FSU Tornado Emergency Response Planning Example
Disasters such as tornados have adverse effects on populations, environmental health, and infrastructure. The involved stakeholders in disaster response and management should be proactively involved in the adoption of effective interventions to minimize disaster impacts on the population and infrastructure. Robust communication channels should also be adopted to increase population awareness. Therefore, this paper explores tornado emergency response planning in Sentinel City.
Potential Public Health Effects
The potential public health effects of a tornado on Sentinel City are varied. They include loss of lives, injuries, and displacement of the population. The affected populations will also be predisposed to waterborne diseases if they do not have access to clean water (Sutton et al., 2021). They may also suffer from difficulties in accessing the healthcare they need and healthy diets.
Infrastructure Damage and Environmental Hazards
The tornado will also damage the infrastructure in Sentinel City. The destroyed infrastructure will include water purifying facilities, waste disposal systems, natural gas leakage, and potential collapse or weakening of tall buildings. The tornado also increases the risk of road damage and destruction of telephone lines in the area affecting communication (Walters et al., 2020). The environmental hazards attributed to the tornado will include environmental pollution, fires, and the destruction of productive lands.
Members and Roles of Emergency Management Team and Organizations
The members of the emergency team that will be activated in response to the disaster are varied. They will include the fire department, emergency medical services, electrical company units, construction department, police, local disaster response team, and health department. The fire department will respond and contain any fire incidents in the region. The emergency medical services will respond to any distress calls and rescue missions for the populations injured due to the disaster. They will also provide first aid and move the injured populations to the nearby hospitals for treatment. The electrical company units will work to restore electricity in areas experiencing outages due to the disruption of power lines. The construction department will restore public drainage systems and gas leakages that may arise from the disaster. The police will work with the different agencies involved in disaster response to create community awareness and provide rescue to the affected. The health department will provide emergency care and treatment for the injured people during the disaster.
Risks and Benefits of Social Media Responses
One of the benefits of social media responses during the disaster is the extensive reach to the target communities. Social media
provides the fastest approach to creating massive awareness about the disaster in the city. The other benefit is its efficiency in relaying information about the disaster. However, social media responses can create panic in the city. Inaccurate information may be passed to the city residents about the disaster, causing significant panic. The other risk is that residents may find it hard to determine the reliability and accuracy of information passed through the social media pages (Lovari & Bowen, 2020). Individuals may present opposing views about the disaster, thereby, affecting recovery efforts.
Considerations for each Phase of Emergency Management
The selected department is the emergency department of a hospital. The mitigation efforts during the disaster will include resource allocation, triaging patients, and allocating staff roles and responsibilities. The activities in the preparedness phase will include ensuring the adequacy of medical supplies and simulating staff response to the disaster. The activities in the response sage will include coordinating resource utilization, staff response initiatives, and providing emergency treatment to the affected patients. The activities in the recovery stage would include debriefing staff about the response efforts, re-building the community, and following up with patients.
Communication Messages for Social Media
- The city center is severely hit by the tornado. Avoid it, as it possess a significant risk to the population.
- Ensure your house is tightly locked and secure to prevent harm from the strong winds.
- The emergency response team has been dispatched to Casper Park, kindly call the emergency number if affected and need medical assistance.
Addressing Family Members or Media
One of the ways of addressing media is by assigning a staff to address their concerns. The staff will inform the media, families, and city residents about the progress of the response initiatives and the severity of the disaster. The other approach will be assigning social workers and volunteers to provide the emotional and psychological support that the families need. Interpreters will be hired to assist in eliminating communication barriers.
Overall, tornados have adverse effects on the population and infrastructure. Emergency teams and organizations are important in minimizing the effects of the disaster on the population. Social media may be an effective platform to communicate issues related to the disaster to the population. Effective strategies for addressing media and family members should be adopted during the disaster response.
References
Lovari, A., & Bowen, S. A. (2020). Social media in disaster communication: A case study of strategies, barriers, and ethical implications. Journal of Public Affairs, 20(1), e1967. https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1967
Sutton, J., Fischer, L., & Wood, M. M. (2021). Tornado Warning Guidance and Graphics: Implications of the Inclusion of Protective Action Information on Perceptions and Efficacy. Weather, Climate, and Society, 13(4), 1003–1014. https://doi.org/10.1175/WCAS-D-21-0097.1
Walters, J. E., Mason, L. R., Ellis, K., & Winchester, B. (2020). Staying Safe in a Tornado: A Qualitative Inquiry into Public Knowledge, Access, and Response to Tornado Warnings. Weather and Forecasting, 35(1), 67–81. https://doi.org/10.1175/WAF-D-19-0090.1.35.1.test