Disaster Preparedness: Emergency vs. Disaster

Emergency | Disaster | Natural Disasters | Human-caused Disasters |
Measuring Disasters / Mapping Risk | Possible Responses? |
Levels of Response: Preparedness, Policies, Plans, Resources


Emergency

  • An emergency occurs usually suddenly, at an individual / local level,
    and requires immediate professional attention:
  • e.g., Medical Emergencies: heart attack, stroke, accident
  • e.g., Home Fires
  • Your Actions: call 911
  • Responders: Local Fire, Paramedics, Police
hazard+vulnerability=risk
Questions in Risk Assessments from FEMA Course MGT-461
Evacuation Planning Strategies and Solutions

Disaster

  • Hazards are events that pose a risk to vulnerable societies.
  • Disasters are major disruptions caused by hazards.
  • A disaster affects more people than an emergency,
    often with large-scale destruction of life and property
  • Some areas of Oregon have experienced one or
    more of these natural disasters: Earthquake, Wildfire, Flood,
    Heat, Hurricane (Typhoon), Landslide, Thunderstorm, Tornado,
    Tsunami, Volcano, Winter Storm
  • Our focus here: natural disasters expected in the Rogue Valley:
    Wildfires (and Smoke), Earthquakes, Floods [sections 6-9]
  • Your Actions: keep you and family safe; get informed;
    follow your plan; rely on your own resources until other help is available.
  • Responders:
  • Local Fire, Paramedics, Police are likely overwhelmed for a significant period of time
  • logoFamily & Neighbors check on and care for each other,
    e.g., Map Your Neighborhood (MYN)
  • Trained Volunteers assist & augment local emergency personnel and city staff,
    e.g., Ashland CERT (Community Emergency Response Team), Ham radio operators
  • Regional, state and federal governmental and relief organizations provide and coordinate staff and resources,
    e.g., Rogue Valley Emergency Management (RVEM);
    Oregon Office of Emergency Management (OEM); Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA);
    note: most "Emergency" Management organizations can scale-up to handle "Disasters"
  • disaster1"Save the Earth?
    Earth will be just fine (it’s seen worse).
    It’s ourselves we have to save."
    ~Karen Grove,
    our local OLLI geologist, highlighting who's really
    harmed by climate change or natural disasters.
  • The quotes (on right) are from a presentation by James Roddy,
    Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries
    (DOGAMI) about Disaster Risks: volcanoes, tsunamis,
    and especially Cascadia earthquake
  • disaster2Each disaster label below links to description on ready.gov
  • Ashland Emergency Preparedness
    Evacuation Zone; Evacuation Levels; Get Ready; Wildfire Info; Fire Adapted Ashland;
    Chamber of Commerce Preparedness Toolkit; Smokewise Ashland; Nat. Weather Service
  • Jackson County Emergency Management
    Citizen Alert; Wildfire & Smoke; Get Ready Rogue; Jackson County Plans;
    News & Information; Resources; Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan
  • Rogue Valley Emergency Management (RVEM): Jackson & Josephine Counties
    Citizen Alert; Incident Info; Get Ready Rogue: Know Your Hazards; Preparedness Fundamentals;
    Special Considerations; Kit Types; Resources; Preparedness Calendar; Prep U
  • Other information may be included from organizations above
    CERT, OEM, DOGAMI, FEMA -- acronym overload!;
    plus Ashland Fire&Rescue (AFR), American Red Cross (ARC);
    NASA; Nat. Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin. (NOAA);
    Nat. Weather Service (NWS); US Geological Survey (USGS); ...

monthsNatural Disasters

Human-caused Disasters

CDCOther Disasters

Measuring Disasters / Mapping Risk

Possible Responses to Disasters?

preparedness, response
recovery, mitigation
Phases of Disaster Management from FEMA Course AWR-310
Natural Disaster Awareness for Community Leaders

Levels of Response: Preparedness, Policies, Plans, Resources