Disaster Management; Tornado Tornado

After a powerful tornado, 60% of businesses and a residential area have been destroyed. This has led to a series of negative events that need to be dealt with. These events include the town having no working lights, reports of residents' children and spouses missing, and even reports of gunfire. At this point, the state is aware of the disaster that has hit this town and the Governor is activating the National Guard. Beyond these initial steps, no further action has been taken, and I must respond immediately to deal with the crisis at hand.

Incident Command

Establishing the incident command system is first and foremost. The system establishes a common organizational structure that is conducive for different types of agencies as well as multiple jurisdictions to be able to effectively work together in response to the situation. The components of this system include the Incident Commander, who oversees all aspects of the disaster...

Time is critical, as the tornado likely has left an unknown number of people wounded or trapped. A slow response could cost people their lives, as well as increase anxiety and panic levels among those with missing family members. Calling in the Federal Search and Rescue team(s) would be the most appropriate way to deal with this situation. In this particular case, the Structural Collapse Urban Search and Rescue division would be appropriate due to the fact that the type of disaster is a tornado and it has afflicted a town. The primary agencies that are responsible for this search and rescue division are the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) (NRF; SAR ESF #9-2). This specialized resource can play a large role in dealing with a natural disaster such…