In emergency management, the roles of both private and public sectors are considered important and dependent on each other. Public charities such as the Red Cross have a long history of disaster relief and management and worked together with governmental organizations to offer services of recovery. Importantly, most of the people in society are aware of the efforts that many public organizations implement in relieving the impact of disasters; the role of for-profit contractors is not that obvious despite being as important.
Thus, understanding the roles of private and public sector organizations in disaster mitigation and preparedness is considered essential. In the current exploration, the identification of organizations’ roles in hazard mitigation will be presented. Besides, different roles in private and public sectors when it comes to addressing the adverse impact of hazardous situations on the public and the environment.
Roles in Hazard Planning
In regards to the roles that both public and private organizations play in hazard mitigation, it should be mentioned that they participate in preparedness, early response, and long-term recovery. First, the private sector usually considers “what they need to do to survive a disaster or emergency, as outlined in their business continuity plans” (Chandra, Moen, & Sellers, 2016, p. 5). Second, businesses extend their reach in emergency preparedness and involve employees and other constituents to participate in decision-making. Third, private-sector organizations contribute to the overall improvement and resilience of individuals living in vulnerable areas. This is important for building the local capacity of the community to extend the range of resources available for the public to be effective in responding to hazards on their own.
Fourth, financing programs for communities are also important roles of private organizations because they can provide a certain degree of security for communities until they wait for the state or federal support. Lastly, the provision of goods and services to the public is a significant contribution to mitigation planning and preparedness. These can range from first aid kits to emergency services and depend on the capabilities and specialization of private organizations.
Public organizations are also significant participants in the planning and preparedness for disasters. According to the World Health Organization (2013), responding to the risks and results of natural disasters and other hazardous events is the responsibility of all stakeholders involved in the community. The first role of public organizations in assessing the risks in the community that could present barriers to the effective management of hazardous occurrences.
Second, it is expected that organizations would increase the availability of resources through analyzing available services and accommodations. Third, a comprehensive community-wide plan that includes the resources and strengths should be developed for addressing the particular concerns of planning and preparation for hazardous situations. Another role of public organizations implies cooperative training and exercise to bring the community together in addressing the identified risks. Lastly, community education and engagement of people in the issues pertinent to the mitigation of hazardous situations.
Analysis
Each of the mentioned roles of public and private organizations contributes to the systematic approach to addressing the risks of hazard mitigation planning. From the private perspective, the development of a community that possesses enough financial and other resources for addressing the affective response to occurring disasters. From the public perspective, the strengthening of the bonds between community members is essential for ensuring that people come together to reduce the adverse impact of hazardous events on people, especially underserved and vulnerable groups.
The different roles in private and public sectors all have the same purpose – preparing communities to mitigate hazards efficiently. However, the methods in which the goal is achieved may vary. Private organizations provide physical products, resources, and financial support that is not available to public organizations. Besides, private companies have more opportunities to cooperate with other businesses to offer the required level of support to the community, which means that there is less reliance on monetary limitations. Public organizations depend on governmental funding and therefore are more concerned with providing education and strengthening the connections between community members.
In the private sector, an example of a successful program refers to IBM’s long-term resilience when creating Smarter Cities Challenge grants in Japan following the 2011 tsunami and earthquake (Chandra et al., 2016). The company developed an open-source database for tracking people and resources needed for the long-term community monitoring and social recovery. An example of a successful program in the public sector is linked to New Zealand’s Red Cross Hazard App that was developed to prepare communities for possible hazards and help them respond to them effectively (“Hazard App,” 2019). The application sends out disaster alerts to users’ smartphones or tablets, which is a cost-efficient way of informing the public and participate in immediate response to hazards.
Conclusion
In summary, it must be mentioned that collaboration between public and private sector organizations is the key to achieving the effectiveness of planning and preparedness for hazard occurrence. Education and resource providers are the most important roles of both types of organizations as they have a direct influence on strengthening the capabilities of the community in hazard planning and preparedness.
References
Chandra, A., Moen, S., & Sellers, C. (2016). What role does the private sector have in supporting disaster recovery, and what challenges does it face in doing so? Web.
Hazard App. (2019). Web.
World Health Organization. (2013). Emergency risk management for health: Overview. Web.