Catastrophic Disaster Planning
IEM's innovative scenario-based required resource planning process created for the 2004 "Hurricane Pam" project for Southeast Louisiana is the benchmark for catastrophic disaster planning. Today, the next-generation of this approach is being embraced and refined by jurisdictions and agencies around the country to better prepare for and recover from catastrophic disasters.
Since hurricanes, earthquakes, and other real-life disasters do not generally follow “a specific plan,” IEM recognized the need for a planning process that could be easily reproduced for both preparedness activities and actual incidents. Capturing formulas and calculations inherent to effective resource decision-making strategically prepares responders to launch a unified, timely, and appropriate response regardless of hazard, size of event, or geographic location
Supports both vertical and horizontal planning.
This process, called scenario-based resource planning, utilizes a fictional, but plausible disaster scenario to establish a common framework for the identification and evaluation of capabilities—vertically throughout government agencies responsible for emergency management activities and horizontally across emergency management programs, private sector stakeholders, non-profit and volunteer organizations, and survivors.
No more silos.
Rather than traditional silo-type events such as first responder-only exercises, this process brings together
representatives from the entire spectrum of emergency management. Participants include first responders, local level and state emergency management officials,
What they say about "Pam":
"Hurricane Pam 2004 was more than an exercise. It was a unique planning endeavor that resulted in functional plans that were considered for and actually put to use in real-life situations before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina."
"Most exercise participants agreed that many of the plans were useful even though they were not final. Though they needed some cleaning up, the resulting drafts were 'fightable,' that is, detailed enough to be implemented and to guide response and recovery operations."
—Hurricane Katrina: A Nation Still Unprepared," Report from the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate, May 2006
Not just for catastrophes.
The use of non-traditional planning methods such as scenario-based required resource planning is setting the stage for necessary cultural changes to better prepare the nation’s responders for any emergency – not just catastrophes.
