Mitigation is defined as \"sustained action to reduce or eliminate risk to peopl
ID: 236120 • Letter: M
Question
Mitigation is defined as "sustained action to reduce or eliminate risk to people and property from hazards and their effects" (Haddow, Bullock, & Coppola, 2007). Mitigation looks at long-term solutions to reduce risk. List the widely accepted measures used in mitigation and give an example of how each is used or could be used to combat day-to-day hazards you face in your personal life and in your community. Reference: Haddow, G. D., Bullock, J. A., & Coppola, D. P. (2007). Introduction to emergency management (3rd ed.). Burlington, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann. Evaluation Criteria: Identified and discussed mitigation measures for day-to-day hazards in your personal life and community, including how these measures are used. Emergency Preparedness Emergency preparedness is often defined as readiness to respond to disasters, crises, and emergency situations. The preparedness planning cycle uses a graphic to explain the essentials of preparedness. Based on your understanding, explain what the key elements of the graphic mean in emergency preparedness. Discuss who should spearhead preparedness in an organization or community. Justify your answers with appropriate reasoning. Explained what the key elements of the emergency preparedness cycle mean. identified and described who should spearhead preparedness in an organization or community.Explanation / Answer
Widely accepted mitigation measures:
Impact avoidance: this step is effective only when it is applied during the early stages of project planning and includes:
not undertaking the projects which could have an adverse impact afterwards
avoiding the areas which are environmentally sensitive
applying preventive measures to stop an event from occuring eg. To maintain a fisheries regime release of water from the reservoir
Impact minimisation: identification and prediction of an impact to reduce its magnitude. extent or duration of the impact and includes
relocating or scaling down of the proposal
supplemenatary actions for managing the impacts
to redesign elements of project
Impact compensation: this step is applied as a remedy to the unavoidable residual adverse impacts and includes:
restoration of the affected site to its normal or previous state
rehabition of the environment affected by the impact eg. restocking and habitat enhancement
replacement of the same resource value to to another location. eg. provide an equivalent area by wetland engineering if the area is lost due to drainage or infill
Ways which can be taken to mitigate measures depending on nature of project and cycles of impact:
proposing better alternatives to the project
changes in project design and plan
Impact monitoring and management
compensation for impacts eg. financial help, resettlement plan, site remediation
Case example: Mitigation of a dam project in Seco river dam in Mexico by EIA and includes following measures:
replace the lands and homes of people which have been displaced
operation and rehabilation of burrow pits in a proper manner
establish the fish breeding programmes
prior to flooding removing the trees from the site
plantation of trees as barrier
environmental management regime for grazing, watershed, forestry
promoting those agricultural activities that reduce the demand of water
establish financing ,social service and technical advisory programmes
emergency preparedness: it is the response of the affected people to response to any emergency situation in such a way that combat the effects of the impact.
to strengthen the technical and managment capacity of governments, communities and organisation
to encourage programmmes which enhance the response mechanisms like appropriate behavioural practices what to do or what not do during a particular impact
to build early warning systems
to develop long term and short term strategies
public education
rehearsals of an impending disaster by mockdrill
strategic reserves of food, equipment, water and other essentials
preparedness of health care services during the impact like availablity of staff, medicines,beds in hospitals etc.
evacuation plans and training
emergency/ personal contact lists
mutual aid agreements
resource inventrories
Since the effectiveness of a preparedness programmes depends on the incorporation of appropriate measures in the national and regional plans of develpment. Information about the hazards, emergency risks, measures to be taken depends on the extent to which governmental, non governmental organisations and the experts who give advice to the related to the management of impact should spearhead in an organisation or community