Imagining our Destruction
They walk amongst us unseen. No uniforms. No badges. On the outside they appear normal. Yet, they envision the most nightmarish of horrors befalling their neighborhoods. They lay awake at night contemplating actions that would make the blood of the average person run cold. They are capable of imagining the destruction of hundreds, thousands, even millions of Americans.
Who are these plotters against the Nation’s security, our safety and wellbeing? Are they freaks from our most terrifying nightmare? Terrorists hiding in shadowy corners? Are they like Marvel Comic’s villains poised against their iconic Super Heroes? The answer is no!
They are heroes, but without the super powers and glamour. They are emergency managers and belong to probably the least understood of all the professions dedicated to protecting our homeland security. Which is surprising since the discipline is recognized as having begun in the United States in 1803 when Congress passed an act to provide financial assistance in response to the Portsmouth, New Hampshire Fire. Disaster loans for repair and reconstruction of public facilities and efforts to reduce flooding impacts began in the 1930’s. During the Cold War years of the 1950’s Civil Defense programs were initiated to protect and prepare Americans for nuclear war and radioactive fallout. In 1961, the Office of Emergency Management was created by the Kennedy Administration to handle natural disasters and in 1978 the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was created. Existing agencies and/or programs related to emergency management functions for natural or human-caused disasters were rolled into this new agency. Following the terrorist attacks on 9/11, the Bush Administration created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and FEMA was one of the twenty-two agencies that became part of this newly formed department.
Despite this long history of safeguarding the lives and property of the American people, many still question the role of Emergency Managers in homeland security, and more generally, in public safety. These questions abide despite DHS’s definition of homeland security as “a concerted national effort to ensure a homeland that is safe, secure, and resilient against terrorism and other hazards where American interests, aspirations, and way of life can thrive.” Since I am an Emergency Manager, let me point out what we do. Then you can decide whether or not our role has anything to do with ensuring a safe, secure and resilient homeland where American interests, aspirations and way of life thrives.
Emergency Managers primarily:
· Identify natural and human-caused hazards that pose a threat to their communities;
· Develop plans for how the community can best prepare for, mitigate against, respond to, and recover from these identified hazards;
· Educate the public on preparedness activities to reduce the impact of disasters on their lives and increase their chances of survival;
· Implement response and recovery plans during an emergency/disaster;
· Provide pre-disaster training and exercises to prepare their communities for emergency/disaster response and recovery;
· Compete for funding and resources on behalf of their communities in an environment of ever decreasing resources;
· Coordinate the distribution of federal grants for training and equipping first responders;
· Obtain, coordinate and manage federal funds for disaster recovery efforts;
· Promote the passage of ordinances to limit building in hazard-prone areas, and disaster resistant building practices;
· Develop and maintain relationships with groups that have resources to assist their communities in times of disasters — faith-based and volunteer organizations, private sector partners, and civic groups;
· Operate emergency operations centers to anticipate response needs and finding ways to meet those needs for the responders;
· Keep politicians, media, and the public informed on emergency/disaster information before, during and after an event; and
· All other duties as needed.
The Center for American Progress reported that over $136 billion of federal funding was expended on disaster relief and recovery from natural disasters between 2011 and 2013. This does not include state or local expenditures. The bulk of this would have been managed by emergency managers.
Statistics show that the number of billion dollar extreme weather events are increasing in frequency. If we can assume higher costs relate to greater damages, the role of emergency managers in preparedness efforts takes on greater meaning.
Emergency Managers operate in an environment where, if everything goes right, someone else gets the credit. If it goes horribly wrong, they get the blame. There are no statistics that can evaluate the true worth of what they contribute to the continuation of American interests, aspirations or way of life, yet, they continue to perform their tasks. Why? Because the reward of reducing the impact of disasters and helping to re-build their communities stronger and more resilient than before, more often than not, is simply enough.
If none of this contributes to maintaining our Nation’s homeland security, then tell me what does!
