Interagency disaster management Essay Example for Free

Interagency disaster management Essay Introduction: A disaster can be defined as a serious disruption of the functioning of a society, causing widespread human, material, or environmental losses which exceed the ability of affected society to copy using only its own resources. Disasters are often classified according to their speed of onset (sudden or slow), or according to their cause (natural or man-made). Recent disasters like Hurricane Katrina have exposed the vulnerability of the nation in times of disaster and this has lead to discussions on disaster management. Natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, ice storms, severe weather, and wildfires can strike any time. They can build over days or weeks, or strike suddenly without warning. Throughout history, people in various parts of the world have suffered due to the unpredictability of natural disasters. Some disasters can be predicted such as floods in valleys, droughts in areas of low rainfall and oil spills in shipping lanes. There can also be manmade unpredictable disasters such as bioterrorism that involves the use of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. Disaster Management: Disasters are inevitable but the destructive impact of disasters can be substantially reduced by adequate preparation, early warning, and swift, decisive responses. Disaster Management encompasses all aspects of planning for and responding to disasters. It applies to management of both risks and consequences of disasters. However, disasters need to be declared to secure the release of government resources for intervention. Government through its various agencies plays a huge role in such prevention and mitigation. This is done through legislation, through resource allocation and through rational planning and sustainable development. State and local governments are closest to those affected by natural disasters, and have always been the lead in response and recovery. The federal government acts in a supporting role, providing assistance, logistical support, and certain supplies. Local government is responsible for providing for the safety and security of citizens in advance of a hurricane. That means they are in charge of developing emergency plans, determining evacuation routes, providing public transportation for those who can’t self-evacuate, and setting up and stocking local shelters with relief supplies. State government is responsible for mobilizing the National Guard, pre-positioning certain assets and supplies, and setting up the state’s emergency management functions. They are also in charge of requesting federal support though the formal disaster declaration process. Federal government is responsible for meeting those requests from the state – before, during and after the disaster. This includes providing logistical support for search and rescue, providing food, water and ice, establishing disaster centers and processing federal disaster claims, and participating in short and long-term public works projects, such as debris removal and infrastructure rebuilding. National Response Plan: The National Response Plan, published on May 25, 2006, by the DHS, provides an all-hazards approach to enhance the ability of the nation to manage domestic disasters. The plan includes best practices and procedures from incident management disciplines—homeland security, emergency management, law enforcement, firefighting, public works, public health, responder and recovery worker health and safety, emergency medical services, and the private sector and integrates them into a unified structure. It forms the basis of how the federal government coordinates with state, local, and tribal governments and the private sector during incidents. The National Response Plan aims to save lives and protect the health and safety of the public, responders, and recovery workers and thereby ensure security of the homeland. The National Response Plan establishes a comprehensive all-hazards approach to enhance the ability of the United States to manage domestic incidents. It forms the basis of how federal departments and agencies will work together and how the federal government will coordinate with state, local, and tribal governments and the private sector during incidents. It establishes protocols to help protect the nation from terrorist attacks and other natural and manmade hazards; save lives; protect public health, safety, property, and the environment; and reduces adverse psychological consequences and disruptions to civilian life. The Plan identifies police, fire, public health and medical, emergency management, and other personnel as responsible for incident management at the local level. The Plan enables incident response to be handled at the lowest possible organizational and jurisdictional level. The Plan ensures the seamless integration of the federal government when an incident exceeds local or state capabilities. There are some new Coordinating Features in the National Response Plan such as: †¢ Homeland Security Operations Center (HSOC): The HSOC serves as the primary national level multi-agency hub for domestic situational awareness and operational coordination. The HSOC also includes