The National Response Framework and the All-Hazards Approach

Evolving of National Response Framework

Every hazardous situation places the nation and its residents at significant risk and disadvantage in accessing vital resources. To bridge the gap between national needs and disaster complications, national governments establish flexible, proactive frameworks that allow various institutions to intervene early during a hazard (Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA], 2019). Furthermore, to secure maximum efficiency in disaster response, institutions seek allies in either the private sector or the public sector of neighboring nations, creating coalitions such as the Canada-United States action plan for critical infrastructure (U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Public Safety Canada, 2010). The evolvement of such a response framework is crucial for the relevant and timely response to a situation.

For example, a recent hurricane Maria that hit Puerto Rico in 2017 was declared a national disaster three days after the first strike, allowing the government to secure a rapid response and allocation of relief supplies (FEMA, 2021). In addition, the research indicates that the current trends in climate change and rising sea levels directly affect the hurricanes’ destructive potential (Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory [GFDL], 2021). Thus, the response frameworks must evolve to increase flexibility and a proactive attitude to risk mitigation.

Public-Private Partnerships

While public institutions are commonly accepted as significant actors in disaster response, it would be unproductive to assume that the resources managed by the government are sufficient to address all the national hazards. Thus, to secure the most efficient ways to support residents during a disaster, public institutions are willing to cooperate with the private sector and pool their resources in communication, personnel, and expertise (Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency [CISA], 2015).

For example, as far as communications are concerned, it is a common practice for the Executive Office of the President (EOP) to collaborate with the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC), which unities approximately 30 CEOs of IT and network service providers to ensure proper tile- and online communication at the time of crisis (CISA, 2015). Some of the major drawbacks of such collaboration concern the unequal allocation of power across the sectors (Saad et al., 2021). However, even when facing hardships during the cooperation, the outcomes for the national welfare significantly outweigh the challenges.

References

Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency [CISA]. (2015). Communications sector – specific plan: An annex to the NIPP 2013. Web.

Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA]. (2019). National response framework (4th ed.). Web.

Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA]. (2021). Puerto Rico hurricane Maria. Web.

Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory [GFDL]. (2021). Global warming and hurricanes. Web.

Saad, S. K., Elshaer, I. A., & Ghanem, M. (2021). Relational risk and public-private partnership performance: An institutional perspective. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 20. Web.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Public Safety Canada. (2010). The Canada-United States action plan for critical infrastructure. Web.