Fema and Some Warnings

Disaster Management

non-governmental organizations (NGO) provide support during times of emergencies. Your task is to research the various NGOs (at a minimum three such organizations) that provide this support and post your results and cite the source(s) of your information.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is the world's largest humanitarian network and this movement claims to be both neutral and impartial, and provides protection and assistance to people affected by disasters and conflicts through 100 million members, volunteers and supporters in 190 National Societies (IFRC, N.d.). This organization supports various disaster relief and other humanitarian causes such as various development projects by working with governments, other NGOs, disaster survivors, and many other groups. Figure 1 - IFRC Operations (IFRC, N.d.)

Volunteers of America -- this organization is a NGO that includes 16,000 paid staff and 64,000 volunteers throughout the country who provide services to America's most vulnerable groups, including veterans, at-risk youth, the frail elderly, men and women returning from prison, homeless individuals and families, people with disabilities, and those recovering from addictions 120 years (Volunteers of America, N.d.).

The Salvation Army -- the Salvation Army is a NGO that has a strong affinity to a religious ideology and its hierarchy is based on different levels of dedication to the doctrines of The Salvation Army, but each level is based on service to God (The Salvation Army, N.d.). There are approximately 450,000 soldiers in the United States and these individuals may take on volunteer responsibilities with the Salvation Army disaster relief efforts focus on seven core services: training, food service, emotional and spiritual care, emergency communications, disaster social services, donations managements, and recovery and these services are provided based upon the special needs that are present in the emergency situation (Salvation Army, N.d.)

2. Many areas have specific evacuation routes that should be followed by residents and visitors in time of emergency. Research the existence of such routes for your area. Is the information well disseminated and advertised? Are there special concerns with such routes and processes?

There are several emergency evacuation routes in New Jersey that have become increasingly salient post-Sandy. FEMA has an outline of the evacuation plan for the state and argues that "Because of New Jersey's small size and its proximity to water on three sides, many of the state's major highways also serve as coastal evacuation routes. Most of New Jersey's routes come from the shore (south and west) and move inward, mainly westbound" (FEMA, 2014). Coastal Evacuation Routes exist in states that border the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico and these routes are denoted by road signs featuring some combination of blue and white. The three main components of NJ's evacuation plan are summarized as (FEMA, 2014):

The Garden State Parkway in Cape May County is the main evacuation route out of the county to the north, along with Routes 47 and 50. Also in Cape May and Atlantic counties, the barrier islands have multiple access points connecting the towns on those islands with the Parkway and other roads headed inland.

The Atlantic City Expressway is the main east-west route through the southern part of New Jersey. When Hurricane Sandy arrived in New Jersey, state officials reversed traffic on the Atlantic City Expressway, forcing all traffic on the highway to go west, away from the coast.

Unlike the barrier islands in Cape May and Atlantic counties, there is only one way on and off of Long Beach Island -- Route 72. Route 37 serves the southern half of the Barnegat Peninsula in Ocean County, and Route 35 leads to access to inland roads in the northern half, including Routes 88 and 34, as well as Routes 36 and (indirectly) 18 in Monmouth County.

3. Research local emergency plans and describe the process to advise the public of emergency situations in your area. Are these well thought out or are there weaknesses in the process?

The Monmouth County Office of Emergency Management is staffed by five full-time personnel, an acting director, three deputy coordinators, a domestic preparedness planner, and an administrative assistant and have produced the following statement about emergency management (Monmouth County, N.d.):