DHS components, such as the National Infrastructure Coordinating Center (NICC), which has primary responsibility for coordinating communications with the Nation’s critical infrastructure during an incident. †¢ National Response Coordination Center (NRCC): The NRCC, a functional component of the HSOC, is a multi-agency center that provides overall federal response coordination. †¢ Regional Response Coordination Center (RRCC): At the regional level, the RRCC coordinates regional response efforts and implements local federal program support until a Joint Field Office is established. †¢ Interagency Incident Management Group (IIMG): A tailored group of senior federal interagency experts who provide strategic advice to the Secretary of Homeland Security during an actual or potential Incident of National Significance. †¢ Joint Field Office (JFO): A temporary federal facility established locally to provide a central point to coordinate resources in support of state, local, and tribal authorities. †¢ Principal Federal Official (PFO): A PFO may be designated by the Secretary of Homeland Security during a potential or actual Incident of National Significance. While individual federal officials retain their authorities pertaining to specific aspects of incident management, the PFO works in conjunction with these officials to coordinate overall federal incident management efforts. The Department of Homeland Security/Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR)/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in close coordination with the DHS Office of the Secretary, will maintain the National Response Plan. The Plan will be updated to incorporate new Presidential directives, legislative changes, and procedural changes based on lessons learned from exercises and actual events. The Department of Homeland Security: In the event of a terrorist attack, natural disaster or other large-scale emergency, the Department of Homeland Security will assume primary responsibility on March 1st for ensuring that emergency response professionals are prepared for any situation. The department is responsible for providing a coordinated, comprehensive federal response to any large-scale crisis and mounting a swift and effective recovery effort. According to the Homeland Security Act of 2002 the mission of the Department of Homeland security is to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States; reduce the vulnerability of the United States to terrorism; and minimize the damage, and assist in the recovery, from terrorist attacks that do occur within the United States. Biohazards: Biohazards are biological agents or substances that present or may present a hazard to the health or well-being of the worker or the community. Biological agents and substances include infectious and parasitic agents, noninfectious microorganisms, such as some fungi, yeast, algae, plants and plant products, and animals and animal products that cause occupational disease. Generally, biohazards are either infectious microorganisms, toxic biological substances, biological allergens or any combination of the above. Today, biohazards ar also used as weapons of mass destruction in the hands of terrorists – the use of anthrax virus to spread disease, death, fear and panic among the public is a case in point. As such, biohazards not only come under the purview of the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) but also under Department of Homeland Security.

The Importance of Education :: importance of education, 2015

Most people already know that going to college is important; it opens many doors and provides many advantages and opportunities. On average, people with a college education earn nearly twice as much as those with only a high school diploma. So, over a lifetime, a college graduate can earn about $2 million while a high school graduate will earn only $1 million. In fact, the earnings gap between someone with a college degree and someone with a high school diploma has widened in the last decades and that gap is projected to widen even further in the future. There are other advantages to being a college graduate. Research indicates that college graduates live longer, have better access to health care, are economically more stable, have more disposable income and more time to participate in leisure activities, vote at a higher rate, and are more involved in their communities. Earning a higher income allows a family to live in more affluent neighborhoods. Affluent areas have higher property values and collect higher taxes—tax revenues that allow these neighborhoods to have better schools and better access to healthcare. These advantages are passed on to the children who grow up healthier, perform better in school, and are more likely to attend college themselves. Individuals who attend college usually achieve higher skill levels than those who do not. Employers may use college degrees as one of the tools to sort out potential employees, recognizing that higher levels of education may indicate higher ability. Having a college education provides the individual with a much-needed edge in today’s competitive job market, as well as in the future. It is said that the economy of the 21st century is a knowledge economy.

