Local Emergency Management Agencies Research Articles

Disaster debris management and the Maine floods of December 2023

A major disaster declaration was granted to designated areas in Maine for a severe flood that occurred in December of 2023. The purpose of this research is to examine the disaster debris management in the preparedness, response, and recovery phases of the flood. A purposive sample of emergency management personnel who worked with the debris management participated in structured interviews. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded with NVivo software. Through the two-step process of open and focused coding, four themes were identified. These include debris management planning, resource constraints, home rule, and concerns over more extreme weather events. In several instances, resource constraints inhibited debris management planning opportunities. This research recommends that partnerships be developed between state and local emergency management agencies and academics to assist with grant writing to address resource constraints. Furthermore, coalitions of stakeholders with diverse backgrounds in debris management should be formed to develop guidelines to tailor debris management plans to a given area's needs. The growth in extreme weather events emphasizes the urgency in developing such debris management planning projects.

How Can Practitioners Support Citizen Volunteers in Disaster Risk Reduction? Insight from “Good and Ready” in Aotearoa New Zealand

Global and national policy frameworks emphasize the importance of people’s participation and volunteers’ role in disaster risk reduction. While research has extensively focused on volunteers in disaster response and recovery, less attention has been paid on how organizations involved in disaster risk management can support volunteers in leading and coordinating community-based disaster risk reduction. In 2019, the New Zealand Red Cross piloted the Good and Ready initiative in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand, with the objective to empower local people in resilience building with a focus on volunteers and community participation. This research examined the positive and negative outcomes of Good and Ready and investigated volunteers’ experiences in the disaster resilience initiative. It involved the codesign of a questionnaire-based survey using participatory methods with Good and Ready volunteers, the dissemination of the survey to gather volunteers’ viewpoints, and a focus group discussion with participatory activities with Red Cross volunteers. The findings highlight that a key challenge lies in finding a balance between a program that provides flexibility to address contextual issues and fosters communities’ ownership, versus a prescriptive and standardized approach that leaves little room for creativity and self-initiative. It pinpoints that supporting volunteers with technical training is critical but that soft skills training such as coordinating, communicating, or facilitating activities at the local level are needed. It concludes that the sustainability of Good and Ready requires understanding and meeting volunteers’ motivations and expectations and that enhancing partnerships with local emergency management agencies would strengthen the program.

Disaster cultures and the Indonesia Tsunami Early Warning System: (mis)alignments revealed by the 2018 non-tectonic tsunami in Labuan

This study examined the (mis)alignments between multiple disaster cultures, the Indonesia Tsunami Early Warning System (InaTEWS) and local risk profiles as revealed by the 2018 non-tectonic tsunami triggered by the Anak Krakatau Volcanic eruption in Labuan. The research assessed to what extent the tsunami warning system was adapted to local needs and characteristics. Based on qualitative data collection, this study showed that before the 2018 tsunami (and notwithstanding memories of the 1883 Krakatau tsunami) different local groups shared a strikingly homogeneous understanding of tsunamis as exclusively triggered by earthquakes. After the 2018 tsunami, study participants reported increased awareness of different tsunami types and earthquake risks. However, this rarely translated into practical actions and changes at the local level as structural and cultural factors significantly hampered the work of local government and emergency management agencies. This research identified steps to improve alignment, for example by involving community members in warning technology maintenance, tailoring awareness-raising materials to local hazard profiles and connecting awareness-raising with local cultural traditions. However, a reform of the InaTEWS is necessary, including overcoming sectoral silos and incorporating local knowledge and experiences into policymaking. By addressing these (mis)alignments, authorities can better support communities to understand tsunami risks and respond to future event, ultimately enhancing preparedness.

