Risk-Based A Principle of Emergency Management

Risk-Based A Principle of Emergency Management

Objectives: Students will be able to Define “risk-driven” in the context of emergency management Explain the processes of hazard identification, hazard analysis, and risk assessment. Explain the importance of risk-based planning

Scope This session is focused on the importance of risk measurement in the allocation of resources in emergency management and the setting of policy and program priorities. The thesis is that effective risk management will assure that resources are allocated to address the highest priorities, i.e., to reduce the greatest risks. When priorities are based upon criteria other than real, measured risk, the potential that policies and programs will fail to prevent or reduce the impact of disasters increases. The measurement of risk must include probability as well as potential impact. The session includes exercises and discussions that focus on how risk can be measured and how it can be used to set priorities. Risk-driven – emergency managers utilize sound risk management principles: hazard identification, risk analysis, and impact analysis. Priorities and resources are assigned on the basis of this process.

Readings Enarson, Elaine (2007) “Identifying and Addressing Social Vulnerabilities,” in Emergency Management: Principles and Practice for Local Government, 2nd Editon (Washington, DC: ICMA), pp. 257-278.] Rabkin, Norman J. (2008) Testimony before the Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection, Homeland Security Committee, U.S. House of Representatives, “Strengthening the Use of Risk Management Principles in Homeland Security,” Washington, DC: USGAO, GAO-08-904T, June 25.

Define “risk-driven” Risk-driven” refers to the focus of emergency management policies and programs on real, measured risk A. “Risk” is exposure to the chance of loss; the combination of the probability of an event and the significance of the consequence (impact) of the event. Therefore, Risk Probability x Impact B. Risk in the context of emergency management is the likelihood or probability that there will be loss of life or property or damage to the environment and the likely size or severity of the impact or loss.

Define “risk-driven” C. Emergency management priorities, including time and effort, should be determined by the level of risk posed by a hazard or group of hazards. D. Emergency managers are responsible for using available resources effectively and efficiently to manage risk. That means that the setting of policy and programmatic priorities should be based upon measured levels of risk to lives, property, and the environment.

Define “risk-driven” E. The Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) Standards for public emergency management programs and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1600 Standards for private sector business continuity and emergency management programs require a focus on risk in developing emergency mitigation strategies and other emergency plans.

Define “risk-driven” F. The EMAP Standards (2007) states that “The program shall identify the natural and human-caused hazards that potentially impact the jurisdiction using a broad range of sources. The program shall assess the risk and vulnerability of people, property, the environment, and the program/entity operations from these hazards (EMAP Standard 4.3.1). G. NFPA 1600 (2007) states that emergency management programs “shall identify hazards, monitor those hazards, the likelihood of their occurrence, and the vulnerability of people, property, the environment, and the entity [program] itself to those hazards” (NFPA Standard 5.3).

Effective risk management is based upon 1. The identification of the natural and manmade hazards that may have significant effect on the community or organization; 2. The analysis of those hazards to determine the nature of the risks they pose; 3. A vulnerability analysis to determine the level of vulnerability to each of those hazards; and 4. A risk analysis to determine the potential risks they pose to specific communities, organizations, and other entities.

Risk-Driven Mitigation strategies, emergency operations plans, continuity of operations plans, and pre- and post-disaster recovery plans should be based upon the specific risks identified and resources should be allocated appropriately to address those risks. Communities across the U.S. have very different risks of earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, industrial accidents, hazardous materials accidents, terrorism, and other hazards. It is the responsibility of emergency managers to address the specific risks to their communities and/or organizations.

Risk-Driven Budgets, human resource management decisions, plans, public education programs, training and exercising, and other efforts necessarily should focus first on the hazards that pose the greatest risks. An all-hazards focus will assure that the plans are adaptable to a variety of disaster types and that, by addressing the hazards that pose the greatest risk to life, property, and the environment, the community will be better prepared for lesser risks as well.