The Early Release of Google Shares

Google  Inc. ‘s  GOOG  -0. 72%  quarterly earnings report hit Wall Street more than three hours early on Thursday due to a glitch. The bigger glitch was what the Internet giant's results actually showed. Enlarge Image Shares of Google plunged after the company's third-quarter results missed expectations of strong growth, and inadvertently were released well before the market's close. Does Google's notable revenue and earnings miss spell trouble for the tech sector? Is this a buying opportunity in Google shares? Ken Sena, Evercore managing director, joins The News Hub to discuss.Photo: REUTERS. Among the litany of issues, the Internet search giant's profits slid 20% from a year earlier to $2. 18 billion, or $6. 53 a share. Revenue rose 45% to $14. 1 billion, thanks to the incorporation of Google's new Motorola hardware unit. But revenue excluding Motorola slowed for the fourth consecutive quarter, dipping to a growth rate of 19% from rates of more than 20% for the past f ew quarters. At the same time, Motorola also revealed a bigger-than-expected operating loss. The weak results, coupled with their unexpectedly early release from financial printer  R.R. Donnelley  RRD  -2. 56%  ; Sons Co. , wiped $22 billion off Google's market capitalization halfway through the day. Google's shares halted trading for a time before resuming. Google shares tumbled after the company's Q3 earning slipped out prematurely. WSJ's John Letzing has details on Digits. Photo: Getty Images. As of the 4 p. m. market close, the shares had recovered slightly to end at $695, down $60. 49, or about 8% for the day. Still, the stock drop was a reversal for Google, which had experienced a run-up in its shares in recent months.The company's market capitalization had recently pulled even with  Microsoft  Corp. MSFT  +0. 44%  for the first time, fueled by perceived good news about its online-ad business and missteps from rivals such as  Facebook  Inc. FB  +0. 33% At the crux of Google's profit slide was the growth rate of its biggest and most profitable revenue engine: ads on its Web-search engine and video site YouTube. The growth rate of those ad sales has steadily dropped since mid-2011. In the latest quarter, sales of the ads rose 15%, but that was down from 39% growth a year ago. The growth rate for uch ads fell not because advertisers were buying fewer of the ads—in fact, Google sold 33% more ads in the third quarter. But the average price paid by Web-search advertisers to Google per click dropped by 15% in the third quarter, Google said. The Early Earnings Release * Heard:  Buying Opportunity * Early Release a ‘Human Error' * ‘Pending Larry's Quote' * @PendingLarry: From Silent to Meme * Five Takeaways * Google Unveils $249 Chrome Laptop * Retail Investors Can't Keep Up Driving the declining prices for the ads was the shift by advertisers toward mobile ads, analysts said.That change is hurting Google in the short te rm because mobile ads cost less than online ads viewed on desktop computers. Some industry experts, however, predict the price differential will be minimal by the end of next year. Other Web companies are also grappling with the shift to mobile ads. Facebook, which reports earnings next week, has been racing to offer more mobile ad formats after earlier focusing more on online ads viewed on PCs. Google also faces toughening competition in its core search market, which also has a knock-on effect on its search ads.People may be doing some of the most valuable type of Web searches—those that relate to shopping—on sites like  Amazon. com  Inc. AMZN  +0. 82%  rather than on Google, said Sameet Sinha, a stock analyst at B. Riley ; Co. Advertisers generally are happy with Google. But Microsoft Corp. ‘s Bing search engine, which also powers  Yahoo  YHOO  +1. 51%  Search, has been capturing market share over the past year, according to Aaron Goldman, chief marketing officer of Kenshoo Ltd. , which helps companies like  Expedia  Inc. EXPE  +1. 35%  and  Sears Holding  Corp. SHLD  +1. 4%  advertise online. â€Å"We're seeing the Yahoo/Bing network taking share because clients get a 30% better return on their investment than on Google,† he said. Enlarge Image On an earnings call Thursday, Google Chief Executive Larry Page quickly moved to calm fears about mobile after saying he was â€Å"sorry for the scramble† involving the premature earnings release. Mr. Page, speaking in a halting and hoarse voice, said there is â€Å"tremendous innovation in advertising, which I believe will help us monetize mobile queries more effectively than desktop today. He also noted there are more than 500 million devices powered by Google's mobile Android software and that come preloaded with Google's search engine and its other services. Google stands to take a bigger revenue cut from ads that appear on Android devices than it does from  Apple  Inc. ‘s  AAPL  +1. 