ABSTRACT
All societies face geophysical, climatological, and technological events that reveal both physical and social vulnerabilities. Emergency management went about the business of planning for natural disasters that included tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods. Historically, public safety leadership, elected officials, and emergency management leaders did not deny the presence of terrorists or the potential consequences posed by catastrophic natural disasters. The issue with the 15 planning scenarios is attempting to compare natural disasters to man-caused incidents within a threat matrix. State governments have the primary responsibility for assisting local governments to respond to and recover from disasters and emergencies. The private and nonprofit sectors fulfill key roles and collaborate with communities, states, and the federal government. The Target Capabilities List (TCL) assists in matching identified capabilities to the appropriate response discipline, which is then matched to one or more of the few mission areas.
