EMM 450 GCU Business Law Communities Emergency Operations Assessment

Community Assessment

In a summary  discuss the assessment of the community during response and recovery efforts. Determine infrastructures affected and sheltering options provided during response efforts. Your summary must include the following:

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Hurricane Dorian and its Effects
Leonel Tappin
GCU
EMM-450
Dr. Cosgrove
8/7/22
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Hurricane Dorian and its Effects
Overview of Hurricane Dorian
Hurricanes and other forms of disasters cause significant damage since it leaves residents
in their paths vulnerable to storm effects and after effects. Hurricane Dorian is an example of a
natural disaster that affected the people of the Bahamas. Louissaint (2019) stipulates that
Hurricane Dorian raised significant havoc in the Bahamas and South Eastern part of the United
States on September 1, 2019. Hurricane Dorian comprised significant wave actions and pelting
rains that affected the people of the Abaco islands in the Bahamas. Greig et al. (2020) state that
Hurricane Dorian is the strongest hurricane affecting the Bahamas since it pulled the towering
storm onshore. The rain submerged most of the Abaco islands. Greig et al. (2020) state that the
hurricane slowed the region since it created the longest duration of exposing the population to a
hurricane.
The hurricane affected more than 17,500 Bahamians since it destroyed their fragile built
environment. Greig et al. (2020) state that the shanty towns of the Pigeon Peas and the Mudd
were the most affected regions due to the high number of unregulated structures comprising
scavenged materials such as corrugated iron sheets and plywood. The community shelter in
Marsh Harbour overflew with the locals since they had to find shelter after the destruction of
their homes by the hurricane.
The Role of Federal Government in the Disaster Recovery Efforts
The disaster emergency efforts and recovery immediately after days and weeks of
Hurricane Dorian showed the government’s positive efforts in anticipating and preparing for
disasters. The government declared Hurricane Dorian a disaster after it affected thousands of
people homeless. According to Thomas, LeGrand, and Larson (2021), the recovery efforts were
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marked with confusion and limited information in the immediate days after the disaster.
However, the federal government provided the people with appropriate support and resources for
the affected individuals in the islands. Thomas, LeGrand, and Larson (2021) state that the
inflexibility of government policies and regulations slowed government agencies due to their
desire to follow bureaucratic systems. The slowed efforts meant the public struggled to mobilize
the human and material resources necessary for effective disaster management and recovery.
The government provides additional support by sourcing volunteer groups and other
institutions to offer support to the public. According to Thomas, LeGrand, and Larson (2021),
emergent volunteer groups played a significant role in emergency responses since they organized
volunteer groups for affected communities. The federal government understood that the
volunteer groups were flexible and could be altered in high-demand environments. The
established rules and procedures do not constrain the volunteer groups’ undertaking of new tasks
and other actions (Thomas, LeGrand, & Larson, 2021). Therefore, the volunteer groups had
specific capacities for innovating and improvising responses and activities that the public sector
could not. Besides, most volunteer groups are community-based and understand the
communities, thus bridging the gaps in governmental services and other formal relief
organizations in providing necessary support.
Community Mitigation Plan
A community engagement and mitigation plan is central to disaster response and
recovery since it recognizes the importance of affected communities and is uniquely positioned
to inform prevention measures. The involved community mitigation institutions were the
Country Emergency Management and Harness Disaster Diplomacy. The community plans
tailored their responses to community needs and effectively alleviating suffering and repairing
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the effects of the hurricane. The plans helped the community alleviate the challenges and get
back to their feet since they provided people-centered approaches to strengthening resilience
developed around participatory knowledge to boost assessment tools.
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References
Greig, E., Green, B. A., Ford, H. R., Farmer, D. B., Nottage, K. M., Espinel, Z., & Shultz, J. M.
(2020). Extreme population exposure: Hurricane dorian medical response in great abaco,
bahamas. EClinicalMedicine, 20. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2020.100274
Louissaint, N. A. (2019). Hurricane dorian and disaster response in the face of constant threats.
Disaster medicine and public health preparedness, 13(5-6), 1090-1091.
doi:https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2019.137
Thomas, A., LeGrand, C., & Larson, S. H. (2021). Emergency Response to Hurricane Dorian:
Emergent Volunteer Groups and Public-Private Partnerships. International Journal of
Bahamian Studies, 27, 93-104. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.15362/ijbs.v27i1.417
EMM-450: Critical Infrastructure Assessment
Structure or Service
Damage Assessment
Recovery Efforts
Challenges
Identify structure of services affected by
the disaster. Prioritize based on extent of
damage and importance to the
community in order to recovery and
maintain the economy.
Determine the extent of damage to the
structure of service. This includes the
accessibility and safety of the structure of
service.
What steps did the community or
government take to ensure the recovery
of the structure or service? Why was it
important to the community to resume
function of this particular structure or
service?
Did the community face challenges during
their recovery efforts? This includes
financially, emotionally, and physically.
© 2019. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.
© 2019. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.