Emergency management

Emergency Management The main purpose of the assigned reading is to introduce the audience to the fundamentals of emergency. In achieving this, the reading seeks to derive significant understanding on the concepts, fundamentals, emergency management functions, organizations, and activities that define emergency management. Indeed, the assigned reading aims at describing the key components of an emergency management program, the roles of different stakeholders in emergency management, and the impact of emergency management in the society (FEMA, 2011). Ideally, the author is trying to enhance our understanding of how the emergency management system works and how our agency fits into the network, which will help us to function effectively and apply our knowledge on emergency management. The author seeks to present an integrated emergency management system that we can adopt (FEMA, 2011). In doing so, the reading uses key concepts that include emergency, emergency management, hazard, and threat to support the author’s reasoning.
The emergency concept refers to any incident, whether natural or manmade, that requires responsive action to protect life or property (FEMA, 2011). Indeed, an emergency entails a natural or artificial disaster that requires a collaborative response from the government agencies, individuals, and organizations using the available resources within the shortest possible with an aim of saving lives and protecting the destruction of property. The recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa is an example of an emergency concept. Indeed, the fact that the United Nations and Western African countries have called for a coordinated global approach towards containing the Ebola outbreak defines the emergency concept. The reading raised the questions listed below.
What are the major and minor causes of emergencies in the modern world?
What are the ethical practices and standards that govern emergency management?
What are the impacts of technological innovations in designing and implementing emergency management programs?
What are the resources required for an effective emergency management program?
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is a current event that defines emergency management. CNN published the current event titled, “ WHO: Ebola outbreak in West Africa an international health emergency” on Fri August 8, 2014 (Karimi & Gigova, 2014). The article states that global health experts like WHO declared Ebola outbreak in West Africa as an international health emergency that requires a coordinated global approach (Karimi & Gigova, 2014). The outbreak is affecting Nigeria, Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone. The outbreak requires emergency management because of the eminent effects of the disease, the prevalence of the disease, and the inability of the affected nations to contain the outbreak. The outbreak has killed 961 people by August 8, 2014 and the Liberian President has admitted the inability of the country’s health care system to address the fast-spreading disease (Karimi & Gigova, 2014).
The event relates to emergency management as WHO responds to the call for a coordinated international response by assigning about 700 staff to respond to the crisis while the Liberian President has declared a 90-day state of emergency to allow the government to design effective mechanisms to address the outbreak (Karimi & Gigova, 2014). The article notes that bogus information has been fostering the rapid spread of the disease while WHO reckons that the disease is containable. Ebola virus causes hemorrhagic fever and its symptoms include weakness, muscle pain, headaches, sore throat, and internal and external bleeding in advanced cases (Karimi & Gigova, 2014). The article asserts that the disease spreads through contact with organs and bodily fluids such as blood, saliva, urine and other secretions of infected people (Karimi & Gigova, 2014). Ebola has no cure and America has ordered its citizens to leave West Africa.
References
FEMA. (2011). Fundamentals of Emergency Management. Retrieved from: http://writer. academia-research. com/filecache/instr/4/5/1124084_45926038_is230bcourse_2. pdf
Karimi, F, & Gigova, R. (2014). WHO: Ebola outbreak in West Africa an international health emergency. Retrieved from: http://www. cnn. com/2014/08/08/health/ebola-outbreak/