Disaster Preparedness: Marshall Fire in Colorado Essay
Disaster Preparedness: Marshall Fire in Colorado Essay
Disaster is “an occurrence disrupting the normal conditions of existence and causing a level of suffering that exceeds the capacity of adjustment of the affected community” (Perry, 2018, p. 3). Disasters can be man-made, such as oil spills, or natural such as earthquakes. In the past years, the world has witnessed an increasing number of weather-related disasters. The prevalence of weather-related disasters is attributed to the impacts of climate change. Thus, while the weather-related disasters are natural, man has a hand in the increasing frequency and intensity of the disasters because of man-made activities that cause global warming and other climate change activities. In December 2021, a devastating fire broke out in Louisville, Colorado, starting south of Boulder and ravaging through Superior and Louisville. The fire was exacerbated by the powerful winds of the Front Range Foot Hills. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the disaster preparedness, response, and management of the Marshall Fire.
Management Style and Characteristics of Marshall Fire Disaster
The Marshall Fire was fairly managed, but it also had shortcomings that endangered the lives of the residents. For example, communication failures occurred with the Everbridge emergency notification system, making many residents miss the mandatory evacuation notification. Similarly, residents also faulted Boulder’s Office of Disaster Management for failing to send notifications to everyone registered for emergency alerts (Galatas, 2022). Thus, most residents delayed acting, only realizing the situation was dangerous when they saw people running out of the building to the parking and other safer places. Up to the time of the fire, Boulder had not fully implemented the national alert system, which created inefficiencies in communication. According to Moorthy et al. (2018), effective communication during a disaster response is critical for saving lives and lessening the vulnerabilities of the affected residents. Thus, a reliable communication system should be part of disaster preparedness and mitigation efforts. For instance, Boulder’s Office of Disaster Management needed to test its communication system prior to ascertaining its effectiveness during such a disaster.
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The response was commendable as other elements of communication and coordination were flawless. Various organizations and individuals supported the Colorado Police Department and the emergency team in evacuation efforts. Moreover, first aid, resources such as basic items, temporary shelters, and health services were adequately provided (Bronfman et al., 2019). One of the positive disaster characteristics that stand out in the Marshall Fire management is the concern and preparedness to meet the needs of the disabled community (Galatas, 2022). During disasters, the disabled community is often neglected during the planning process. The Colorado disaster management team identified well in advance the resource needs of people with a disability, such as interpreters, wheelchairs, oxygen tanks, and other resources to support the functional and health needs of this population. Additionally, the team created a Disability and Disaster Hotline, connecting disabled people to necessary services and resources (Galatas, 2022).
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Conclusion
The Marshall Fire disaster response exhibits a great improvement in disaster management and response in the country. The coordination and communication efforts witnessed during the disaster show adequate preparedness by the Colorado Disaster Management team and the various police departments. One of the shortfalls experienced during the disaster response was the communication failure of the emergency notification system. Many people failed to respond to evacuation in time, causing panic and preventable injuries. Nevertheless, the disaster management handled vulnerable groups effectively, particularly people with disability, providing resources for their functional and health needs.
References
Bronfman, N. C., Cisternas, P. C., Repetto, P. B., & Castañeda, J. V. (2019). Natural disaster preparedness in a multi-hazard environment: Characterizing the sociodemographic profile of those better (worse) prepared. PloS one, 14(4), e0214249. https://doi.10.1371/journal.pone.0214249.
Galatas, E. (2022, January 13). Marshall Fire Tests Emergency Response for Disabled Community. Public News Service, pp. https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2022-01-13/disabilities/marshall-fire-tests-emergency-response-for-disabled-community/a77367-1%7C4-2-a1,4-2-a2.
Moorthy, R., Benny, G., & Gill, S. (2018). Disaster Communication in Managing Vulnerabilities. Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication, 34(2):51-66. https://doi.10.17576/JKMJC-2018-3402-04.
Perry, R. W. (2018). Defining Disaster: An Evolving Concept. In R. W. Perry, Handbook of Disaster Research (p. 3). Springer international.
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Evaluate and discuss a current natural or man-made disaster focusing on disaster characteristics and management styles.
References
Minimum of four (4) total references: two (2) references from required course materials and two (2) peer-reviewed references. All references must be no older than five years (unless making a specific point using a seminal piece of information)