ABSTRACT
Contents Introduction ..........................................................................................................4 Policy Formulation Process for Disaster Preparedness and Response ......................4 Historical Foundations of Emergency Response in the United States .....................5 Mutual Alliances in Contemporary Emergency Management and Response ........10 Coordination of Diverse Local Stakeholders by Public Health .............................12 Future of Mutual Alliances in Emergency Preparedness and Response .................12 Conclusion ..........................................................................................................16 References ...........................................................................................................17
Introduction e purpose of this chapter is to describe selected disasters in regions of the United States and the impact of these disasters on the development of disaster preparedness, response plans, and organizations from a historical context. From the growth of American Red Cross disaster services and the utilization of the Salvation Army in Galveston in 1900 to new federal programs after 9/11 such as the Medical Reserve Corps and Emergency Services Advanced Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals, hazard management has focused more on response and recovery. After Hurricane Katrina, both the public and private sectors in the United States shifted focus to risk reduction and building resiliency. e realization that businesses, educational institutions, civic groups, faith-based organizations, law enforcement, public health, and health-care delivery systems all have a stake and a role in disaster preparedness and response has stimulated new partnerships and models of intervention with national, state, and local government. With less reliance on federal and state response services, local regions will better be able to meet the immediate needs of the population during a disaster. Newer models of service delivery such as community-run places of distribution increase the ability of a local region to build community resistance to chaos by boosting the surge capacity of local resources. e development of new models creates changes in the ways organizations usually function in the community, as well as in regulations and policies.