36%  iPhone and iPad. Mr. Page said Google was on pace to generate $8 billion a year from mobile devices, including advertising and sales of music, movies and apps on Android devices. A year ago, Google said it was on pace to generate $2. billion related to mobile devices, but that included only mobile ads, not content sales. Google's $12. 5 billion acquisition of Motorola also dragged on results. In its first full quarter as part of Google, the handset maker generated $2. 58 billion in revenue, lower than the $2. 75 billion that Mr. Sinha expected. Motorola also had a loss of $527 million. Google has said that it plans to cut costs at the division, including by laying off 20% of Motorola staff, or 4,000 jobs. On the call Thursday, Google said Motorola's results would be â€Å"quite variable† in the coming quarters.Despite all the issues, some analysts who had been bullish on Google remained upbeat. â€Å"While slight ove rall, Google numbers are not as bad as they initially appeared,† wrote Doug Anmuth, a stock analyst at  J. P. Morgan Chase  JPM  -0. 35%  & Co. , during Google's stock halt, adding that any investors who bought into the stock would be â€Å"taking advantage of the sharp selloff. † Google said it had $45. 7 billion in cash at the end of September, up from $43. 1 billion at the end of the second quarter. Its head count was 53,546, down from 54,604 three months earlier, including 17,428 employees at Motorola.

King Louis XIV - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 579 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2018/12/17 Category History Essay Type Assignment Level High school Topics: King Essay Did you like this example? King Louis XIV was also known as the sun king. He was a positive force for the country of France. He is regarded as the most incredible king who took France to another level through revolution. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "King Louis XIV" essay for you Create order He respected the people and took full control over France. He had a good experience especially in war fields and military. He built a palace and allowed the nobles to stay with him so as to keep an eye on them. This implies that he was very wise and this gave him a lot of respect. Louis XIV was a positive force for the country of France as he viewed himself as the central point of the life of the people. He showed this by building a hospital for the less privileged and the poor in Paris With this he elevated the mystery that was experienced in the capital and reduced public begging. In addition, he created the first Civil General hospital which served as a means of both therapeutic and social providence. The Civil General Hospital marked one of his greatest advancement. Also, he got rid of the street beggars and took them to the hospital. The king was a protectionist and this set a positive force for the country. He protected the game. This is seen when he issued an order that formed a royal dominion of the forest. This prevented all the peasants and the merchants from hunting any kind of game. Apart from that, the king showed a lot of compassion and concern for the soldiers who served and protected him so faithfully with loyalty. He instructed an architect to build him a hospital for the disabled who had been condemned to begging life during those times. The monumental achievement was topped with a beautiful dome that was painted in gold leaf so as to give it a good profile that is well known today. From the video, King Louis became the most powerful monarchy in Europe which further proved his positive force for the good of the country. The king ensured peace is restored in the country and signed the peace treaty. He also ensured that the core belts principles are applied without failure. He placed all his energy as well as the financial resources in pursues of his dreams for the country of France. His dream was to build the biggest architectural stru cture which became a gigantic resourceful place for all types of architects, designers, artists, engineers, painters and works of each and every discipline. It also accommodated activities like leveling transplanting, filling up and even cutting of numerous stones. This was also a great achievement for the king as it created employment for over 30,000 workers. The king became a protectionist and made the country of France more of an exporter as it was before a major importer. This greatly built the French economy. In conclusion, King Louis XIV was the founder of so many great institutions the led to the growth of France. He was a core bearer, a loyal king, an ego worker and a devoted being to the accomplishment of a monumental work. He restored peace in France, built hospitals, cared for the beggars and reduced the act of begging on the streets of the kingdom. He did all this for the bigger glory of the whole kingdom. King Louis XIV later died in 1764. He was indeed a powerful fo rce for the country of France. Reference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCqwN88_BAY