Essay Sample on Hurricane Emergency Management

Introduction

Emergency management has been a fast-emerging area in the past century due to rising cases of natural disasters. Whereas much has been done, particularly through training and resource allocation, each disaster presents unique challenges that required tailored approaches. Challenges arising from disasters can be fatal and catastrophic. Therefore, emergency management serves as a framework through which a community responds to each disaster's rising threats (Flynn, 2018). The efficacy of a risk management strategy relies greatly on the extent of managers' awareness of the disaster's degree of potential impact. The entire structure and human resources are led by managers who define each disaster based on disaster models. Disaster management entails a four-step information identification process that helps respond to a disaster when it occurs.

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In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey hit Harris County, Texas (Chakraborty, Collins, & Grineski, 2019). It was a Category 4 hurricane, accompanied with devastating winds and heavy rains (Chakraborty, Collins, & Grineski, 2019). The hurricane had devastating effects. In parts of Houston, almost a third of the city was wiped out by more than 50 inches of rainfall (Chakraborty et al., 2019). Houston has traditionally suffered chronic floods, leading to the establishment of resources and a level of preparedness to respond to such natural disasters. Even with its preparation, the county's communication network was greatly affected, and scores of residents were displaced and left in need of shelter. The preparedness was evident in the spontaneous responses to the impact of the disaster, leading to quick spontaneous responses even without government input.

Knowledge and Training

As a first step, emergency manager in Harris County needed proper training, experience, and knowledge of preparedness, response, mitigation, and recovery, the key aspects of emergency management. These elements characterized the response strategy, with a proper definition of the collaborations between citizen volunteers (Chambers et al., 2020). Nonetheless, the disaster presented numerous unforeseen variables, which countered the comprehensive response plan. The experiences with the disaster stress the need for adaptable disaster management strategies to guard against potential catastrophe.

Emergency Medical Services

Hurricane Harvey had devastating floods on up to 50 counties in Texas, stressing the role of emergency medical services (EMS) as part of the first response to a disaster (Flynn, 2018). A combined effort by the Harris County Emergency Corps (HCEC), Houston Fire Department (HFD), and the Montgomery County Hospital District (MCHD) defined EMS services during the disaster. MCHD was instrumental in storm preparations. A team of personnel was stationed at the facility and equipped with food and cots. The facility also hired prepositioned personnel and back staff in anticipation of damage and potential inaccessibility of the station. MCHD strategically placed equipment and trucks, and installed diesel generators in all stations in anticipation of an acute power shortage. An online Medical Command (MedCom) was established for direct medical oversight in cases requiring remote medical consultations for inaccessible areas.

While patient surge was minimal, it was challenging to safely navigate routes and access hospitals and patients. There were inconsistencies in relaying information about road closures and so a regular survey of the routes was necessary. At the HFD, the facility set aside emergency evacuation boats, particularly in traditionally flood-prone areas. The HFD also evacuated all the fire stations in these areas. All dump trucks were staffed, while medical facilities were established in all large shelters to avoid the need for transportation of patients and capitalize on the medical communication capacity (Chakraborty et al., 2019). Lastly, at the HCEC, the strategy involved the deployment of static and dynamic setups. The administrative headquarters served as the command center, while all the generators were serviced in time to ensure their proper working. The facility's logistics department ensured the proper distribution of logistics.

Human resource preparedness was a top priority for HCEC. The facility recognized that a majority of its staff lived outside the 9-1-1 response jurisdiction, and so it ensured that they were accommodated during their off-duty (Chambers et al., 2020). The facility reserved hotel rooms for the staff, while they handled extended shifts. The safety of the affected families was also prioritized. Multiple redundant systems were established to ensure easy payrolling as the disaster struck during a pay week. Manual checks were also established and most electronic forms printed in advance in anticipation of power and internet outages. Alternate care transportation was authorized for all patients. The County Sheriff's Office dispatchers were also housed by the HCEC to ensure improved communication with law enforcement.

Conclusion

Emergency operation centers communicated regularly between each other and with the major stakeholders, which improved situational awareness. Website and email reports were also established to ensure smooth transitions between on-duty and incoming staff, particularly regarding road closures (Flynn, 2018). Floods cut off and isolated several stations but the existing apparatus ensured that crews could still access the areas. Natural gas generator usage substituted the interrupted high-power generator, while the food vendors such as Walmart generously distributed food supplies to the personnel. At the EMS level success factors included adequate resources, proper team structure. Effective communication, and thorough planning. The sum of all these factors enable timely response, proper evacuations, emergency treatments, and proper coordination between the various stakeholders.

References

Chakraborty, J., Collins, T. W., & Grineski, S. E. (2019). Exploring the environmental justice implications of Hurricane Harvey flooding in Greater Houston, Texas. American journal of public health, 109(2), 244-250. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2018.304846.

Chambers, K. A., Husain, I., Chathampally, Y., Vierling, A., Cardenas-Turanzas, M., Cardenas, F., ... & Rogg, J. (2020). Impact of Hurricane Harvey on healthcare utilization and emergency department operations. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 21(3), 586.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7234707/

Flynn, S. E. (2018). Higher Ground: The Sophisticated Healthcare Response of the SouthEast Texas Regional Advisory Council to Hurricane Harvey. The Global Resilience Institute at Northeastern University/SouthEast Texas Regional Advisory Council.
https://globalresilience.northeastern.edu/app/uploads/2020/01/The-Sophisticated-Healthcare-Response-of-the-SouthEast-Texas-Regional-Advisory-Council-to-Hurricane-Harvey.pdf

Sebastian, A. G., Lendering, K. T., Kothuis, B. L. M., Brand, A. D., Jonkman, S. N., van Gelder, P. H. A. J. M., ... & Meesters, K. J. M. G. (2017). Hurricane Harvey Report: A fact-finding effort in the direct aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in the Greater Houston Region.
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:54c24519-c366-4f2f-a3b9-0807db26f69c.