How do emergency managers address risk? A. Emergency management programs typically address all manner of natural and human caused risks that are likely to occur in an organization, community, state, or nation. B. Risk is defined and measured. C. Risk analysis involves the determination of the likelihood of an event (probability) and the consequences of its occurrence (impact) for the purpose of comparing possible risks and making risk management decisions.

How do emergency managers address risk? D. Risk assessment is the combination of vulnerability analysis and risk analysis. The determination and presentation (usually in quantitative form) of the potential hazards, and the likelihood and the extent of harm that may result from these hazards. E. Risk management is the process of intervening to reduce risk – the making of public and private decisions regarding protective policies and actions that reduce the threat to life, property, and the environment posed by hazards.

Discussion Questions 1. What are the principal hazards in your community? 2. List, discuss, and prioritize from highest to lowest. 3. Discuss how qualitative and quantitative measures might be used.

Risk-Based Funding and Resource Allocation In Fiscal Year 2003, the Department of Homeland Security based its funding allocations to the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) on risk. Other state and local homeland security assistance program grants were based upon population or some other statutorily guaranteed share.

Risk-Based Funding and Resource Allocation The 9/11 Commission recommended that the grant programs “supplement state and local resources based upon the risks or vulnerabilities that merit additional support” (9/11 Commission Report, 2004: 396). While acknowledging that every state should receive some funding to support its homeland security programs, the Commission argued that the bulk of funding should go to those jurisdictions with the greatest risk or vulnerability and specifically mentioned New York City and Washington, DC.,

Risk-Based Funding and Resource Allocation Risk factors included in legislation being debated by Congress in 2005 included: 1. High population or population density, including commuters and tourists, 2. Target of a prior attack, 3. International border or coastline, 4. High risk in terms of critical infrastructure

Risk-Based Funding and Resource Allocation 5. Higher threat level than nation as a whole based upon the Homeland Security Advisory System, 6. High risk sites or activities in a neighboring jurisdiction, 7. First responder essential capability shortfalls, and/or 8. “Other threat factors as determined by the DHS Secretary” (Reese, 2005: 5-6).

Risk-Based Funding and Resource Allocation Some legislation included separate allocations to urban areas and to states because urban areas were judged to be at greater risk of terrorist attack than states as a whole. In recent history, state allocations of funding have tended to go to suburban areas rather than core urban areas because of the dominant interests in state legislatures and governors’ offices. The same patterns of allocations occur in other policy areas, such as economic development, housing, and transportation.

Risk-Based Funding and Resource Allocation The Congressional Research Office report suggested three questions that Congress should consider, the two that relate to risk were: 1. What risk factors might be included in a risk-based funding formula? 2. Who should determine the risk factors?

Exercise Discuss the following issues: 1. Including the risk of natural and/or technical disaster, as well as terrorism, which of the factors should be included in a risk-based funding formula? 2. Which infrastructure should be the highest priority and which might be most vulnerable? 3. How should special events, such as the Olympics or Super Bowl or World Series, affect allocations and what kinds of events might quality?

Exercise 4. And, as the Congressional Research Office asked, who should determine the risk factors? Nuclear power plants and other nuclear facilities, Seaports, Chemical facilities, Military facilities, Federal facilities, Dams, Non-nuclear electrical power plants,

Exercise Food and agricultural centers, Oil and natural gas refineries and pipelines, Financial centers, Rail and mass transit systems, Bridges and tunnels, Airports, Stadiums and arenas, Educational institutions, and Skyscrapers and large commercial buildings.

Measuring Risk Increasing the use of risk management techniques has been encouraged for decades. Greater use of risk management in emergency management and Homeland Security has been advocated by the Government Accountability Office, the Congressional Research Service, and the academic community. The US Comptroller General convened a forum of experts on risk management on October 25, 2007, for a dialogue on the application of risk management principles in Homeland Security. The experts came from federal, state and local government, the private sector, and academia (Rabkin, 2008: 1).

