Free Essay - A Comprehensive Disaster Recovery Plan

Globally, the number of disasters is rapidly on the rise and thus becoming a significant concern. The catastrophes have caused massive destruction and hence led to many losses. Disaster assessment does not only entail focusing on how much harm has been created, but the communities' response to the disaster is also a factor. In this document, various plans for recovery from an accident and measures that are involved in curbing these disasters.

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The research evaluates ways in which various communities are affected by disaster and stipulation ways in which a society can recover from such a disaster. In an attempt to create a disaster recovery health plan, it is necessary to take in consideration various aspects of the community that may directly affect the implementation of the program (Mansouri et al., 2015). Among the significant factors to consider is the socio-economic aspect of the community. Different community characteristics influence the levels of readiness to counter a disaster.

Communities that tend to recover slowly following a disaster or an attack may be due to a lack of available resources to counter the failure. Other cities with efficient financial capital and the capability of social influence seem to recover almost immediately after a disaster has struck them. However, the communities with financial capabilities have shown disparities in recovering from a catastrophe following their managerial skills and the forefront leadership in handling the matters.

In the Villa case of disaster, there was a derailment of a train oil tanker that caused an explosion which set the place ablaze. The catastrophic event led to six people dying and some other few casualties with an estimated 200 people having been hospitalized. Thus, the catastrophe led to various pollution, for example, for people who lived around the area the water was polluted, and some houses were even tampered with. The disaster also saw communication systems tampered with, the police and were challenged.

The villa disaster recovery plan

The villa community needed a well-established system of communications, for instance. The respondents of both the police and the fire brigade communication systems were ineffective in conveying information quickly. This case scenario paints a picture of a limitation in communication avenues in the event of a disaster. Thus, the first recovery plan would be to establish proper and effective communication systems so that information is conveyed in a fast and efficient manner. Also, the fire-responsive unit of the villa city was overwhelmed by the occurrences, and thus they took time to respond to the incident, which may have led to the worsening of the event. The episode at the villa depicts what could happen if disaster management is not considered.

Catastrophes such as the case in the villa could be approached in two detailed approaches; one being that of command and control that is in this approach it requires of the government’s level of preparedness and alertness to at maximum to curb disaster scenarios (Kalkman & de Waard, 2017). The second approach is that every individual is typically responsible in every disaster scenario. In this second approach, response based on a hierarchy that the most authoritative person has a role to play in the overall management of the disaster. Research has shown the second approach being more effective than the first approach that responses of such disasters should be of a decentralized origin rather than a centralized one. The research shows that the planned response from the government, for instance, appears to be a novel one and is unlikely to work since a disaster is such an unplanned for occurrence.

The managerial aspects of a disaster should support by all means strategies laid for disaster response activities. Diversity in organizations and community sectors are significant indicators of well-established systems. Establishment of new organizations, for example, in the villa city which had new plan tools that enhanced fast and efficient communication during a disaster.

The MAP-IT approach

MAP-IT is basically an approach that can be handy in organizing and evaluating plans such as disaster recovery plans. MAP-IT (mobilize, Assess, plan implement, track) is multiple steps plan that is mostly used to bring out the desired changes that are required (Huang & Xiao, 2015). The plan is not necessarily followed strategically. This approach is used hereby it involved multiple stakeholders and also a societal effort.

Mobilize

Mobilization is the very initial step in MAP-IT where it involves mobilization of organizations and the key individuals. The Villa community should have organizations and some personalities that typically who may convene and lay strategies of curbing disasters such as the train tragic incident that had occurred in the recent past. Such a group of individuals and organizations will generate a pool of resources that will help in a very smooth resolution of resource and facilities required during a disaster.

Assess

In this step, basically, it assesses what the community needs are and thus providing what is really required or things that can be done to resolve the issues in the underlying circumstances. In the Villa city, they really had an issue of communication systems of the police and fire fighter’s communication radios. In determining the priorities, comprehensively effective communication could be very key.

Plan

When the priorities views are put into consideration, and extensive data has been gathered. Effective strategies are laid vision is used with a clear objective so as to accomplish the stipulated strategies (Kalkman & de Waard, 2017). A plan should include a feasible timeline, action steps and information collection. In the case of the Villa city in the aim of establishing better plans for good affirmative action in taking precaution for such future disasters. The various organizations and key individuals should include a plan with a feasible timeline, action steps and information collection of the recent encounter of the tragic incident, in this Villa incident for example plan for a better communication system of the radios used by the teams in the frontline of managing the disaster such the police, firefighters and the health practitioners in readiness of reception of the casualties.

Implement

After a successful establishment of a clear plan, the organization members and the various individuals should convene and begin summing up their various efforts in curbing the various issues and for instance, installing new communication gadgets in the frontline responsive authorities and also recruiting more health care workers in order to ensure that if there any casualties in tragedy they are attended on time. The readiness of the health care workers will ensure the least numbers of casualties who succumb to tragedies and more recoveries from the same.

Tracking

It’s the final phase of MAP-IT that ensures the plans stipulated are evaluated, and hence progress over time is monitored. This step helps to look into the long-term accomplishments due to the laid strategies. Thus, the whole plan helps in enabling an effective plan that will ultimately help in improving responsiveness to any future encounters.

Recovery plan in Valley City

In an attempt of solving any future disasters in the city, there was an urgent need for reviewing the city disaster management plan (Davis & Alexander, 2015). According to the city officials, they claimed that the plan was about ten years old to be effective in the recent tragedy that was encountered. Also, other directly involved agencies should review their disaster management plans; For instance, the Valley district regional hospital which was involved directly should also review their plans.

The communication radios or even the communication systems should be reviewed for the effectiveness of communication for the front liners in the disaster management like the police, firefighters and also for the healthcare workers (Partridge et al., 2015). However, there was a slow response in the disaster management that a quicker means of handling the tragedy was needed. Also, post-tragedy cancellation services were also required for the victims of the tragedy. Counselling could be availed to both those who are directly affected like around the 200 victims and the families of those who succumbed, and also those who were around when the tragedy happened.

In summary, disaster management and recovery plans are so relevant in controlling any tragedies major establishment of the MAP-IT approach can come in handy in resolving some problems, for example, like in the valley city situation. Thus, a relevant and updated recovery plan is very necessary for all institution involved directly in handling such incidences.

References

Davis, I., & Alexander, D. (2015). Recovery from disaster. Routledge.

Huang, Q., & Xiao, Y. (2015). Geographic situational awareness: mining tweets for disaster preparedness, emergency response, impact, and recovery. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 4(3), 1549-1568.

Kalkman, J. P., & de Waard, E. J. (2017). Inter-organizational disaster management projects: Finding the middle way between trust and control. International Journal of Project Management, 35(5), 889-899.

Sahebjamnia, N., Torabi, S. A., & Mansouri, S. A. (2015). Integrated business continuity and disaster recovery planning: Towards organizational resilience. European Journal of Operational Research, 242(1), 261-273.

Towstopiat, O., Sullivan, R., Cunningham, H. A., & Partridge, B. (2015). U.S. Patent No. 9,098,457. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.