All-hazards readiness in the United States Learning to communicate and build a culture of preparedness

David Passey

Senior Representative

U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency

25 June 2008

Comparison of Weather EventsAverage Per Year

Country SevereThunderStorms

Tornadoes SevereWinterStorms

TropicalCyclones

FlashFloods

USA 10,000 1,000 10 10 1,000Australia 500 <100 0 10 100Canada 500 10 20 0 10France 100 <10 10 0 10Germany 100 <10 10 0 10UnitedKingdom

100 10 10 0 10

Japan 500 <10 10 10 50USSR 5,000 10 20 0 100China 10,000 <10 5 20 500

Disaster ResponseMost disasters are handled by Local and State governments

LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT INVOLVED IN THE RESPONSE

LOCAL STATE REGIONAL NATIONAL

NUMBER OF INCIDENTS

SEVERITY AND MAGNITUDE OF DISASTER

Emergency Support FunctionsESF 1 – Transportation

ESF 2 – Communications

ESF 3 – Public Works and Engineering

ESF 4 – Firefighting

ESF 5 – Emergency Management

ESF 6 – Mass Care, Housing, and Human Services

ESF 7 – Resource Support

ESF 8 – Public Health and Medical Services

ESF 9 – Urban Search and Rescue

ESF 10 – Oil and Hazardous Materials Response

ESF 11 – Agriculture and Natural Resources

ESF 12 – Energy

ESF 13 – Public Safety and Security

ESF 14 – Long-Term Community Recovery

ESF 15 – External Affairs

Learning to Communicate

• Interoperable equipment

• On-site cooperation

• Common language and structure

• Credentialing and typing

NRF

State & Tribal Governments

LocalGovernments

FederalGovernment

Private Sector & NGO

6

Inclusive Partnership

An effective, unified national response requires layered mutually supporting capabilities

States, Territories, and Tribal Nations have primary responsibility

Local leaders build foundation for response

Resilient communities begin with prepared individuals and families

Private sector can protect critical infrastructure, restore commercial activity and influence recovery

NGOs perform vital service missions

Federal government supports with wide array of capabilities and resources

7

On-line NRF Resource Center

http://www.fema.gov/nrf

Credentialing and typingAccepted standards and common terms

People:

• Job descriptions

• Task lists and assessments

• Personnel records

Equipment and Teams:

• Consistent terms and

functions

Creating a Culture of Preparedness

• Promote individual and family readiness

• Integrate military and civilian resources

• Conduct gap analyses and catastrophic plans

• Update public alert and warning systems

• Connect preparedness and response

Culture of Preparedness

Deliberate civilian-military planning

Catastrophic disaster plans

Gap analyses

National Exercise Program