Measuring Risk The experts identified three challenges to the application of risk management principles to homeland security: 1. Improving risk communication 2. Political obstacles to risk-based resource allocation, and 3. A lack of strategic thinking about managing homeland security risk (Rabkin, 2008: 2).

Risk Communication Improving risk communication will require educating the public and policymakers about risks and the need to use a risk management approach to set priorities and allocate resources.

Strategic Planning The participants also suggested that a national strategic planning process be established for homeland security, including more representation from state and local governments and the private sector. The US Government Accountability Office risk management framework has five phases:

Strategic Planning 1. Setting strategic goals and objectives, and determining constraints; 2. Assessing risks; 3. Evaluating alternatives for addressing these risks; 4. Selecting the appropriate alternatives, and 5. Implementing the alternatives and monitoring the progress made and results achieved (USGAO, 2008: 3).

Risk Assessment Assessing the risks of terrorist events is more challenging because of the lack of historical data. In many cases, there is considerable data on natural disasters upon which to estimate probabilities of events occurring and their likely severity. A risk management approach will help state and local governments and the private sector better prioritize their efforts and, thus, improve their capabilities to recovery quickly. The nation’s critical infrastructure will be more resilient.

Effective public and private sector risk management practices 1. Creating an executive position of chief risk officer to champion risk management within the organization. 2. Integrating risk management principles into public sector operations, such as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s practice of using risk assessment to set priorities for security-related capital investment. 3. Providing economic incentives to organizations and people to reduce risk, such as discounted insurance premiums.

Effective public and private sector risk management practices 4. Using opportunity analysis, a process to identify and analyze situations to help the organization position itself to achieve desirable objectives. 5. Using insurance to minimize losses (a private sector approach). 6. Using regulations and standards to reduce the probability of losses of life and property and damage to the environment (a public sector approach) (Rabkin, 2008: 7-8).

Risk communication can be improved by 1. Helping the public understand homeland security risks. Sensationalized media accounts of terrorist incidences, in particular, have focused attention on scenarios that are not likely to occur. 2. Educating policymakers by establishing common terminology for risk. Training a new cadre of risk management professionals.

Better Risk Management 3. Developing new risk communication practices to alert the public when an emergency occurs. The public has to understand the risk and how they should respond. The National Weather Service has long experience with alert and warning systems. 4. Encouraging public officials to invest in measures that will reduce risk in the long-term, even though the public may not fully understand the risk (Rabkin, 2008: 9-11).

Better Risk Management Strategic thinking can be improved by 1. Encouraging agencies to consider tradeoffs involved in risk reduction, e.g., whether investments might better be made to reduce the risk of more probable terrorist attacks or to better measure the direct and indirect costs of security options. 2. Developing government-wide risk management guidance to assure more consistent decision making (Rabkin, 2008: 1112).

Discussion Questions How do emergency managers view risk? Procedurally, how do emergency managers do a risk assessment? Why is a risk-based focus necessary? What risks should be the first considerations and why?

Discussion Questions What are risk assessment, vulnerability assessment, and risk analyis? Define each. What risk factors might be included in a risk-based funding formula? Who should determine the risk factors? What do the Government Accountability Office identify as the biggest challenges for effective risk management?

Discussion Questions What can be done to improve the adoption of risk management principles in public emergency management programs? In private sector emergency management programs? What can be done to improve strategic thinking about risk management?

Hazard Identification What is the process of hazard identification? A. Hazard identification is the process of identifying all hazards that might potentially cause losses. B. Potential hazards may be identified through historical records, newspapers, interviews with long-time residents, and other sources. Some high consequence events, such as volcanic eruptions, may be hundreds of years apart and residents may not be aware of their potential occurrence.

