Emergency management is dealing with and avoiding disasters. Disasters can be natural, such as earthquakes, floods, and severe storms, or man-made, such as major transportation accidents, fires, and terrorism. Regardless of the cause of the disaster, emergency management is intended to be comprehensive to prepare for, mitigate, respond to, and recover from any disaster.
There are four phases of emergency management that make up the "emergency life cycle": mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. These phases represent the various elements of a disaster. All phases are interconnected and everyone has responsibilities in all four phases. Here are some examples of the roles of residents and business in these phases:
Generally, all disasters and emergencies begin and end at the local level. This means that local governments are usually first to respond to a disaster or emergency and are affected most by disasters and emergencies. This is why it is important for you as a business or resident to prepare for disasters and emergencies.
Can you say "I've got seven" and mean it? In the event of a disaster, are you prepared to survive without assistance for seven days? When an emergency strikes, it's too late to begin to plan how you and your family will cope with it or to assemble the things you need to survive. In the event of a major disaster, you may not have access to food, water, or electricity for days or weeks. Emergency services may be overwhelmed and help could take days to arrive.
Prepare now - make a kit, make a plan, be informed!
Have a seven-day supply of:
For questions or more information about emergency and disaster preparedness, please contact the Seal Beach Police Department at (562) 799-4100.