed at preparing the concerned individuals on how to respond or act when there is a prediction of a disaster (Kunz et al., 2014). Preparedness ensures that people are aware of what needs to be done when a disaster occurs and how they can ensure that there is minimal loss of lives and property. Mitigating the risks of a disaster would be far much better if the individuals are prepared in advance. Plans of action are also prepared to allow for the best response once a disaster strikes. This phase ensures that there is careful recognition of the risks and exposures that an area might be faced with when a disaster strikes, which creates an opportunity for planning in order to reduce these risks and exposures.

Mitigation is the phase that is most difficult to plan and execute. Mitigation is aimed are reducing the impact that disasters will have on people and property. This means that hazards have to be identified and analyzed to determine their impact on people and property (Scholten, Sharkey Scott, & Fynes, 2014). However, not all hazards will result in disasters and it is not easy to predict the hazards that should be addressed. Mitigation is concerned with long-term measures for reducing or eliminating risks. This is hard because no one can predict when a disaster is likely to take place and the impact that it will have on an area. Therefore, preventing the impact that the disaster might have on an area is not as easy as one would imagine. Considering that there are many variables that come into play, this phase has to look into all these variables in order to mitigate the risks.