Evaluating the Utility of Selected Machine Learning Models for Predicting Stormwater Levels in Small Streams

The consequences of climate change include extreme weather events, such as heavy rainfall. As a result, many places around the world are experiencing an increase in flood risk. The aim of this research was to assess the usefulness of selected machine learning models, including artificial neural networks (ANNs) and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) v2.0.3., for predicting peak stormwater levels in a small stream. The innovation of the research results from the combination of the specificity of small watersheds with machine learning techniques and the use of SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) analysis, which enabled the identification of key factors, such as rainfall depth and meteorological data, significantly affect the accuracy of forecasts. The analysis showed the superiority of ANN models (R2 = 0.803–0.980, RMSE = 1.547–4.596) over XGBoost v2.0.3. (R2 = 0.796–0.951, RMSE = 2.304–4.872) in terms of forecasting effectiveness for the analyzed small stream. In addition, conducting the SHAP analysis allowed for the identification of the most crucial factors influencing forecast accuracy. The key parameters affecting the predictions included rainfall depth, stormwater level, and meteorological data such as air temperature and dew point temperature for the last day. Although the study focused on a specific stream, the methodology can be adapted for other watersheds. The results could significantly contribute to improving real-time flood warning systems, enabling local authorities and emergency management agencies to plan responses to flood threats more accurately and in a timelier manner. Additionally, the use of these models can help protect infrastructure such as roads and bridges by better predicting potential threats and enabling the implementation of appropriate preventive measures. Finally, these results can be used to inform local communities about flood risk and recommended precautions, thereby increasing awareness and preparedness for flash floods.

Strengthening tsunami maritime response and mitigation through inclusive stakeholder engagement: Lessons learned in Washington State

Among the most vulnerable facilities to tsunami impacts are ports, harbours and marinas. The ability of maritime infrastructure to withstand a disaster and resume operations quickly plays a major factor in the recovery of the local community and economy in the short and long term. Despite this, little established guidance exists to assist the maritime community with addressing their tsunami risk in an actionable, site-specific manner. To close this gap and improve the resilience of its maritime community, Washington State has begun developing tsunami maritime response and mitigation strategies for major ports, harbours and marinas along its 3,200 miles of coastline. These strategies include detailed information about the location’s specific tsunami risk, recommended guidance for vessel operators in the area, and tsunami mitigation and response recommendations ranked by their implementation feasibility for the maritime entity in question. Most importantly, the strategies are created through close collaboration with local key stakeholders, subject matter experts, local emergency management and state agencies to ensure a final deliverable that is accurate, thorough and, above all, useful to the local maritime entity and its tenants and users. As this paper will discuss, the lessons learned during the planning and delivery of these strategies provide valuable insight for professionals in the maritime, business continuity and emergency management fields, including how to conduct effective and inclusive stakeholder engagement, identify gaps and opportunities in resilience planning, and establish a deeper understanding of tsunami maritime risk and hazards.

Strategic Planning in Emergency Management: Highlighting the Critical Role (and Impacts) of the Planning Process

Abstract Strategic planning is a critical element in the strategic management of any public organization, including local emergency management agencies (EMAs). However, while the importance of strategic planning in emergency management is well founded, even codified in the national standards, little is known empirically about its actual use, and even less is known about the impacts of the planning process on local programs. As such, this study examined the strategic planning practices of county-level EMAs throughout the United States, focusing on the strategic planning process and its underlying dimensions. A composite index for strategic planning comprehensiveness was developed, based on five planning process dimensions, and then analyzed to gauge its relative impacts on local program quality. The findings revealed that the strategic planning process had a direct and significant impact on the quality of local emergency management programs, with the regression model explaining about 60 % of the variance in the local program quality index scores.

Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) funding allocations and relevance for US disaster policy

AbstractThe Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) program has long been a cornerstone of state and local emergency management preparedness efforts. Through the EMPG program, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administers grants to state and local emergency management agencies to accomplish a wide range of tasks such as the development of response and recovery plans, the creation of emergency operation centers, and the hiring of staff, among other activities required to be effective. EMPG provides the predominant federal funding for this mission, and many agencies depend on these funds for their operations. Despite the importance of EMPG, there is a dearth of empirical research about the program. This study explores this gap by evaluating how EMPG funds were distributed across United States counties from 2014 to 2020. Using FEMA and US Census data, we conducted a county‐level analysis using robust regression statistical analysis to determine factors affecting funding awards. Findings indicate that high population, high diversity, a strong economy, and high risk (measured using both the National Risk Index score and the number of federal disaster declarations per county) increased the likelihood that a county would receive EMPG funds, with high‐risk urban counties rather than rural counties receiving more funding.

