Disaster Management; Tornado After a Powerful Tornado,

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 response, operations, planning, logistics and finance/administrative (Briggs & Twomey, 2003).

Search and Rescue

The next item needing attention is search and rescue. 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 as this one.

Triage

As a continuation of the search and rescue operations is the next step of providing victims with the appropriate medical treatment based on their injuries. In a large scale incident with multiple victims, the most effective and efficient way to assess, transport, and treat patients is via the triage system. The objective of utilizing this triage system in a disaster is "to do the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of people" (Briggs & Twomey, 2003). Based on a rapid assessment by medical personnel, patients are categorized based on the severity of their injuries and how quickly they will need more definitive treatment before their status deteriorates. It is also a likely possibility that mutual aid from surrounding towns will need to be activated in order to supplement the town's limited supply of emergency personnel and vehicles (i.e. ambulances, fire trucks, police officers/cruisers, etc.) (Yei & Ozdamar, 2007). In particular, a strong police presence is necessary to maintain some order and direction for citizens, including suppressing the sudden surge of violence and crime that often occurs in the wake of a disaster (NRF; ESF #13-1).