How local governments can best prepare for natural disasters

Residents across the U.S. are recovering from record-breaking natural disasters. From Winter Storm Uri to Hurricane Idea or the dozens of tornados and hurricanes that strike each year, nearly everyone has witnessed what Mother Nature can do. The catastrophic results of such natural disasters include devastating property loss and infrastructure damage that can cost communities billions of dollars in recovery efforts. As communities brace for inevitable natural disasters while managing the ongoing global health crisis, it is critical for local and state emergency managers to have an updated emergency preparedness strategy in place. Being adequately prepared for a natural disaster reduces potential property and financial damage as well as loss of life.

A robust emergency response plan

It is prudent to start by addressing the following questions:

• What is your state or community's most significant natural threat?
• Is your area prepared to handle an emergency in the next few months?
• Do your local and state governing bodies have a strategic crisis plan in place that offers clear instructions for representatives at every level?
• Is your current disaster plan updated to include COVID-19 precautions?

A report from FEMA ranked 3,000-plus counties in the U.S. based on their susceptibility to natural disasters. The risk calculation showed that if a community experiences a large-scale catastrophe, having an adequate preparedness plan in place reduces its risk of property damage. Crisis teams need to have an updated emergency response strategy in place at all times. As seen first-hand, disasters can happen any time of the year with little to no warning.

Technology solutions

Community leaders can streamline the update process by utilizing emergency management software that allows organizations to automate workflows, organize their crisis strategy, and distribute mass notifications during an emergency. This enables stakeholders to collaborate more effectively in response to a crisis or emergency. Additionally, the platform should have a COVID-19 resource hub to track and monitor the viral disease in case the need arises to manage coronavirus response activities. The purpose of a Crisis and Emergency Management System (CEM) is to help communities during a disaster while at the same time focusing on resiliency. CEMs enable people to collaborate effectively and make quick decisions. Having a cohesive crisis management platform can help stakeholders, including nonprofits, government officials, and hospitals. The strategy should be saved to a central cloud-based platform that is easily accessible to everyone involved. Utilizing an emergency management platform makes it easier and quicker for community crisis managers to update the necessary elements in an emergency preparedness strategy. This allows local and state officials to plan the required efforts to save lives, minimize damage or loss of property, and improve the continuity of business operations. The slideshow above illustrates the elements of an effective emergency management strategy.  While collaborating with a crisis management firm on your community's plan, it is best not to ignore the potential for indirect disasters that could affect your community. There are times when natural disasters that occur in one state, township, or geographical area not only affect those citizens and government but also have a ripple effect on the economy of other locations. For example, when Texas was hit with a debilitating winter storm that left millions of residents without power and clean drinking water for days, the devastating results began affecting other parts of the country.

How one state's disaster impacted the nation

Texas is home to 30 oil refineries, making it the country's major oil producer. As noted in an article by Fortune, the largest oil refineries in North America were shuttered due to the inclement weather, raising the average gas prices to $2.50 a gallon. This brought a shock to some people's systems as the country was used to the previous year's plummeting gas prices due to the pandemic. The storm also delayed the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to some states. This natural disaster was a calamitous combination of a state's natural disaster emergency and a global health crisis banning together to wreak as much havoc as possible. This real-life example illustrates the importance of resiliency when developing an emergency strategy. Having the capability to not only handle a crisis effectively but also to be able to recover quickly, with as much grace as possible, after a natural disaster is what makes or breaks a community. A robust and well-thought-out emergency plan for a community can mean salvaging potentially billions of dollars in cleanup and recovery as well as reducing loss of life. Robert Watson is the CEO of Juvare (info@juvare.com), a leading provider of incident command and emergency preparedness technology. Watson joined Juvare after more than 35 years of experience leading multiple technology and SaaS-based companies. His vision is to strengthen and optimize information sharing in order to empower preparedness and response professionals to protect people, property and brands. Also by this contributor: Emergency response management during COVID-19