Federal/State/Local Collaboration Networks in Disasters Case Study

The purpose of this case study, with a biblical perspective, was to analyze intergovernmental collaboration networking during disasters by evaluating six areas that require additional research: 1) An analysis of the strong federal direction of national goals or greater flexibility; 2) The analysis of the effects of federal management roles in emergency management positions; 3) A discussion of how states address major hazards without federal encouragement; 4) Analysis of advantages to developing local capabilities that reduce hazards; 5) Discussion on the likelihood of local officials addressing risks to life and property without outside funds or support with recommendations for the future. Effective communication during natural and man-made disasters reduces response time and when practiced with local community volunteers periodically develop collaboration and cooperation with private, public, and nonprofit organizations. Therefore, this study examines frameworks of local, state, and federal emergency management agencies and their inter-organizational communication patterns during times of uncertainty for the development of skills in interagency situations.

Effective coordination of cyber incidents: The role of emergency management

This paper discusses how a cyber attack can impact on local government. It walks through the 2020 cyber attack on Hall County, GA and how the County responded. Emphasis is placed on how the local emergency management agency was utilised and designated the lead agency to coordinate the response. The paper explains both why and how emergency management should be involved in the response to such attacks. Finally, the paper reviews the lessons learned and changes made as a result of the attack.

All Creatures Safe and Sound: The Social Landscape of Pets in Disasters

All Creatures Safe and Sound: The Social Landscape of Pets in Disasters

Evaluation of the Transportation Infrastructure Vulnerability in Kaynarca, Sakarya Basin from a Flood Spread Risk Perspective

Natural, technological or man-made disasters caused social, economic and environmental losses in history. These devastating events affect communities by stopping or interrupting normal life and usual daily activities, and the affected community cannot cope by using local opportunities and resources. The topographic, climatic and seismic structure of Turkey allows disasters to be seen frequently in the region. Disasters such as floods, landslides-rock fall and fires are experienced almost all year round in its seasons, including medium-scale earthquakes (with an average magnitude of 5 to 6). Furthermore, transportation infrastructure has been a critical asset in all stages and time frames including mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery in disasters. In this study, the Kaynarca district of Sakarya has been evaluated based on its flood flow recurrence modelling with its effect on transportation infrastructure. With a range between 25-year and 500-year recurrence scenarios, it is found that the local roads and streets are vulnerable in all different cases, while major collectors are significantly affected by flooding in the 500-year recurrence scenario. Major collectors are the transportation infrastructure carrying the transit passengers and loads, as well as emergency aids from disaster logistic centres in case of need; therefore, less disruption increases the resiliency of the infrastructure. On the other hand, local emergency management agencies should prepare a contingency plan for local roads and streets for pinpointing the possible gridlocks, accessibility of critical infrastructure in rural areas, and robustness of major collectors.

Utilizing Social Media for Information Dispersal during Local Disasters: The Communication Hub Framework for Local Emergency Management.

In today’s society, the use of social media has increased the public’s desire to receive information quickly and to be able to interact with communicators. During a disaster, the trend to turn to social media for information has risen in popularity. Society’s reliance on social media and quick access to information has led the field of emergency management and the role of a Public Information Officer to adapt to include social media as a crisis communication channel for information dispersal. Existing frameworks for the use of social media as a channel for crisis communications provide guidance for emergency management agencies across all levels of government but fail to account for the varying access to communication resources at the local level. Due to the differing access to communication resources and unique relationships with stakeholders at the local level, there is a need for guidance on how local emergency management agencies can use social media to disperse essential information. The proposed Communication Hub Framework utilizes local emergency management professionals’ relationships with key community stakeholders to aid in the distribution of essential information to community members via social media during a disaster.

COVID-19 and Local Emergency Management Operations

As the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe, local (county and municipal) emergency management departments in the United States were thrust to the forefront in addressing the needs of its citizenry. Doing so likely involved the use of Comprehensive Emergency Management (CEM) principles and planning efforts to address the pandemic. This paper outlines how respondents to a May/June 2020 survey of lead local emergency management department professionals nationwide used a variety of tools to address the evolving demands of the pandemic. The results suggest that a majority of local departments report having preparation and response means designed to address a pandemic in place prior to the outbreak of COVID- 19, but the use of specific efforts to confront the virus varied from place to place, as do attitudes regarding the impact of the pandemic on the daily operations of the local emergency management agency.

