emergency preparedness

"Emergency Preparedness is the discipline of dealing with and avoiding both natural and manmade disasters." It involves mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery in order to lessen the impact of disasters. Emergency management requires a partnership among all levels of government (local, State, and Federal) and the private sector (business and industry, voluntary organizations, and the public). Successful preparedness requires detailed planning and cooperation among each sector. Emergency preparedness ranges from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) developing an all inclusive plan to mitigate natural disasters to the individual ensuring their car has plenty of fuel for a possible evacuation.

Disaster management (or emergency management) is the creation of plans through which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Disaster management does not avert or eliminate the threats; instead, it focuses on creating plans to decrease the effect of disasters. Failure to create a plan could lead to damage to assets, human mortality, and lost revenue. Currently in the United States 60 percent of businesses do not have emergency management plans. Events covered by disaster management include acts of terrorism, industrial sabotage, fire, natural disasters (such as earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.), public disorder, industrial accidents, and communication failures.