Preparedness Policy Implementation

Among the four phases of the disaster management cycle (mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery), the preparedness phase focuses on planning how to respond for a disaster event. During this phase, governments, organizations, and individuals develop plans to save lives, minimize disaster damage, and strengthen disaster response operations. Preparedness measures include preparedness plans, emergency exercises/training, hazard warning systems, emergency communications systems, evacuation plans and training, resource inventories, emergency personnel/contact lists, mutual aid agreements, and public information/education. The goal of these preparedness measures is to achieve a satisfactory level of readiness to respond to a disaster through programs that enhance the technical and managerial capacity of governments, organizations, and communities. However, effectiveness of preparedness measures depend on the incorporation of appropriate measures in national and regional development plans, the availability of information on hazards and disaster risks, the countermeasures to be taken, and on the degree to which organizations and community are able to make use of this information. Thus, it is important that necessary policies for preparedness be in place in order to establish the basis to any type of disaster preparedness activity at local, national, regional, and international levels, and regulate the actions.

Comprehensive policies, which clearly define the objectives and commitment of international community, national and local governments, institutions, and local communities toward disaster management measures, are important to create less chaotic situations and to identify gaps. These policies can come in the form of legislation, policy guidelines, promulgated plans, or protocols. The primary aim of implementing disaster preparedness policies is to bring improved relief to the disaster victims through creating less chaotic situations and easier estimation of disaster risks and vulnerabilities. A policy can be implemented with the following objectives:

• Emphasize preparedness as the most effective way of reducing the impact of disasters
• Integrate preparedness measures with the regular activities of organizations and communities
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• Link preparedness measures with the measures in other phases of the disaster management cycle, and development activities
• Define roles and responsibilities of different parties and persons toward preparedness measures
• Formulate necessary institutions and structures for the implementation of preparedness measures and assign various duties in relation to preparedness measures
• Prepare organizations and communities for preparedness measures
• Raise awareness and inform about preparedness
• Educate and train for preparedness activities
• Provide the financial, material, and human resources required to carry out disaster preparedness activities
• Improve the capacity of vulnerable communities to cope with disasters through community-based disaster preparedness strategies.

Although the main aim of preparedness activities is planning how to respond for a disaster, preparedness is not only about actions taken before and during a disaster, but also about investigating the strategies to deal with the aftermath of a disaster. Thus, the policies for preparedness need to be comprehensive enough to address both issues.

Usually a country will have a national-level policy for disaster preparedness, which is implemented with the support of government institutions, local governments, private sector organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and the local community. However, other organizations also may have their own disaster preparedness policies. Thus, a proper coordination between national-level policy and other actors should be in place in order to implement the policies effectively and to meet the expected outcomes. Further, organizations within the international community, such as aid organizations and funding bodies, have their own preparedness policies in implementation. Cohesiveness of all these policies helps to prepare the world for disasters in a more orderly manner. In addition, successful implementation of preparedness policies relies heavily on the following factors: A comprehensive background study prior to policy development leads to creating a policy that is more practical and applicable to the targeted context. Knowledge about hazards and vulnerabilities of the focused geographical area may significantly help to develop preparedness policies that can be implemented successfully. Further, experience with similar disasters can facilitate the development of policies that are more successful in implementation. A policy's ability to equally address the needs and concerns of different social groups is also important in this context. Thus, these different needs and concerns are required to be studied carefully prior to policy development. In addition, a preparedness policy should be cohesive with any other disaster management policies in order to be effective. Hence, a thorough understanding about the other available policies and plans for disaster management is important in developing a policy.

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