Online Disaster Preparation: Evaluation of State Emergency Management Web Sites

Hurricane Agnes struck the United States in June of 1972, just months before a pivotal election and at the dawn of the deindustrialization period across the Northeast. The response by local, state, and national officials had long-term consequences for all Americans. President Richard Nixon used the tragedy for political gain by delivering a generous relief package to the key states of New York and Pennsylvania in a bid to win over voters. After his landslide reelection in 1972, Nixon cut benefits for disaster victims and then passed legislation to push responsibility for disaster preparation and mitigation onto states and localities. The impact led to the rise of emergency management and inspired the development of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). With a particular focus on events in New York and Pennsylvania, this book narrates how local, state, and federal authorities responded to the immediate crisis of Hurricane Agnes and managed the long-term recovery. The impact of Agnes was horrific, as the storm left 122 people dead, forced tens of thousands into homelessness, and caused billions of dollars in damage from Florida to New York. In its aftermath, local officials and leaders directed disaster relief funds to rebuild their shattered cities and reshaped future disaster policies. The book explains how the political decisions by local, state, and federal officials shaped state and national disaster policy and continues to influence emergency preparedness and response to this day.

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Examining the influence of professional emergency management coordinators driving preparedness and resilience on university campuses

Journal of Emergency Management ◽

10.5055/jem.2018.0361 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 126

Author(s):

Stephen A. Murphy, PhD, MPH, MBA ◽

Maureen Lichtveld, MD, MPH

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Emergency Management ◽

Disaster Management ◽

Web Sites ◽

Emergency Preparedness ◽

Compliance Rate ◽

The United States ◽

Full Time ◽

Accessible Information ◽

The Web

Objective: To characterize the compliance with disaster management recommendations of ensuring a full-time, dedicated professional is responsible for coordinating disaster management programs. This research targets a subset of institutions of higher education (IHEs) in the United States at risk of annual hurricane threats or having experienced an active shooter incident near campus.Design: A comprehensive Web-based assessment was conducted to determine the Web presence of emergency management of 265 IHEs with student enrollment greater than 2,000 in coastal states at risk of annual Atlantic Hurricane landfalls. Results were displayed spatially using ArcGIS. Results: Although the Web sites of 91 percent of IHEs with enrollment greater than 20,000 displayed easily accessible information on a dedicated professional leading emergency management, only 42 percent of the Web sites of those IHEs with enrollment between 10,000 and 20,000 did so. As enrollment declined, the compliance rate declined. Compliance rates for IHEs with different enrollments were as follows: 6,001-9,999, 30 percent; 3,001-6,000, 23 percent; 2,000-3,000, 13 percent.Conclusions: A full-time, dedicated professional coordinating emergency preparedness is a best practice as evidenced by various accrediting bodies, but this practice is not mandated for IHEs. Our results suggest that proximity to significant annual hurricane threats does not influence the adoption of this recommendation. Despite IHEs being core stakeholders in assuring disaster resilience, gaps exist in preparedness practice.

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Still wary of the Web? The evolution of state emergency management agency Web sites 2008-2017

Journal of Emergency Management ◽

10.5055/jem.2018.0386 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 16 (6) ◽

pp. 377

Author(s):

David W. Guth, MA

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Content Analysis ◽

Emergency Management ◽

Web Sites ◽

Social Communication ◽

Full Potential ◽

Emergency Communication ◽

Management Agency ◽

The Web

A 2008 content analysis of state emergency management agency Web sites showed that they tended to be internally focused and needed to be more citizen-focused and journalist friendly. The study was replicated in 2017. Because of changes in technology and agency missions, the content richness indicators were expanded. The study shows an increased acceptance of Internet and social communication. However, it also shows that the full potential of social media in emergency communication has not been reached.

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Disaster relief volunteerism: Evaluating cities’ planning for the usage and management of spontaneous volunteers

Journal of Emergency Management ◽

10.5055/jem.2016.0279 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 127 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Jason David Rivera, PhD ◽

Zachary David Wood, MA

Keyword(s):

Content Analysis ◽

Emergency Management ◽

Web Sites ◽

Exploratory Study ◽

Disaster Response ◽

Disaster Relief ◽

Survey Instrument ◽

Urban Environments ◽

Emergency Managers ◽

The Us

This exploratory study sought to observe the perceptions, usage, and planned management of spontaneous volunteers in disaster planning and response within various urban environments. The authors discuss the perceptions of spontaneous volunteerism in America, specifically the challenges of using spontaneous volunteers in disaster response activities. A content analysis of the 50 largest cities in the US Office of Emergency Management Web sites and a survey instrument administered to emergency managers in these 50 cities were used to explore various questions raised throughout the discussion of the literature. The authors found significant discrepancies between what is stated in the disaster plans of cities and what emergency managers claim is covered in their plans. Of the managers surveyed, only a handful mention spontaneous volunteers in their plans at all, and even fewercities discuss them extensively. In addition, stated perceptions of the value of spontaneous volunteers may impact both how we plan for them and the value they provide.

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Emergency Management Web Sites

Introduction to Emergency Management ◽

10.1016/b978-0-12-407784-3.00023-1 ◽

2014 ◽

pp. 381-383

Keyword(s):

Emergency Management ◽

Web Sites

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Emergency management communication on university Web sites: A 7-year study

Journal of Emergency Management ◽

10.5055/jem.2016.0291 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 259

Author(s):

Kelly L. Brown, PhD ◽

Gina Holguin, BS ◽

Tara Halbrook Scott, BS

Keyword(s):

Emergency Management ◽

Web Sites ◽

College Campuses ◽

Future Research ◽

Management Information ◽

Management Communication ◽

Response Information ◽

The University ◽

Threat Levels ◽

The Web

In the last several years, disasters—both manmade and natural—have taken their toll on college campuses. Extant research shows that college campuses have greatly increased their emergency management efforts. One area in which colleges and universities have made strides is emergency management communication. There has been some research examining emergency management communication across campuses, but there is still much to learn. This research fills a gap in this area by investigating the use of university Web sites to disseminate emergency management information to the university stakeholders. Data were gathered in 2007 and 2014 from the Web sites of public, 4-year universities in Indiana. The results show that universities are using the Internet to communicate emergency management information to their stakeholders. Among the most common categories of information available on the Web sites are links to other agencies, university response information, and threat levels. Implications for future research are discussed.

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