Minimizing the Impact of a Natural Disaster - The Risk Mitigation Research Paper

Minimizing the Impact of a Natural Disaster - The Risk Mitigation Phase - Research Paper Example While FEMA and other government agencies will aid in the response and recovery phases of the disaster, the planning and initial response will largely be a function of local officials. The need for response and recovery can be greatly reduced by adequate planning and risk mitigation. The emergency planning manager will need to be highly skilled in a wide variety of disciplines to be effective. They will need intense knowledge in fields as diverse as geology, political science, and social theory. The purpose of this paper is to better prepare the disaster manager by examining the steps necessary to implement a risk mitigation program and what role it has in the planning for and responding to a natural disaster. Planning for, and responding to, a natural disaster will differ considerably from a man-made disaster. Natural disasters are somewhat predictable and foreseeable, happen based on natural patterns, and their effects can be anticipated. Typical disaster planning and response include the phases of risk assessment, mitigation, planning, response, and recovery. However, natural disasters tend to be overlooked when budgets are tight, the weather is clear, and there has not been a disaster in recent memory. The type and severity of disaster exposure will vary depending upon the geographical location and time of year. Communities may be exposed to hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, fires, volcanoes, or floods. Recent construction sites may be prone to landslides, erosion, and runoff. These threats are often neglected as "the core concept of risk arising from natural hazards is not a fundamental mode of thinking or discourse for policymaking, and in addition is greatly overshadowed nowadays by the issue of terrorism" (Basher, 2008, p.938).