Planning for Emergencies -- NIMS; Hazard and Vulnerability Analysis

Assignment 3: Planning for Emergencies -- NIMS; Hazard and Vulnerability Analysis

Introduction

As discussed in earlier papers and to the common knowledge of every person living on this Earth, disasters can strike at any time without any warning. The older this Earth gets the more problems it is facing and the more it is reacting. With global warming and breaches in the Ozone layer playing their parts, natural calamities are on a constant rise. Over the last decade, the world has seen more calamities than the previous two decades put together. Poverty, pollution and other factors are causing natural disasters to occur more frequently than before. Not only are these disasters devastating, they are also very unpredictable and sudden. This makes it very important for every person living on this Earth to be prepared for such disasters. Governments should be equipped with proper systems to tackle the panic and disruption that is caused by such calamities (Alexander, 2002).

Discussion

The NIMS (National Incident Management System) is a system devised by governments to tackle such disasters and their effects. Natural disasters can be controlled but not stopped. Man has not developed tools or weapons to defeat natural calamities but their damage can be controlled. Natural incidents cause panic, devastation and global disruption. It is a time of confusion and intense commotion. It is during this time that a proper incident management system helps save the injured and maintains decorum (Wisner, et al. 2004).

Arguments in support of a disaster specific plan

A disaster specific plan allows the government to prepare against a specific calamity. In such a case, the preparations are not general but they are related to the disaster being considered. For example, in case of a flood, the system would suggest stocking up on life jackets and items that float.

The main advantage of a disaster specific plan is that the measures taken to subdue the effects are much more effective as they pertain entirely to the disaster under consideration. In such a case the government does not need to give much thought to supplies and procedures related to other disasters. For example, in case of an expected avalanche, the government would prepare for ways to evacuate the area and provide instant transport to the people living in those areas. Those people would be shifted to lower ground, away from the sliding mountains. This type of preparation would be rendered useless if planning to control the damage of a flood or tidal wave. In that case, the best solution would be to move towards the mountains and higher ground. In such cases, the mode of transport would be helicopters with bases made on high grounds.

Another main advantage of disaster specific management is that it greatly reduces the costs. When planning for general disaster management, all the supplies needed for those disasters need to be stocked. When planning for one specific disaster, the supplies related to that disastrous event are stocked. Thus cheaper inventories can be ...