FEMA refers to Federal Emergency Management Agency which aims to support the citizens. FEMA promotes the belief that the nation must work in unity to improve, sustain, and build its capability in all aspects to prepare for, defend against, respond to, recuperate from, and mitigate all hazards (FEMA, 2011). The agency works in conjunction with the government with the aim of identifying and addressing both natural and man-made disasters. The organization also focuses on providing sustainable solutions to emergencies by educating healthcare workers on how to apply national response framework to public health disasters.
The Whole Community Approach was initiated by FEMA as there was need for the government to come up with a standardized approach to address all hazards without straining the health sector. Therefore, the Whole Community Approach was created for government officials and community leaders to elaborate and recognize the needs of their respective communities, and determine the best solutions for allocating resources and addressing public interests (Wood, 2012). As a result, such solutions promote community resilience which in turn helps to increase a community’s response and recovery capability to disasters. This type of approach to disasters has proven to be beneficial to emergency management strategies implemented by the government.
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The Whole Community Approach has brought tremendous changes in the community by decreasing community vulnerabilities. It has become a necessary way to respond to hazardous situations since there is effective collaboration between the coordination and communication teams. For instance, during the Hurricane Katrina disaster, FEMA realized that there were gaps in communication and coordination approaches which meant that the New Orleans community was stuck without sufficient professional assistance. The Whole Community Approach has enabled the local government and federal state to come up with proactive solutions and approaches to disasters.
References
Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2011). A Whole Community Approach to Emergency Management: Principles, Themes, and Pathways for Action ; Washington, D.C: FEMA
Wood, D. (2012). FEMA Sandy Response Engages Whole Community . http://www.huf ngtonpost.com /2012/12/21/fema-sandy-response_n_2346958.html (accessed on July 15, 2014).
