Preparing for disasters is most effective when emergency management is
part of the everyday government process. The perfect time to plan for a
disaster, is before it occurs. By planning before hand, we have an
opportunity to take all the time necessary to determine what "could go
wrong" and set down several contingency plans.
Planning for the emergency is not the sole responsibility of D.E.S. , it
requires the partnership of all emergency management personnel in order
to effectively prevent, respond and recover from disasters.
Multi-Hazard
Mitigation plan 2016
There are four distinct phases of emergency
management
Preparedness: is undertaken before a disaster occurs in
order to build emergency management capacity.
Response: activities provide emergency assistance to
save lives, preserve property, and protect the environment.
Recovery: Is the process of returning systems to normal
levels, such as replacing a bridge that was washed away by flooding. or
restoring a water system that was inundated by flood waters. Some
activities can be accomplished in a short time, while others take years.
Mitigation: Activities normally occur before an
emergency or disaster. or directly on the heels of a disaster. Such
activities include building dikes. adopting a flood plain and zoning
regulations. The primary purpose of mitigation is to eliminate or reduce
the probability of a disaster, which will
include action to postpone, dissipate, or lessen the effects of any
disaster.