45
2016
( - يونيو
373
العدد )
الجمعية الكويتيه لحماية البيئة
البيئة
and loans. The process of
collecting this data was slow
and was often impeded by
conditions created by the
disaster.
Power outages affected more
than 2.69 million customers,
and restoration of service was
a high priority in the initial and
ongoing response. The loss
of power created significant
issues that hampered
communications and delivery
of essential services. Not
only did a large proportion
of the states’ residents lose
power, but also businesses and
schools were closed, and major
facilities such as water and
wastewater treatment facilities,
hospitals, and police stations
used generators—if they had
them—to function. Service
stations also closed due to
lack of power, exacerbating
the demand for generators
and the requirement for fuel.
The resulting fuel shortage
led to crisis situations that
impeded the provision of
basic human services; in many
municipalities, for example,
police, fire, EMS, and public
works departments ran out of
fuel for their vehicles.
Roadway washed away
connecting barrier island to
New Jersey mainland
These issues required the
need to acquire generators
capable of supporting large
facilities and fuel to support
not only generators but also
to sustain emergency services
and provide homeowners fuel
for their personal generators.
The New Jersey Office of
Emergency Management had
not only to locate fuel from
out of the state but also had
to prioritize where fuel and
generators should be placed
first.
When large areas of the state
suffer from these issues and a
shortage of resources ensues,
how do managers prioritize
distribution of these scant
resources? Again, the what, the
so what, and the what’s next
come into play.
Answering these questions
requires compilation of data
for analysis. The process
also requires making music
from noise. While we
discussed the importance of
developing essential elements
of information, focusing on
key pieces of information, we
did not discuss who has the
responsibility to conduct this
analysis. While the process is
a collective mission of all who
staff any emergency operations
center, the group with primary
responsibility for collection
and analysis of this information
is the Planning Section.
The Incident Command
System (ICS) was first
developed in the United States
in the late 1970s in response
