Assignment 1: Stakeholders

Interrelation of various parties in disaster declaration and management

The interrelationship established by the various by the federal, state and local governments on one hand, and the non-governmental organizations and private sector on the other involve a framework that brings together the effort of the entire community in realizing the National Preparedness Goal.  The interrelationship highlights the shared understanding of the roles and responsibilities of all the parties in the community. Through this, the policy and strategy to be used to build, sustain and deliver the major capabilities as per the National Preparedness Goal are established (Schmidtlein, Finch & Cutter, 2008). The frameworks define the structures and alignments needed for coordination of the aforesaid roles and responsibilities for the entire community and their integration ensure that the parties attain interoperability for all ever mission area.  There is an established partnership between the authorities and the entire community whose engagement is important in ensuring security and resilience, and this makes the preparedness of the individuals and their community an essential part. There are National Planning Frameworks that have established themes and the key mission. The frameworks are highly interdependent so that they ensure coordination among the departments and various agencies that work together to attain the established goal (FEMA, n.d.). An important aspect of the interrelationship is the coalition building and engagement partnership that comprises of consistency of, effectiveness and the right communication and common situational consciousness. These aspects are achieved with the engagement of the entire community while capitalizing on the resources available resources to have unity of effort.

The five preparedness mission areas

 The efforts of the parties have to align with the preparedness mission areas established in the Presidential Policy Directive which includes "Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response and recovery (on Earth, 2017). Prevention refers to the capabilities required to avert or stop an impending threat or crime or incident that can lead to a mass casualty. It aims at ensuring that the individual and community are well prepared to avert an imminent occurrence such as terrorism.  These capabilities include planning for preparedness, sharing information or issuing a warning to the public, ensuring operation coordination and attribution and forensic (on Earth, 2017). Others include the sharing of information and intelligence, carrying out disruption or interdiction and various security measures such as searching, screening, and detection.  Protection refers to the capabilities to provide security against violence and disasters, and against disasters whether natural or manmade.  This area involves various ongoing actions that aim at protecting people and their property from any hazards (on Earth, 2017).  The efforts involved in providing protection involve various physical protective actions and management of risks through some adopted programs or activities.

Mitigation refers to the capabilities required for the elimination or reduction of loss people's lives or destruction or damage to their property by making lighter the effect of an occurrence. It also means efforts aimed at reducing the probability of the threat occurring.  This area may be carried out through various strategies including emergency plans, collaborations, and even training so that information on how to reduce long-term vulnerability, risk and disaster among the various parties in the community (on Earth, 2017). Identifying and assessing various risks, disaster, hazards is an important capability for mitigation purpose. Response defines the capabilities required for stabilizing an emergency after it has occurred or whose occurrence is certain and unpreventable through setting up a safe environment for saving lives and property and allow for recovery. It also involves installing and providing various facilities or infrastructure systems necessary for meeting the human needs including food and healthcare.  Recovery involves the capabilities needed in helping to restore normalcy after the occurrence with strategies such as plans for mental health and reunification of families (on Earth, 2017). All the five missions will be achieved when emergency planning has been set up outlining the important measures to be undertaken. 

Stafford Act requirements on federal disaster declaration

 The Stafford Act provides two kinds of disaster declarations including the "emergency declarations and major disaster declarations", which gives the President authority to offer additional federal support for a disaster.  The act allows the president to declare a disaster resulting from a natural event irrespective of the cause that he deems as the bringing about so much severe damage that the capabilities of both local and state government cannot handle (FEMA, n.d.).  Such a declaration allows the federal government to provide assistance for people and public infrastructure that caters for the emergency and permanent work. The declaration is only done after various requirements have been met. To begin with, the state's governor or Tribal Chief Executive of the area should first request assistance from the federal government through the relevant Regional Administrator within 30 days after the disaster has occurred (FEMA, n.d.). The basis of the request should be a finding that shows the capability of the governments in the area including state, federal and tribal government is not sufficient and that additional support is needed. Moreover, the Governor or Tribal Chief Executive should confirm through the report that they have acted as per the Tribal or State law and ordered the implementation of a local emergency plan (FEMA, n.d.).  The request should also have an estimate of the extent of the damage to both private and public sectors, and highlight the efforts or resources that the area governments have used to improve the situation. It should also include an estimation of the kind and amount of assistance needed as per the Stafford Act. The Governor or Tribal Chief Executive should also certify that the area governments will adhere to the appropriate requirements on cost sharing (FEMA, n.d.).

The requirement that the governor first seeks for assistance is important since it allows for the better understanding of the review process provided by FEMA. The governor and local governments have a better understanding of the situation on the ground, and the extent to which their capabilities cannot respond to alleviate the disaster. The state and the local government sets the pace in regard to the kind of support required from the federal government. The Regional Administrator ensures that the situation as reported on the ground is real and provides the link between the federal government, state and local governments and other parties in the community (Bazan, 2005). The requirement that the request by the governor should fulfill certain conditions ensures that only the necessary programs are activated for the disaster that has occurred.  An estimation of the severity of the destruction ensures that the assistance offered to the area is sufficient and at the same time preventing any wastage or duplication of roles. The preliminary estimates of the amount of assistance needed also ensure that human needs are catered for fully and that infrastructural rehabilitation is accorded the required attention. Of great importance is the governor's and Tribal Chief Executive's assurance that the cost-sharing agreements are adhered to and this prevents any disputes or complaints.

Suggested Additional requirements

Since thee is largely no pre-defined thresh-hold in regard to the part of the cost that the federal government should cover in relation to the cost that local and state authorities can cover, the federal government should first assess the ability of these authorities to pay the cost. This would help in avoiding a declaration of disaster while the magnitude of the situation does not warrant federal government intervention. It is possible for the sitting administration to extend its financial and technical assistance in alleviating the situation including reconstruction of the damaged infrastructure whereas the state and local authorities can handle the circumstances since there is no predefined threshold of what cost the parties should cover. Moreover, the state and local authorities may also manage to handle the situation with assistance from community agencies or individuals without enlisting the federal government's assistance.  Another requirement is that the federal government should first determine the ability of the state and local authorities to carry out damage assessments in order to report the extent of damage or losses and the resources needed for recovery. This implies that the required assessment may not be completed in time to allow the governor to request the president to declare a disaster. Without such an assessment, the regional FEMA office may not be able to review and even make their recommendation to the federal government (Schmidtlein, Finch & Cutter, 2008). In such a case, the federal government should assess the situation on the ground before deciding on whether the losses will warrant a disaster declaration and thus, the financial and technical support to the affected communities.

 References

Kumar, V. (2015). An analytical study of disaster management In Jalgaon District (PERIOD 2001-2011). Lulu. com. 26-35

on Earth, D., Carlin, E., Brown, L., Benjamin, G. C., & National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2017). Prevention, Protection, and Mitigation Planning.

FEMA, (n.d.).Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act,

Public Law 93-288, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq., and Related Authorities

 

Bazan, E. B. (2005, September). Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act: Legal requirements for federal and state roles in declarations of an emergency or a major disaster. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.

Schmidtlein, M. C., Finch, C., & Cutter, S. L. (2008). Disaster declarations and major hazard occurrences in the United States. The Professional Geographer, 60(1), 1-14.