Community Case: Emergency Preparedness and Disaster
Management
Case Part 1
An F2 tornado touches down on the edge of Johnson County without much advance
warning from the National Weather Service. The Johnson County disaster
preparedness plan is implemented, but it has not been tested for over 3 years.
There seems to be some confusion at the command center on who may be in
charge due to changes in personnel since the last test of the disaster preparedness
plan. Nurse Judy and nursing student Madison arrive at the command center to
volunteer, but they have to wait for some time to receive their assignment.
Questions for students:
1. What are the main components of a disaster plan?
The main components of a disaster plan are planning, operations, finance,
administrative and logistics.
2.What are the phases of disaster management?
The main phases of disaster management are mitigation, preparedness,
response, and recovery.
3.Who implements a community disaster plan? How often should a community
disaster plan be reviewed and tested?
The Department of Homeland security implements a community disaster plan
and it should be reviewed and tested at least every 2 years.
4. What are the differences between natural and man-made disasters?
Man-made disasters do not occur naturally and require initiation by human
intervention. These include fires, pollution, vehicular accidents, and war.
Natural disasters, as the name suggests occur naturally and does not require
human initiation such as earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, tornadoes, etc.
5. How would you address the confusion at the incident command center?
I would address the lack of preparation and confusion that currently exists. I
would encourage new assessments and planning to take place, starting with
From Lippincott CoursePoint for Community and Public Health Nursing. © Wolters Kluwer.
the establishment of a committee and identification of roles and
responsibilities.
From Lippincott CoursePoint for Community and Public Health Nursing. © Wolters Kluwer.