Task 1 DB

Response Challenges to Natural and Man-Made Disasters

You are the emergency manager in a city of 200,000 people in the Midwestern United States. Your city manager has directed you to act as a subject matter expert and provide the city’s webmaster with material (400–600 words) that thoroughly discusses which types of natural and man-made disasters you think are the most significant or troublesome for emergency managers. In addition, your city manager wants to ensure that the citizens have access to the most up-to-date information about disaster response. The city council would like to have a bond election next year and hopes that your information will garner support for the issue.

Primary Task Response: Within the Discussion Board area, write 400–600 words that respond to the following questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. This will be the foundation for future discussions by your classmates. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas:

• What type of natural hazard do you think is the most significant or troublesome to emergency managers? Why?
• What type of man-made hazard do you think is the most significant or troublesome to emergency managers? Why?
• What do you think are the most significant specific response challenges associated with the hazards that you selected? Explain.

Task 2

Natural hazards are hazards that exist in the natural environment and pose a threat to human populations and communities. Examples include floods (the most frequently occurring), hurricanes, tsunamis, sea surges, earthquakes, tornadoes, freezes, blizzards, extreme cold, forest fires, drought, and range infestation (inordinate numbers of insects).

Technological hazards are hazards originating from technological or industrial conditions, including accidents, dangerous procedures, infrastructure failures, or specific human activities. They may cause loss of life, injury, illness, or other health impacts; property damage; loss of livelihoods and services; social and economic disruption; or environmental damage. Examples include such events as epidemics or pandemics, pollution, utilities failures, radiological accidents, nuclear waste disposal spills, toxic substances, hazardous materials accidents, explosions, and urban fires.

Assignment Guidelines

• In an essay of 600–800 words,
  • define natural hazards, and
  • define technological hazards.
• Fully identify and describe the 3–5 most significant natural hazards and the 3–5 most significant man-made hazards that can or do impact the capital of a state of your choice or another large city.
• Explain the causes of the hazards.
• Explain the frequency of the hazards' occurrences.
  • Explain the amount of damage caused by each occurrence.
• In addition, identify the following in terms of the selected jurisdiction's current emergency management efforts:
  • What are the mitigation functions of the jurisdiction? Explain.
  • What are the preparation functions of the jurisdiction? Explain.
  • What are the response functions of the jurisdiction? Explain.
  • What are the recovery functions of the jurisdiction? Explain.
  • What are the most significant emergency management challenges in the jurisdiction about which you are writing? Why?
• Be sure to reference all sources using APA style.

Task 3 DB

Primary Task Response: Within the Discussion Board area, write 400–600 words that respond to the following questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. This will be the foundation for future discussions by your classmates. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas.

• Why is the private sector so important to the security of critical infrastructure?
  • Consider the characterization of the private sector, including nonpublic-sector entities that are not economic at their core (e.g., private and nonprofit).
• How does the U.S. government work to organize the private sector’s participation in critical infrastructure protection?
  • Address the following in your response:
    • Private sector’s values and goals
    • How the private sector affects homeland security through its business operations
    • List and describe what factors the private-sector leadership would likely consider significant for its internal security
• How does the federal government integrate the private sector in response to critical incidents?

Task 3 IP

Consider that you are the city’s emergency management director and you are asked to prepare a written presentation for the city council on the benefits of private–public partnerships. Write a short paper (in APA format) that includes the following:

• Select a large city, such as a state capitol or another large metropolitan area, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Miami, and so on.
• Provide some background on the jurisdiction that you selected. Be sure to include the following:
  • Critical infrastructure examples
  • Location of the city
  • Potential threats as they relate to terrorism

In your paper, include the following:

• What motivations might terrorists have to target private-sector entities?
  • Identify 1 potential private-sector target in the jurisdiction that you selected.
  • Explain why that entity would potentially be targeted for a terrorist attack.
• Identify 5 primary private-sector organizations that jurisdiction government entity should consider entering into a Memorandum of Understanding/Agreement (MOU/MOA) with that would enhance overall preparedness and resiliency.
• How can such agreements help ensure jurisdictional preparedness?
  • Describe the benefits of entering into a formal agreement.
  • Describe each organization, and explain why the 5 organizations should be included in partnering with the public sector.
    • Explore the roles and responsibilities of the private sector in homeland security
    • Describe how the public and private sectors can work together to help keep the nation safe.
• Explain, in detail, the significant contributions that all 5 organizations or entities could or should make in helping their community and the nation be more resilient and more secure.