Disaster management is one of the government’s responsibilities. The role is crucial to reduce the risks and negative impacts post-disaster, which usually harm many people’s lives. How can the government help in natural disasters? Here is the breakdown of the government’s roles in this management.
Breakdown of How Can The Government Help in Natural Disasters
Disaster Mitigation
The first role of the government is preparing for mitigation. It includes disaster assessment to know the level of risk that may happen to a particular area. This assessment has many things to review, such as natural and man-made hazards. After that, they have to create the regulation and policy.
What to include in the regulations and policies? The government should create the standards, especially for buildings and other infrastructure. They should be as resistant as possible, so the aftermath of disaster will not be that bad. Emergency efforts can be reached easily.
Public awareness is also included in the efforts of how can the government help in natural disasters. The government should educate the public and communities about the hazard, so they know how to protect themselves when it happens. The number of casualties may be lower than without this action.
Preparedness with Planning
The first plan that the government should prioritize is emergency response plans. The government cannot work alone. There are many resources needed, and one of them is the agencies that are related to disaster management. One type of disaster may need different agencies.
People who are in emergency rescue must be well-trained and know which part to prioritize to save during a critical situation. They should get proper training. Besides the emergency team, it is required for the general public, officials, and other emergency responders.
Another thing in the preparedness is creating an early warning system. This is a system to warn communities and the public in general who might get affected because of the upcoming disasters. The EWS works by sending a warning message and emergency action, so people can evacuate themselves.
Emergency Response
It is required when a disaster occurs in a particular area. The government should work fast to coordinate with other responders who can work fast, such as the military, police, medical personnel, and fire services. Other responders may follow after that, after seeing the severity of the destruction.
After sending the responders, the government should ensure that the distribution of relief is well done. There are many basic needs to spread, such as clean water, food, medicine, and some clothes. Setting up the temporary shelters is important too for those who are displaced from their home.
When the case of disaster has a high severity level, the government should announce the development of the crisis to the masses through public platforms. This public communication is an action to reach more people, so they are well-informed, aware, and willing to help the people in the affected area.
Recovery
This is the stage of how can the government help in natural disasters, where the government should have a damage assessment to see the scale of destruction in the area. After that, they can decide which ones are the priorities to fix. It ensures that the resources can be used effectively during this crisis.
The government is responsible for rebuilding the infrastructure. There are many things to prioritize in this recovery, such as the hospital, school, roads, power lines, and bridge. After that, they can find a way to help people who are displaced to go back to their place safely, including rebuilding their house.
Long-term management
The government should not stop its action because they have to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the efforts. It is crucial because they have to improve the solutions and strategies that may not work because of the level of disaster.
They also should maintain the relationship with the agencies and communities who can help during the previous disaster. This cooperation means a lot because the government cannot work alone with some limited resources.
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