Socio-Psychological Nature of Emergency Management

Started by James Shaw, January 08, 2018, 02:37:33 AM

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

James Shaw

I will be teaching a class next term as the Subject Title describes. Keeping that in mind what do you first think about the impact of a disasters from three different perspectives. What is the 1st thing that pops up in your mind?

1) People (Impacts to society as a whole or individual category of people).
2) Process (Is the process of mitigation and preparedness easier for some communities and not for others?)
3) Environment (If the spirit of response is to help then how about the spirit of preparation?)

There are no wrong answers but just sparking a conversation.
Jim Shaw
USN: 1987-1992
GANG: 1996-1998
CAP:2000 - Current
USCGA:2018 - Current
SGAUS: 2017 - Current

CAPLTC

Do you have a lesson plan?
I'd discuss the concept of social vulnerability.
I'd look at post-impact behavior of individuals and organizations after a disaster.
I'd look at how disasters drive social change.
"Find the enemy that wants to end this experiment (in American democracy) and kill every one of them until they're so sick of the killing that they leave us and our freedoms intact." -- SECDEF Mattis

etodd

Quote

1) People (Impacts to society as a whole or individual category of people).

How do people 'perceive' emergency management?  Unfortunately we are at the mercy of the national media. No matter how wonderfully written and detailed the press releases are from our PAOs ... the media will add their own slant. Such has been the case in Puerto Rico, where ship loads of supplies were left sitting in the port as the port's union workers and public officials waited for palms to be greased before unloading. Much of it grinding to a halt. yet the media acted if no supplies were sent, since officials there didn't show them.

Quote
2) Process (Is the process of mitigation and preparedness easier for some communities and not for others?)

Well, if your town is at the base of a large dam holding back flood waters, its hard to be totally prepared for that. Just as it is for Gulf Coast areas that get wiped out by Hurricanes.

Quote

3) Environment (If the spirit of response is to help then how about the spirit of preparation?)

Preparation for what? For rebuilding?  Or for having the funds to build a hurricane proof home? (few can afford it).
"Don't try to explain it, just bow your head
Breathe in, breathe out, move on ..."

Live2Learn

Etodd's comments are in line with my observations during a long career where I both did some stratosphere level emergency planning, and some 'in the weeds' response. 

Mitigating emergencies is tough when the people who would be most affected by forseeable disasters may lack basic understanding of risks and hazards.  Media does them (and other members of society) few faors by simplifying situations using market driven story telling.  California's recent "'disasterous" fire events are a case in point.  Who in their right mind would build a home in the middle of an ammo dump?  That's what a whole lot of California's polpulation has done.  The beautiful vegetation surounding many of their homes is filled with highly flamable oils.  Local politics and the grim realities imposed by limited budgets plus marginal ability of the local airsheds to absorb maintence generated smoke combines to mean effective fuel treatments are impossible to implement.  Land use, population growth, human occupancy of lands that historic records tell us used to experience periodic flooding, occasional volcanism, hurricanse, etc. plus human incompetence and averice argue against meaningful mitigation, as well as dooming pre-planning efforts to relevancy for only minor events.  Speaking, of course, as the optimist I know I am.  :)


James Shaw

Quote from: CAPLTC on January 08, 2018, 02:42:44 AM
Do you have a lesson plan?

Yes I do. The school supplies us with the lesson plan for the class as well as the books that are used. We get the opportunity to populate questions of our own for discussions related to the individual chapters.
Jim Shaw
USN: 1987-1992
GANG: 1996-1998
CAP:2000 - Current
USCGA:2018 - Current
SGAUS: 2017 - Current