The Emergency Management Cycle

The Emergency Management Cycle is an open ended process. The four phases comprising the cycle begins and ends with mitigation, the on-going attempt to limited or prohibited the effects of a disaster.

MITIGATION:
Minimizing the Effects of Disaster Mitigation includes any activities that prevents an emergency, reduces the chance of an emergency happening or lessens the damaging effects of unavoidable emergencies. This is accomplished through some of the following organizations:

The National Flood Insurance Program
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers Flood Insurance to property owners and businesses at risk of flood damage. This damage could be to buildings, manufactured homes and other structures insurable under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). To be eligible for flood insurance a community must first be a participant in the NFIP and the property owner must make application to purchase the insurance through a private carrier.

Local Emergency Planning Committee
This organization is made up of representatives from government, business, industry and the media.

PREPAREDNESS:
Planning How to Respond In Case of a Disaster.

Preparedness includes a variety of measures aimed at insuring the community is prepared to react to any hazard that threatens the county. Preparedness involves some of the following activities:

Planning
Talladega County and its political entities have adopted the official Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). This document, which is disseminated to all responder organizations, agencies and departments, defines policies and responsibilities concerning how to prepare for, respond to and recovery from the effects of a disaster or major emergency. Individual organizations, agencies and departments maintain their own Standard Operating Guidelines/Procedures to govern their response to an incident.

Exercises
Working in concert with the various first responder agencies and departments within the jurisdiction, TCEMA actively seeks funding for annual tabletop, functional and full-scale exercises. The agency's planner assists in designing and implementing the scenario for severe weather, hazardous material and counter-terrorism exercises. An evaluation is conducted at the conclusion of the exercise to highlight accomplishments and needed improvement in the response.

Training
A variety of training opportunities are made available to volunteer and paid first responder organizations across the county annually. These classes are conducted in person and via distance learning.

Public Education
TCEMA staff members make numerous speaking appearances at civic clubs, schools and on broadcast media to inform the public on how to protect themselves from the various hazards that threaten Talladega County. Awareness weeks are conducted annually prior to severe weather season and winter to alert the populace to the threats they may face from extreme weather conditions.

RESPONSE:
Efforts to Minimize the Hazards Created by an Emergency.

Response is action taken immediately before, during and just after a disaster or major emergency. The goal of the responder is to save lives, minimize property damage and enhance the beginning of recovery from the incident. Recovery is accomplished through some of the following methods:

Warnings
The public may receive notice of impending danger through several avenues in Talladega County. Among them are - NOAA Weather Radio receiver, Emergency Alert System (EAS) activation over local broadcast media, cable television pre-emption and public safety channel, Outdoor Warning Sirens, and Tone Alert Radios (TARs). The warning systems are activated from the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

Evacuation
In rare circumstances citizens may need to be evacuated from the homes or work places.

Sheltering
The Alabama Chapter of the American Red Cross is chartered by the U.S. Congress to work at the behest of EMA to provide local sheltering. Red Cross and EMA identify and contract for shelter sites throughout the county. Once a request for shelter activation is made by the EMA Director, Red Cross volunteers open the needed facility and staff it until it is no longer needed.

Fire, Law and Medical
Once an incident occurs, dispatchers immediately send Firemen, Law Enforcement Officers and Medical Personnel to the scene. Through routine training and exercises, these responders are prepared for their duties.

Resources
The main duty of EMA is to serve as a resource coordinator in times of crisis. The EOC maintains an up-to-date resource database listing a variety of equipment and personnel available to respond to a disaster.

RECOVERY:
Returning the Community to Normal.

Recovery is the activity that returns infrastructural systems to minimum operating standards and guides long-term efforts designed to return life to normal or improved levels after a disaster. This is a very daunting phase of Emergency Management because it requires personal and community motivation. It is achieved through the following ways:

Damage Assessment
Red Cross and volunteer personnel work with EMA to provide a quick, windshield type assessment in attempt to get an initial understanding of the scope of damage. A more detailed and in-depth door-to-door assessment is made in the days just after the event.

Debris Removal
Storms can other type disasters can leave a great deal of debris behind. If the debris is a threat to life or safety, public works personnel may remove it from private property otherwise it is up to the property owner to get the debris removed from their property and taken to a public right-of-way. Depending on the size of the incident, local government will contract to have the debris removed.

Decontamination
If the incident involves a hazardous material, local government will provide facilities to decontaminate citizens, equipment and property that are a threat to public health and safety.

Disaster Assistance Centers
If the incident is large enough to result in a Federal Disaster Declaration, agencies, organizations and departments on the state and federal level will man a Disaster Assistance Center (DAC) for a limited time during the recovery process. After calling a toll free telephone number to register and receive a FEMA Number, victims will be able to go to the DAC to apply for loans and grants to assist in their recovery.

Crisis Counseling
Disasters can have a profound effect on the mental health of victims and responders alike. In the days after a disaster, counseling is made available for those affected by the incident.

Long-Term Care/Unmet Needs
Recovery from a major disaster may take many weeks and months. A committee of social service and religious organizations known as Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) maintains a list of those needing extended help. This committee meets on a regular basis until all victims have been serviced.

NOTE: The services and operations mentioned above are not intended to be a complete list of all Emergency Management Cycle activities.