Preparedness Information

Mitigation

In the Mitigation Phase, the steps to eliminate or reduce disaster damages effecting the City and it's citizens are taken.  Strategies to be considered are removing or eliminating the hazard, reducing or limiting its amount or size, segregating the hazard from that which needs to be protected, reducing the likelihood of the hazard occurring, controlling its rate of release, establishing hazard warning and communication procedures, and establishing structural and non-structural protective measures.  Examples of mitigation include activities such as retrofitting buildings for earthquakes, elevating levies around flood prone homes and businesses, locating development outside of flood zones, and creating wildfire buffers around developments in vulnerable areas.

Preparedness

In the Preparedness Phase, emergency managers develop plans of action for when disaster strikes.  Goals of Preparedness include actions taken in advance of an emergency to develop operational capabilities and to facilitate an effective response when the event does occur.  Strategies to be considered are assessing and inventorying resources (personnel, equipment, facilities), planning, training, exercises, and developing procedures. 

This is also the phase that individuals and groups within our community should prepare to lessen the impacts of a disaster.  It is important to observe the distinction between a disaster and emergency.  An “emergency” is an event that requires response from service providers (i.e. police and fire) and that while potentially devastating to some members of the community, the event is manageable by emergency service providers.  However, a “disaster” is when an event is so traumatic that it disables the emergency response system from being able to respond to the event (e.g. Hurricane Katrina).  This is why it is so important that individuals in the community take steps to be prepared for 3-7 days without help in the event of disaster.  

Response

In the Response Phase, actions are taken immediately before, during or directly after an emergency occurs, to save lives, minimize damage, and to enhance the recovery activities.  Activities include notification and activation of personnel and services, continuity of government, establishing data and voice communications, dissemination of public information, evacuation or sheltering in place, insuring personnel identification and accountability, mass care, providing for mental and physical well-being of affected individuals.

Recovery

The goal of the Recovery Phase is to return the community's systems and activities to normal.  Tasks in this phase include restoring organization and staffing, restoring utilities, debris removal, restoration and salvage, maintaining essential records, assessing damages, public and employee information, and identifying recovery funding.  Long-term recovery includes restoring economic activity and rebuilding community facilities and housing.  This also includes rebuilding in such a way as to mitigate damages should the same disaster strike again (e.g. earthquake, flood).