Try to best use of it

2. Preparing communities for disasters:
issues and processes for government
readiness
Presented by Summon Sultan

3. Introduction
• preparedness is one of the key foundations in
emergency management.
• Ironically, there is only a modest amount of research on
the subject.
• Most of the literature in the field currently deals with the
response phase of disaster (e.g. warning, evacuation,
sheltering, emergent behavior, convergence,
coordination, etc.
• If we consider the devastating impact of the World
Trade Center attacks in New York City and the
heightened potential for further terrorist incidents in the
future, it becomes apparent that effective disaster
preparedness has become more necessary.

4. Abstract
• This paper discusses what local governments must do
to prepare for various disasters, including terrorist
attacks.
• It provides background information on preparedness
and highlights lessons from prior research.
• It also identifies the process or component of disaster
preparedness.
• recommendations to implement these preparedness
measures.
• Finally, it concludes with conclusion.

5. Definition & Goals
• Defined as actions taken in advance of a disaster to ensure
adequate response to its impacts, and the relief and
recovery from its consequences—is performed to eliminate
the need for any last-minute actions. (D.P.Coppola,2006,P.209)
The main goals of preparedness activities is
• to foresee problems and project possible solutions
• to anticipate problems in disasters so that ways can
be devised to address the problems effectively
• what to do in a disaster’s aftermath,
• knowing how to do it, and
• being equipped with the right tools to do it
effectively.

6. The preparedness process
There are numerous steps that should be taken to prepare
a community for disaster. These processes include:
• establishing emergency management ordinances;
• assessing hazards, vulnerability and risks;
• creating an emergency operations plan;
• developing a warning system;
• identifying and acquiring resources and grants;
• instituting mutual aid agreements;
• Training, exercising and
• educating the public.

7. Findings
• Most disaster plans and preparedness activities have been
based on such false assumptions (panic, exhibit antisocial
behavior and will be dependent on outside agencies) of
human and organizational behavior
• The crime rates drop in many disaster-affected areas.
• Most emergency plans do not cover how to deal with or
assimilate emergent groups into the disaster response and
recovery phases.
• The value and importance of preparedness and its
processes are sometimes unknown and difficult to quantify.

8. Continue……..
• The preparedness literature concerns the benefit of Local
Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs), Consists of
pubic safety officers, planners, health care providers,
environmental specialists, industry representatives, local
government officials, representatives of schools, community
action groups.
• LEPCs are responsible for conducting vulnerability
analyses, preparing comprehensive emergency response
plans, developing site-specific emergency plans, organizing
training programs for local emergency responders,
conducting drills and filing data about hazards .

9. Continue…….
• communities often create elaborate emergency
operations plans, but they fail to develop the capability
to implement these plans. In other words, a plan is
written but it sits on a shelf without anyone exercising or
taking time to train on its activities.
• The major contribution of LEPCs is their ability to
enhance and build upon prior disaster experience.
• apathy is the biggest problem associated with planning
and preparedness activities .
• paper plan syndrome.

10. Recommendation
This paper has identified several steps that must be taken
during the preparedness phase of emergency
management.
• emergency managers and others will implement an
effective preparedness program.
• community preparedness also requires leadership and
professionalism, advocacy, inter-agency networking
• the use of modern technological tools.

11. Conclusion
• Preparedness is undoubtedly one of the key foundations
in emergency management, but it has ironically not
received sufficient attention in the academic literature.
For this reason, we have tried review what is known
about preparedness and discuss the important steps that
communities must take to increase their readiness to
deal with disaster.