What is Emergency Management Cycle?

The Emergency Management Cycle is an open ended process. The four phases comprising the cycle begins and ends with mitigation, the on-going attempt to limited or prohibited the effects of a disaster.

MITIGATION:
Minimizing the Effects of Disaster Mitigation includes any activities that prevents an emergency, reduces the chance of an emergency happening or lessens the damaging effects of unavoidable emergencies. This is accomplished through some of the following organizations: The National Flood Insurance Program: The ederal Emergency Management !gency " EM!# offers lood $nsurance to property owners and businesses at ris% of flood damage. This damage could be to buildings, manufactured homes and other structures insurable under the &ational lood $nsurance 'rogram "& $'#. To be eligible for flood insurance a community must first be a participant in the & $' and the property owner must ma%e application to purchase the insurance through a private carrier. Local Emergency Planning Committee: This organization is made up of representatives from government, business, industry and the media.

PREPAREDNESS: Planning How to Respond In Case of a Disaster

Preparedness: includes a variety of measures aimed at insuring the community is prepared to react to any hazard that threatens the county. 'reparedness involves some of the following activities: Planning: (incoln )ounty and its political entities have adopted the official Emergency *perations 'lan "E*'#. This document, which is disseminated to all responder organizations, agencies and departments, defines policies and responsibilities concerning how to prepare for, respond to and recovery from the effects of a disaster or ma+or emergency. $ndividual organizations, agencies and departments maintain their own ,tandard *perating -uidelines.'rocedures to govern their response to an incident.

Exercises: /or%ing in concert with the various first responder agencies and departments within the +urisdiction, (incoln )ounty EM! actively see%s funding for annual tabletop, functional and full-scale e0ercises. The agency1s planner assists in designing and implementing the scenario for severe weather, hazardous material and counter-terrorism e0ercises. !n evaluation is conducted at the conclusion of the e0ercise to highlight accomplishments and needed improvement in the response. Training: ! variety of training opportunities are made available to volunteer and paid first responder organizations across the county annually. These classes are conducted in person and via distance learning. Public Education: (incoln )ounty EM! staff members ma%e numerous spea%ing appearances at civic clubs, schools and on broadcast media to inform the public on how to protect themselves from the various hazards that threaten (incoln )ounty.

RESPONSE: Efforts to Minimize the Hazards Created by an Emergency

Response is action ta%en immediately before, during and +ust after a disaster or ma+or emergency. The goal of the responder is to save lives, minimize property damage and enhance the beginning of recovery from the incident. 2ecovery is accomplished through some of the following methods: arnings: The public may receive notice of impending danger through several avenues in (incoln )ounty. !mong them are - &*!! /eather 2adio receiver, Emergency !lert ,ystem "E!,# activation over local broadcast media, cable television pre-emption and public safety channel, *utdoor /arning ,irens, and Tone !lert 2adios "T!2s#. The warning systems are activated from the Emergency *perations )enter "E*)#. E!acuation: $n rare circumstances citizens may need to be evacuated from the homes or wor% places. "heltering: The Maine )hapter of the !merican 2ed )ross is chartered by the 3.,. )ongress to wor% at the behest of EM! to provide local sheltering. 2ed )ross and EM! identify and contract for shelter sites throughout the county. *nce a re4uest for shelter activation is made by the EM! Director,

2ed )ross volunteers open the needed facility and staff it until it is no longer needed. Fire# La$ and Medical: *nce an incident occurs, dispatchers immediately send iremen, (aw Enforcement *fficers and Medical 'ersonnel to the scene. Through routine training and e0ercises, these responders are prepared for their duties. Resources: The main duty of EM! is to serve as a resource coordinator in times of crisis. The E*) maintains an up-to-date resource database listing a variety of e4uipment and personnel available to respond to a disaster.

RECOVER : Returning the Community to Normal

Reco!ery is the activity that returns infrastructural systems to minimum operating standards and guides long-term efforts designed to return life to normal or improved levels after a disaster. This is a very daunting phase of Emergency Management because it re4uires personal and community motivation. $t is achieved through the following ways: %amage &ssessment: 2ed )ross and volunteer personnel wor% with EM! to provide a 4uic%, windshield type assessment in attempt to get an initial understanding of the scope of damage. ! more detailed and in-depth door-todoor assessment is made in the days +ust after the event. %ebris Remo!al: ,torms can other type disasters can leave a great deal of debris behind. $f the debris is a threat to life or safety, public wor%s personnel may remove it from private property otherwise it is up to the property owner to get the debris removed from their property and ta%en to a public right-of-way. Depending on the size of the incident, local government will contract to have the debris removed. %econtamination: $f the incident involves a hazardous material, local government will provide facilities to decontaminate citizens, e4uipment and property that are a threat to public health and safety. %isaster &ssistance Centers: $f the incident is large enough to result in a ederal Disaster Declaration, agencies, organizations and departments on the state and federal level will man a Disaster !ssistance )enter "D!)# for a

limited time during the recovery process. !fter calling a toll free telephone number to register and receive a EM! &umber, victims will be able to go to the D!) to apply for loans and grants to assist in their recovery. Crisis Counseling: Disasters can have a profound effect on the mental health of victims and responders ali%e. $n the days after a disaster, counseling is made available for those affected by the incident.