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— Comfort, Louise K. "Risk, Security, and Disaster Management." Annual Review of Political Science 8, no. 1 (2005): 336-56. This review examines the policies and practices that address the evolving conditions of risk, security, and disaster management in U.S. society. Although each condition presents particular challenges to public agencies and the communities they serve, all represent varying states of uncertainty and require different approaches for informed action. This analysis reframes the issue of managing risk by focusing on the distinction between policies and practices developed in reference to natural and technological hazards and those developed to enhance security from hostile acts. The author concludes that building networks of organizations committed to continual inquiry, informed action, and adaptive learning is a more flexible, robust strategy than the standard practice of establishing greater control over possible threats through administrative structures. Supported by methods of network analysis, computational simulation, information infrastructure, and long-term policy goals, networked strategies offer an important alternative to hierarchical structures that prove vulnerable in uncertain environments. |
<< Disaster Planning and Preparedness for Nonprofits | — Harrald, John R. "Agility and Discipline: Critical Success Factors for Disaster Response." The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 604, no. 1 (March 2006): 256-72. For more than 30 years, the U.S. emergency management community has been increasing its ability to structure, control, and manage a large response. The result of this evolution is a National Response system based on the National Response Plan and the National Incident Management system that is perceived to have failed in response to Hurricane Katrina. Over the same time, social scientists have been documenting factors such as improvisation, adaptability, and creativity that are critical to coordination, collaboration, and communication for solving problems. This article argues that both streams of thought are needed and suggests an organizational typology to address this need. — Meyer-Emerick, Nancy, and Mehnaaz Momen. "Continuity Planning for Nonprofits." Nonprofit Management and Leadership 14, no. 1 (fall 2003): 67-77. (PDF file) Many nonprofits assist in emergency response and disaster relief to alleviate human suffering. To enhance those efforts and the maintenance of routine nonprofit operations, this article introduces the concept of continuity planning, which focuses on the maintenance of critical operational processes. Continuity planning is not widely applied within the nonprofit sector, primarily due to a lack of fiscal or personnel resources. However, this article explores several continuity-planning options for nonprofits and provides a brief explanation of the process. |
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