Cutting Through the Noise: Predictors of Successful Online Message Retransmission in the First 8 Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

In this paper, we investigate how message construction, style, content, and the textual content of embedded images impacted message retransmission over the course of the first 8 months of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the United States. We analyzed a census of public communications (n = 372,466) from 704 public health agencies, state and local emergency management agencies, and elected officials posted on Twitter between January 1 and August 31, 2020, measuring message retransmission via the number of retweets (ie, a message passed on by others), an important indicator of engagement and reach. To assess content, we extended a lexicon developed from the early months of the pandemic to identify key concepts within messages, employing it to analyze both the textual content of messages themselves as well as text included within embedded images (n = 233,877), which was extracted via optical character recognition. Finally, we modelled the message retransmission process using a negative binomial regression, which allowed us to quantify the extent to which particular message features amplify or suppress retransmission, net of controls related to timing and properties of the sending account. In addition to identifying other predictors of retransmission, we show that the impact of images is strongly driven by content, with textual information in messages and embedded images operating in similar ways. We offer potential recommendations for crafting and deploying social media messages that can “cut through the noise” of an infodemic.

Improving Evacuation Compliance through Control: Implications for Emergency Management Policy and Disaster Communications

ABSTRACT Federal and local emergency management agencies and policymakers often ask: Why do individuals refuse to leave their homes when emergency evacuations are mandated during life-threatening natural disasters? In three experimental studies, the current research establishes that during a natural disaster, individuals become aware of their mortality. Existential anxiety is high and a need for control is instantiated. This makes following the directive to evacuate relatively less appealing. If, however, individuals can meet their need for control while in the process of making the evacuation decision (e.g., choice of shelter), the likelihood of evacuating increases. In light of increasing concerns related to global climate change, terrorist threats, pandemics, and other natural disasters, calls for more interdisciplinary work in understanding human decision-making in emergency situations have been made. The current work has timely implications for emergency management agencies, policymakers, and those required to communicate during natural disasters.

Integrating Government Silos: Local Emergency Management and Public Health Department Collaboration for Emergency Planning and Response

The United States arguably faces the most serious disaster it has faced since World War II: the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic itself has created further cascading economic, financial, and social crises. To date, approximately 114,000 Americans have died and approximately 2,000,000 (as of this writing) have become infected. American emergency planning and response, including for pandemics, begins at the local (city, town, and county) level, close to the individuals and communities most impacted. During crises like COVID-19, natural and other disasters, best practices include “whole of government” and “whole community” approaches, involving all parts of the government, community organizations, institutions, and businesses, with representation from diverse individual community stakeholders. Local emergency management and public health agencies are at the heart of emergency planning and response and thus warrant further examination. While collaboration between the two is recognized as a best practice, in reality there appear to be silos and gaps. This Commentary describes the American emergency planning system and the roles of local emergency management and public health departments. Closer examination illuminates similarities and differences in practitioner demographics, professional competencies, organizational goals, and culture. The Commentary reviews the limited research and observations of collaboration efforts and suggests areas for integrating the two practice areas in future research, education, professional training, and practice. Breaking down the silos will strengthen local emergency and public health preparedness planning and response, ultimately leading to stronger community health, well-being, resilience, and more efficient local administration.

Surge Capacity Planning to Inform the Need for International and Domestic Emergency Medical Team Deployments Following a Severe Wellington, New Zealand Earthquake