Hazard Analysis What is the process of hazard analysis? Hazard analysis provides information on the nature of the hazard in terms of its potential impact. Floods, for example, can damage infrastructure such as roads and bridges, as well as damaging residential and commercial property. Hazard analyses can help develop mitigation strategies when there are similar consequences for different kinds of disasters.

Risk Assessment What is the process of risk assessment? A. “Risk assessment is the process of qualitatively or quantitatively determining the probability of an adverse event and the severity of its impact upon an asset” (Rabkin, 2008: 3). B. Risk assessment can be an estimation of probabilities and severity. A common approach to risk assessment is use of the following matrix. The matrix below suggests investments in reducing risks that are rated A or B first, i.e., those judged to be of higher frequency and higher damage or consequence.

Risk Matrix High Low Consequence------------- Consequence Low C C D D D D Frequency B B C D D D A B B C D C High A A B C C C Frequency A A A B C C

EMAP Standard The Emergency Management Standard by EMAP includes the following requirements: A. “The program shall identify the natural and human-caused hazards that potentially impact the jurisdiction using a broad range of sources. The program shall assess the risk and vulnerability of people, property, the environment, and the program/entity operations from these hazards (Standard 4.31).

EMAP Standard A. “The program shall conduct a consequence analysis for the hazards identified in 4.3.1 to consider the impact on the public; responders; continuity of operations including continued delivery of services; property, facilities, and, infrastructure; the environment; the economic condition of the jurisdiction and public confidence in the jurisdiction’s governance (Standard 4.3.2).

EMAP Standard B. “The jurisdiction shall develop and implement a mitigation program to eliminate hazards or mitigate the effects of hazards that cannot be reasonably prevented. The program participates in federal, state/territorial, tribal, and local mitigation programs. C. The program identifies ongoing mitigation opportunities and tracks repetitive loss. The program implements mitigation projects according to a plan that sets priorities based upon loss reduction. The mitigation process encourages public/private partnerships (Standard 4.4.1).

EMAP Standard D. “The mitigation program provides technical assistance consistent with the scope of the program such as implementing building codes, fire codes, and land-use ordinances (Standard 4.4.2). E. “The program shall have a process to monitor overall progress of the mitigation strategies, documenting completed initiatives and quantifying the resulting reduction or limitation of hazard impact in the jurisdiction (Standard 4.4.3). and

EMAP Standard F. “The mitigation plan shall be based on the natural and human-caused hazards identified by the jurisdiction and the risk and consequences of those hazards. The mitigation plan for the jurisdiction shall establish interim and long-term strategies, goals and objectives, programs, and actions to reduce vulnerability to the hazards identified including a cost- benefit analysis. The plan ranks projects based upon the greatest opportunity for loss reduction and documents how specific mitigation actions contribute to overall risk reduction. The plan addresses an education and outreach strategy” (Standard 4.4.4) (EMAP, 2007).

Discussion Questions What are hazard identification, hazard analysis, and risk assessment? Define each. Following the EMAP Standard, how should an emergency management program address risks?

Risk-Based Planning What is risk-based planning? Risk-based planning involves using measures of risk to set planning priorities. Risk-based land-use planning focuses on natural and man-made hazards. Keeping people and property out of harm’s way is easier than trying to eliminate hazards. Raymond Burby traces this idea to President Harry Truman’s Water Resources Policy Commission recommendation of a locational approach to planning. It is easier to keep people away from hazardous areas that flood than to stop flooding altogether (Burby, 1998).

Risk-Based Planning Risk-based planning is used in floodplain management, including coastal zone management, and in spot zoning to prevent or limit development in areas prone to landslides and other hazards. “Sustainable land use cannot be achieved for hazardous areas when decision making is not adequately informed about risk.” To make informed choices, local officials and their constituents must know how many people are subject to injury, how many structures can be damaged, and how much infrastructure can be lost, as well as the likelihood that such impacts will occur” (Deyle, French, Olshansky, and Paterson, 1998: 120).

