New Castle County, Delaware
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Phases - Emergency Management

Our work is conducted under what is referred to as the four phases of Emergency Management:

Mitigation

Activities undertaken to eliminate or reduce the chance of an occurrence or the effects of a disaster.

Examples of mitigation tasks include undertaking legislative efforts such as Hazardous Material Facility accident prevention programs and Flood Plain Management programs; and conducting public outreach programs through the community/civic organizations, service organizations, articles, or at public events.

Preparedness

Activities include developing plans to enhance response capabilities and conducting exercises to assess response efficiencies.

Examples of preparedness tasks include identifying vulnerable areas exposed to risk generating sources such as nuclear plants, hazardous material facilities and waterways; identifying special populations which need assistance in receiving warnings and/or following through with protective actions; conducting/participating in a variety of exercises scheduled each year.

Response

Activities that are designed to provide the public with emergency assistance.

Examples of response activities include monitoring disaster agents; predicting the impact of a disaster agent (where, when, degree); notifying other authorities and agencies; issuing public warnings through the Emergency Alert System (EAS) radio stations; coordinating services and resources of various agencies to address the needs of the public.

Recovery

Activities to return the community to normal or near normal through relief operations. Recovery is divided into two parts.

Examples of Recovery operations under Public (Government) Property Relief include restoring utilities; clearing and restoring roads; and restoring public buildings to provide necessary services. Examples of Recovery operations under Individual (Citizen) Relief include food; housing; and grants and loans.

When a disaster strikes, the overall authority for directing emergency operations rests with the Director of Public Safety, and managing the activities within the Emergency Operations Center rests with the Coordinator of Emergency Planning. The Emergency Operations Center is a centralized command center where resources can be directed toward the disaster/emergency situation through a coordinated effort.