This three-phased approach can prevent many usual emergency situations, reduce the impact of actual disasters and speed return to normal.

Leadership

2) Disasters such as Hurricane Katrina reinforced miscommunication that occurs when a dedicated incident management system based on the Incident Command System (ICS), is not used throughout the event. Barko (2005) states that National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) recognize that a well-planned and effective emergency response is not completely dependent on the cause, such as natural disasters vs. terrorism, but rather on all-hazards principles of span of control and operational designation of leadership for operations, planning, logistics and finance. A concise, mutual understanding of operational leadership and responsibilities permits integration of different assets to combine in a seamless response package that can save lives, protect property and mitigate additional damage. Implementation steps of a NIMS consist of: Incorporate NIMS into existing training programs and exercises; Ensure that federal preparedness...
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