By FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate
In many ways, 2011 reinforced what we already know: Disasters can strike anytime, anywhere; it takes the entire team working together to effectively serve communities and survivors; and we must continue to plan for and test ourselves for the maximum of maximums.
First, not all disasters come with warnings — and we all need to be ready. Last year, various areas of the U.S. were hit with different types of disasters. Some, like the floods along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, were well forecast. Others, however, came with little to no warning. And even with some events, such as Hurricane Irene, we may have had advance warning, but there wasn’t great certainty of forecast.
Ultimately we all are vulnerable to these hazards. It’s very difficult to prepare for them at the last minute. If we all take away one lesson from 2011, I hope it’s that we all have a responsibility to be prepared.
Second, we can’t underestimate the importance of the entire team. For a long time, we’ve talked about planning for the needs of the whole community and leveraging the resources of the whole community to meet those needs. We saw it in action repeatedly — in the southeast after the tornadoes, in Joplin, Mo., in May and in Vermont after Irene.
All of these response and recovery efforts engaged the entire team, including federal, state and local officials, the private sector, nonprofits, the faith-based community, volunteer groups and most importantly, the public. And it made a remarkable difference.
Third, 2011 further proved that we must prepare for worst-case scenarios or “maximum of maximums.” Japan’s tragic earthquake, resulting tsunami and power plant meltdown was a big wake-up call for all of us. We need to get serious about planning for incidents that involve significant loss of life, destruction of property and threats to our power grid or other infrastructure.
In many ways, 2011 reinforced what we already know: Disasters can strike anytime, anywhere; it takes the entire team working together to effectively serve communities and survivors; and we must continue to plan for and test ourselves for the maximum of maximums.
As we begin 2012, let’s apply those lessons and do our part to help the team by getting prepared. — Used with permission from Craig Fugate at http://www.emergencymgmt.com/disaster/FEMA-Craig-Fugate-3-Lessons-2011.html