Community Resources & Preparedness

 

 Introduction

Community preparedness is the ability of communities to be prepared in case of any emergency or disaster that is bound to happen. It also includes the ability of communities to withstand and recover from any incidents in both short term and long term. For a community to be prepared it requires engagement and coordination with stakeholders. Community resources refer to the resources a community should have access to for them to perform a function successfully. For a community to be prepared for emergencies and disasters and be able to handle them, it should have access to enough resources.

In Orlando Florida, the community has been involved in the process of community preparedness. To make communities safer, and have more knowledge about preparedness, programs have been started to train and educate the residents about how well to be prepared in case of an emergency, get more knowledge about how to prevent and plan for a disaster. This has been made possible through volunteer programs (ILEAD 2014). The programs provide opportunities to bring together efforts with other resident volunteers in the need to make communities safer, and better prepared for all kinds of emergencies, and disasters. The programs provide education and training and volunteer services to the local community intending to involve as many residents in the program. This is done to help them prepare communities and neighborhoods to make a difference.

Every person has a role to ensure the resilience of our communities, the nation, and the way we live. It is of significance that everyone has the knowledge, skills, and resources to challenges that are bought by diseases, weather, and any other kind of disaster or emergency (FEMA 2014). It is important to have knowledge and information about the community the risks involved, and the community’s systems and plans. It is also important to make a plan and come up with a household emergency plan. One should also have supplies that they may need in case of a disaster and also get involved in community programs to ensure that they are involved in community preparedness.

The ability of a community to respond or recover from a disaster depends on how well each member of the community is prepared. The response includes the actions used to save lives, property and environment protection, stabilizing communities, and meeting the basic human needs after a disaster occurrence. The response also involves the way the emergency plans and actions are executed and how well they support the short-term recovery. When the whole community is involved in community preparedness, this means that the residents, emergency management team, organizational and community leaders, and the officials of the government are also included (FEMA 2011). This way they are all able to assess and determine the needs of their respective communities and therefore develop ways that will strengthen their interests, capabilities, and resources.

Conclusion

Community preparedness involves the ability of a community to respond to an emergency or a disaster. In Orlando Florida, programs have been established to educate and train people on the essence of community preparedness and what it entails. It is every person’s role in the community to learn and get knowledge and skills on how to respond to emergencies and disasters. This is because the ability of a community to respond to a disaster depends on how well the whole community is prepared.

References

FEMA (2011) A Whole Community Approach to Emergency Management: Principles, Themes,

and Pathways for Action. Retrieved from https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/20130726-1813-25045-0649/whole_community_dec2011__2_.pdf

FEMA (2014) Preparedness in America: Research Insights to Increase Individual,

Organizational, and community Action. Retrieved from https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/-Preparedness_in_America_August_2014_Update_508.pdf

ILEAD (2014) EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS FOR NEIGHBORHOOD

ORGANIZATIONS. Retrieved from http://www.cityoforlando.net/ocnr/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2019/02/EmergencyPlanning_2019_Print.pdf