Introduction:Wellington, New Zealand has a significant earthquake risk with unique response challenges posed by its geography and limited road, rail, and sea access. In 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency Medical Team (EMT) initiative published minimum and technical standards for EMTs in response to failures by responding teams to deliver appropriate and ethical clinical care during a number of disasters (Norton, 2014). The initiative has evolved to develop national and International EMTs in addition to a support capacity building within Ministries of Health to better coordinate clinical capacity during an emergency.Aim:Over the last two years, the WHO EMT Coordination Cell (EMTCC) course has trained over 300 health personnel globally to coordinate clinical surge capacity using a three-step Impact Assessment, Needs Assessment, and Tasking process informed by disaster epidemiology and mass casualty ratios.Methods:EMTCC planning methodology was applied to the “Wellington Earthquake National Initial Response Plan” (MCDEM, 2017) to develop a Health Action Plan for a significant Wellington earthquake. Known earthquake impact modeling for injuries was applied against predicted capacity in receiving hospitals in the affected region, and the ability to transfer patients nationally to determine unmet response needs. EMT minimum standards and operational insights from recent disasters were then used to determine the number of EMTs required for optimal tasking.Discussion:The surge planning methodology provided a theoretical framework for national and local health emergency management staff to engage with clinical colleagues. This allowed likely EMT assistance to be pre-planned, which facilitates further planning with national and local emergency management, border, and registration agencies for rapid entry into NZ, including onward transport and logistical support. While injury treatment ratios had to be refined to reflect NZ context, the methodology proved useful for Ministries of Health to pre-identify the need for international assistance in national emergencies.

Site identity, artifact duplication, and disambiguation in Alabama Local Emergency Management Agencies (LEMAs)

Local Emergency Management Agencies (LEMAs) are vital components of the U.S. National Incident Management System (NIMS). As such, their official digital presences need to be identifiable as official and should not have to compete with other digital artifacts, including web pages and whole sites, that can be mistaken for official presences. After exploring the nature of digital identity, this study examines the prevalence of competing digital artifacts and the common sources of these artifacts, such as legacy sites and hosted development sites. The study also explores ways some sites disambiguate between artifacts that represent their organizations versus those of similarly named organizations. The findings lead to several recommendations for best practices.

Keep Them Engaged: Romanian County Inspectorates for Emergency Situations’ Facebook Usage for Disaster Risk Communication and Beyond

Nowadays, the use of social media by public institutions involved in disaster management is starting to become common practice. However, despite scientific interest in the effect of social media on disaster risk and crisis communication, data exploring emergency management agencies’ round-the-clock Facebook usage and the impact of their content and media choices on stakeholder engagement is limited. This study set out to investigate Romanian local emergency agencies’ Facebook usage patterns and stakeholders’ engagement with their content. The data is comprised of 7810 messages posted between the 1st January and 25th October 2017 by 32 County Inspectorates for Emergency Situations. First, using content analysis techniques, the topics of the posts were summarized to illustrate how these agencies use Facebook. Second, stakeholder engagement was investigated using social media marketing techniques. Third, messages related to natural hazards were analyzed in greater depth to reveal disaster risk communication patterns. The results suggest that Romanian emergency agencies mainly promote transparency and their institutional image on Facebook. Stakeholders were most likely to engage with brand-oriented posts, especially if these also offered rich multimedia feature. Meanwhile, stakeholders were less likely to interact with messages about natural hazards, particularly if they incorporated educational content. These observations suggest that, while at the moment Romanian local emergency management agencies take advantage of Facebook to create and maintain relationships with their stakeholders, they bypass opportunities to implement communication strategies for effective disaster risk reduction.

Usability, content, and connections: How county-level Alabama emergency management agencies communicate with their online public

Emergency Management Agencies (EMAs) in the U.S. operate at federal, state, and local levels, each with a common purpose “to prepare for, prevent, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of incidents” (Homeland Security, 2008). As Homeland Security (2008) explains, local EMAs (LEMAs) lay the groundwork for prevention and other activities, coordinating with nearby LEMAs and local entities, including private and non-governmental organizations. LEMAs have been studied little; most research on online LEMAs and State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs) has been limited to website content, providing an incomplete picture of how they provide online service to the public. Bertot & Jager argue that functionality, usability, and accessibility are critical elements in evaluating e-government, noting that if users cannot get to or find the content, the content becomes irrelevant. This study contributes to addressing this gap by evaluating Alabama LEMA websites, based on a combination of content rubrics used in prior EMA studies and usability heuristics, factors that can affect user trust, and thus a site's usefulness. It also looks at how Alabama LEMAs are using social networking on their websites.