Introduction
It is important to know what to do in case of an emergency. This paper aims to review four articles that are devoted to the issue of disasters and thrift management, as well as to discuss three crisis-response organizations in Pennsylvania.
Articles Review
Chapter 17 “Disaster Response” is devoted to strategies that should be used in the course of a catastrophe. Besides, it reveals what national and local agencies there are available to tackle a disaster. The most prominent national organizations are the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the American Red Cross, the National Emergency Response Team, the REACT International, the Salvation Army, and the Volunteers of America. There are local Emergency Management Agencies in states and counties, as well as local National Guards and volunteer organizations (James & Gilliland, 2013).
The article “Five Years after Katrina: Progress Report on Recovery, Rebuilding, and Renewal” dwells upon a destructive hurricane which befell on Louisiana in August 2005. Many local agencies got involved in dealing with it and its consequences. They are the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), Louisiana National Guard, Mississippi Department of Transportation, and the Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Services. It is important to know what agencies there are in any region since it is necessary to understand where to apply in a crisis. There are analog agencies in Pennsylvania, namely, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, Pennsylvania National Guard, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, and Pennsylvania Commission for Volunteer Services. In an emergency, these agencies are expected to cooperate with each other within the state (Office of Governor Haley Barbour, 2010).
The article “The Proof of the Planning is the Platting: An Evaluation of Florida’s Hurricane Exposure Mitigation Planning Mandate” describes which measures Florida’s authorities took to cope with hurricanes and floods. They introduced a plan which was adopted to increase the population’s knowledge about the problem and minimize the presence of citizens in the areas in danger. While it was operational, the plan was successful (Deyle, Chapin, & Baker, 2008). The information can be used to get ready for a crisis both on a large-scale basis and personally. It might function as guidance for the community on how to act in a disastrous situation since it proves to educate people what to do if they find themselves exposed to a crisis.
The article “Disaster Planning and Preparedness” highlights how critical it is for crisis-response organizations to be prepared for disasters and cooperate with each other. The issue is based on the example of the New York City Fire Department at the end of 2001. The author dwells up the events of September the 11th and speculates how they have changed the perception of a crisis-response organization. In terms of planning, he singles out capability and flexibility. Capability implies possessing adequate resources in the right places with professional lifeguards that are always ready. Flexibility means the lack of awareness of what might happen, where it might occur, and when it might take place. So, it is crucial to be ready for everything. Besides, the idea of cooperation is important. According to the author, in the case of a big disaster, crisis-response organizations are supposed to cooperate in administration and informational support (Scoppetta, 2008).
Taken into account the above-mentioned, it is necessary to describe the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, Pennsylvania National Guard, and Pennsylvania Commission for Volunteer Services and reflect upon their cooperation in case of emergency. Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency is supposed to be the first one to address a disaster. It should be ready to tackle whatever happens, anywhere in the state and at any time. Other agencies are supposed to assist in it and cooperate to manage the emergency. As for The National Guard, it gets involved only in case of extreme emergency. Local volunteer organizations are likely to assist other agencies, for example, in repairing roads and searching for missing people, as well as help the victims of the disaster.
Conclusion
This paper has reviewed four articles devoted to disasters and their management. Answers to the assignment questions have been provided. Besides, Pennsylvania crisis-response organizations have been discussed.
References
Deyle, R. E., Chapin, T. S., & Baker, E. J. (2008). The proof of the planning is in the platting: An evaluation of Florida’s hurricane exposure mitigation planning mandate. Journal of the American Planning Association, 74(3), 349–370.
James, R. K., & Gilliland, B. E. (2013). Crisis intervention strategies. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.
Office of Governor Haley Barbour (2010). Five yours after Katrina: Progress report on recovery, rebuilding, and renewal. Web.
Scoppetta, N. (2008). Disaster planning and preparedness: A human story. Web.