There is growing pressure on FEMA and local emergency managers to plan for and mitigate the impacts of the numerous emergencies and disasters that can plague a community.  This was brought to light Tuesday night in Philadelphia when Amtrak Train 188 bound for New York City derailed traveling at 106 mph on a curve with a speed limit of 50 mph. This article outlines the emergency response that took place shortly after the derailment.  As Elizabeth Kellar, President and CEO, Center for State and Local Government Excellence, stated in her blog post, elements of this disaster point to gaps in our infrastructure maintenance that put citizens in danger. Today’s blog post provides an overview of emergency response resources that local governments can use to lessen the effects of emergencies, whether caused by infrastructure failures or other circumstances.

1. The U.S. Economic Development Association provides a multitude of resources on its Disaster Recovery page.
2. Emergencies and disasters also have a dramatic impact on local economies. The International Economic Development Council provides this toolkit for economic recovery and resiliency during times of crisis.
3. This FEMA guide on the Knowledge Network highlights the recovery challenges and the critical task of local governments when acquiring recovery resources.
4. When traumatic and polarizing incidents like the Amtrak derailment take place, local governments reach out to volunteers to increase response/recovery capacity.  This ICMA article outlines an approach to managing post-disaster volunteers.
5. This ICMA article outlines the importance and how-to of working with elected officials during a crisis.
6. One key resource that all emergency managers can use is FEMA’s National Disaster and Recovery Framework (NDRF).  As noted in the publication, “The NDRF provides guidance that enables effective recovery support to disaster-impacted States, Tribes and local jurisdictions. It provides a flexible structure that enables disaster recovery managers to operate in a unified and collaborative manner. It also focuses on how best to restore, redevelop and revitalize the health, social, economic natural and environmental fabric of the community and build a more resilient Nation.”

Has your community formulated plans to respond to infrastructure failure or other emergencies? Please post comments below.

Douglas Shontz

Knowledge Network Intern