Читать книгу Disaster Response and Recovery - David A. McEntire - Страница 84

State agencies are also heavily involved in response and recovery operations (NEMA, no date). The state government is the intermediary between the federal government and local and county/parish jurisdictions. It works with numerous politicians and public servants from cities, counties and regional governments to address a whole host of issues. The state includes departments similar to those at the local and county levels, with some notable differences as well. It is an important stakeholder in emergency management.

For instance, the State Emergency Management Agency is somewhat similar to the local emergency management office. It collaborates with all other departments at the state level in addition to local, county, and federal emergency management organizations. The State Emergency Management Agency may be an independent entity, or it can be affiliated with the governor’s office or even a state homeland security agency. In fact, since 9/11, emergency management and homeland security offices have undergone several organizational transformations. Sometimes, these agencies are co‐located, while in other cases they are separate entities. At times, they may be referred to as the Division of Emergency Management, the Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Homeland Security or the Homeland Security Agency. The important point to remember is that emergency management is typically more concerned with all types of disaster issues, while homeland security is generally geared toward crime and terrorist activity.

Besides emergency management and homeland security agencies, there are many other departments that become involved in disasters at the state level. As an example, the Department of Forestry is in charge of suppressing forest fires (Figure 2‐2). It is somewhat similar to a local fire department, but it is much larger and operates in rural areas instead of cities. The Department of Forestry has large ground crews as well as air support (e.g., helicopters and tankers) to assist when wildfires occur. The Department of Public Safety or Highway Department acts much like the local police department by handling traffic control after disasters. In some states, like Texas, the state Department of Public Safety plays an important role in assessing and declaring disasters. In other cases, emergency management offices are located in the Department of Public Safety or in a Division of the Governor’s Office.

Figure 2‐2 State firefighting resources such as this helicopter will be utilized to extinguish blazes as was the case in Loveland, CO. Michael Rieger/FEMA.

In addition to these agencies, many other departments in state government participate in response and recovery operations. The Department of Transportation facilitates large‐scale evacuations and rebuilds freeways after disasters. The Health Department at the state level assists with public and mental health issues. The Housing Department addresses housing shortages made evident after disasters. The Environment Department protects the quality of natural resources such as soil and water if they are adversely affected by a hazard. The loss of crops and cattle is a priority of the state Agriculture Department. The state Department of Insurance and Department of Commerce may also become involved in disasters if there are conflicts regarding the settlement of claims or if it appears that price gouging has occurred after disasters.