Risk-Based Planning Effective hazard assessment requires hazard identification, vulnerability assessment, and risk analysis. A focus on risk can reduce exposure to hazards and, thereby, reduce losses of life and property. Risk-based planning is increasingly being used to address social vulnerability, i.e., focusing assistance on those who need it most.

Social Vulnerability Why are emergency management officials focusing more and more on the issue of social vulnerability? When disasters happen, some segments of social cope better than others and, in many cases, can find shelter, food, and othe necessities with little or no assistance. As the Katrina disaster and other disasters have demonstrated, some segments of social need much more help. For example, 47 percent of the people who died as a result of the Katrina disaster were over 75 years of age. The elderly are more vulnerable than the general population. The elderly were also most likely not to have cars to evacuate themselves.

Social Vulnerability The poor in the City of New Orleans when Katrina struck were overwhelmingly elderly, minority, children, and single mothers. The poor were most likely not to evacuate and most likely to rely upon public shelters during the storm. Poverty and other social-economic conditions affect abilities to prepare for disasters and mitigate their effects, abilities and willingness to evacuate, capacities to understand and respond to warnings, the need for public shelter, and other essential skills and abilities.

Social Vulnerability Because of the problems associated with socioeconomic conditions and demographic factors, researchers have developed indices of social vulnerability and tools, such as computer –assisted mapping, to assist in vulnerability assessment. Vulnerability assessment includes attention to social factors that limit residents’ abilities to take care of themselves and to take advantage of services provided by governmental, nongovernmental, and private assistance.

Social Vulnerability Social The vulnerability is increasing as population increases, more people move to coastal areas vulnerable to storms, the population gets older, more children are poor, more people suffer from chronic diseases and conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, there are more single-parent households, and more people live alone, particularly the elderly (Enarson, 2007: 265).

Social Vulnerability Social vulnerability is mitigated somewhat by strong social networks that provide support

Social Vulnerability Other vulnerable populations that should be considered include: Renters/public housing residents. Mobile home residents. The homeless (pre-disaster). Tourists and transients. Religious minorities. Non-English speakers. Marginalized racial and ethnic groups. Sexual minorities. Infants and other young children. Migrant workers. Residents in unincorporated areas (Enarson, 2007: 275).

Social Vulnerability To address the needs of more vulnerable social groups, emergency management officials may need to Target communications toward specific groups. Use specialized equipment. Provide more recovery assistance. Provide day care and elder care assistance. Encourage community networking. Provide translators. Open special needs shelters. Provide more mental health assistance. Provide specialized transportation and more assistance with evacuation. Train volunteers to deal with special populations (Enarson, 2007: 275)

Exercise I Characterize your own community in terms of the likelihood of having greater or lesser social vulnerability than neighboring communities. Which groups might have special needs during major disasters? What kinds of special assistance should emergency management officials in the community consider? Do the students have family members or neighbors who might need special assistance and what kinds?

Exercise II Provide one “worst case scenario” and describe how that scenario should be used to training emergency management agency personnel. How likely it is that each worst case scenario will occur. What is the most likely intensity or severity of each kind of disaster, i.e., how likely is it that the “worst case” will occur? Rank-order the scenarios in terms of both the probability that they will happen and the most likely severity for their community.

Exercise II (Continued) Discussion questions: What priority should each disaster type be assigned by their community, their state government, or the federal government? Are those priorities necessarily the same and, if different, how can the differences in priority be reconciled (i.e., whose priority wins)? What happens when the federal government has different priorities than state and local governments, or local governments have different priorities than their state counterparts? Which priorities should local emergency managers follow? Which priorities are their constituents and employers expecting them to follow?

Discussion Questions What is risk-based planning? How does land-use planning focus on risk? What is social vulnerability and why is it important to emergency managers? What factors increase social vulnerability? Which factors are more evident in the local community? How can social networks lessen social vulnerability?