NCJ Number
199502
Date Published
2003
Length
52 pages
Annotation
This book, designed for service provider agencies, offers instructions for creating a disaster preparedness plan for the most common disasters.
Abstract
The book first presents the five steps necessary to creating an effective disaster preparedness plan: (1) the plan must be in writing; (2) it must be comprehensive; (3) it must identify objects; (4) it must designate responsibility and authority; and (5) it must include a schedule for periodic audits and drills. The book next discusses the various disaster teams that must be in place before a disaster strikes. An agency should appoint a Disaster Coordinator, a Disaster Management Team, a Support Team, an Operations Team, a Computer Operations Team, and a Transportation Team. The roles and responsibilities of each team are outlined. Next, the guide focuses on the “Three R’s” of emergency response: readiness, response, and recovery. The remainder of the book outlines particular disasters and how to prepare for them using the “Three R’s.” The book outlines disaster preparedness plans for floods and flash floods, tornadoes and thunderstorms, structural fires, landslides and mudflows, winter storms and cold weather, tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes, forest fires and wildfires, droughts and extreme heat, and volcanoes. The appendices offer various tools to help an agency design its own disaster preparedness plan, such as a threat survey, a disaster preparedness questionnaire, and sample checklists for floods, hurricanes, cold weather, and telephone bomb threats.