so moving from case studies of the application of emergency management in a response setting

8/12/2019 So Moving From Case Studies of the Application of Emergency Management in a Response Setting

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So moving from case studies of the application of emergency management in a response setting, we're now going to

look at risk analysis, which is the basis for all emergency management.We're going to look at that in the context of

emergency management in New Zealand.First though, let's look at what risk analysis is in outline.We need to

understand the context within which risk management is going to be dealt.We need to set some criteria about how

are we going to manage the risks that we face as an organisation, as a community, or as a nation.We need to set

some goals against which we can measure the effectiveness of the risk management that we put in place.We need tothen identify the risks that are most critical to our way of life, or our way of operating, or the services that we

deliver.We then need to analyse that risk so we have a good understanding of the risk scape in general and any of the

specific risks that we need to look at in particular.We need to evaluate those risks and look at the ones that are most

critical and determine those, the areas within which treatment against them is necessary.We then need to come up

with measures to treat them.And within the emergency management context, those

01:26measures fall within risk reduction, readiness,

01:30response, and recovery.

01:32We then need to monitor and review as we go through the

01:35application of what we've developed in relation to those

01:37risks, to ensure that what we're doing is as effective as

01:40it can be, learning lessons as we go and

01:42adjusting as we need to.

01:45Within New Zealand, we've got a National Civil Defence

01:47Emergency Management Strategy which sets those

01:50goals for New Zealand.

01:52It talks about building community awareness for the

01:55risks that we face and about emergency management in

01:58general to build community understanding, enhance

02:02community preparedness, and increase community

02:05participation in emergency management in

02:08the holistic sense.

02:11Goal two is about reducing risk from hazards.

02:13The strategy identifies some particular responsibilities

02:17for organisations in New Zealand to come up with

02:19mechanisms to reduce risk over time.

02:24It then goes on in goal three to require the enhancement of

02:28capability to manage emergencies, particularly

02:32within organisations with a responsibility within the

02:35National Civil Defence Emergency Management Plan, but

02:38communities as well, and business sector involvement in

02:41emergency management as well.

02:45Goal four is about enhancing the capability to recover from02:49emergencies.

02:50So even in the National Civil Defence Emergency Management

02:52Strategy, you can see a comprehensive approach to

02:55emergency management being applied.

02:59In support of both the Civil Defence Emergency Management

03:02Strategy and the National Civil Defence Emergency

03:04Management Plan in particular and local emergency management


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03:07arrangements, New Zealand has developed a National

03:10Hazardscape, which has identified the risks that our

03:13communities face.

03:15It lists a range of hazards that are the most significant

03:19for New Zealand to take into account in risk management.

03:23The top five of those are earthquake, volcano,03:27landslide, tsunami, and coastal hazards.

03:30Floods, severe winds, snow, drought, wildfires, animal and

03:35plant disease, because of New Zealand's dependence on

03:38agriculture in particular, to human disease epidemics,

03:42infrastructure failures, major transport accidents,

03:45terrorism, and food safety.

03:47So they are the major hazards that New Zealand may have to

03:50deal with at a national level and therefore has mechanisms

03:53in place to deal with understanding those risks in

03:56more detail, reducing them, being ready for them,

04:00responding to them effectively, and then being

04:02able to recover from them subsequently.

04:06The mechanisms for response in particular are dealt with in

04:08New Zealand's Civil Defence Emergency Management Plan.

04:13The plan focuses on the aspects of emergencies,

04:17particularly large-scale emergencies, that may cause

04:21widespread public concern, that are likely to require

04:26significant resource and support of response and

04:29recovery, those events that are likely to affect more than

04:34one region so therefore are larger in scale, where new

04:39technology or processes and methods may come into account,

04:42so particularly with technological failures, things

04:46that we may not have seen coming but areas within which

04:49we've got significant dependencies.

04:52When the event may cause severe environmental impact is

04:56another area in which the National Civil Defence

04:59Emergency Management Plan has an overview.

05:02The plan looks at consequences, and it looks

05:04across the board.

05:05It looks at human consequences, economic

05:08consequences, social consequences, infrastructural

05:14and geographic factors.05:16So again, a holistic sense is applied to risk management

05:21within the National Civil Defence

05:22Emergency Management Plan.

05:24It's not just looking at restoring infrastructure.

05:27It's looking at the broader impacts on communities and the

05:30environment.

05:33At a local level, a similar approach is taken.


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05:38So the risk-based approach informs risk analysis at a

05:43local level.

05:45It informs risk reduction.

05:47And as we discussed in earlier topics, that's another

05:50legislation, particularly the Building Act and Resource

05:52Management Act in New Zealand's case where risk05:55reduction measures can be delivered.

05:59It's about improving readiness in local communities, in

06:03communities themselves and within the response

06:05organisations.

06:06It's being able to recover effectively, having an

06:08appropriate recovery structure and appointments in place

06:12ready to go when an emergency occurs.

06:14So the risk-based approach applies within the National

06:17Civil Defence Emergency Management Plan and other

06:19activities, applies at a regional level within which

06:22the higher-priority risks will be different from those at the

06:26national level, and then again at a local level, where the

06:30same approach is taken to understand the risks that

06:32local communities face and then coming up with the

06:34treatment measures against each of those.

06:36So in conclusion, risk analysis is becoming a more

06:40and more important component of emergency management.

06:45And not the least because it's an opportunity for us to be

06:47able to identify the risks that we are going to manage,

06:50the mechanisms we're going to use to manage it, and then

06:52monitor and measure their effectiveness over time.

06:56Of course we've got more lessons to learn, and we will

06:58continue to do so.

07:01So having looked at what risk analysis is, let's now turn to

07:03an example of the application of risk analysis and risk

07:07management in a context where it was applied over a

07:09significant period of time

07:11culminating in a major disaster.

07:13That case study is New Orleans.

so moving from case studies of the application of emergency management in a response setting

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