Functions of Emergency Management

Mitigation

Mitigation is the activities that prevent an emergency, reduce the chance of an emergency happening, or reduce the damaging effects of unavoidable emergencies. Buying flood and fire insurance for your home is a mitigation activity. Mitigation activities take place before and after emergencies.
Some other mitigation functions include:Having and enforcing building and fire codes;Designating specific routes for hazardous materials shipments;Requiring tiedowns for mobile homes;Shipping regulations for hazardous materials.

Preparedness

Preparedness includes plans or preparations made to save lives and to help response-and-rescue operations. Evacuation plans and stocking food and water are both examples of preparedness. Preparedness activities take place before and emergency occurs.
Some preparedness functions include:Making emergency operations plans;Procuring supplies for use during an emergency;Procuring equipment for use during an emergency;Training responders in emergency response activities.

Response

Response includes actions taken to save lives and prevent further property damage in a disaster or emergency situation. Response is putting preparedness plans into action. Seeking shelter from a tornado or turning off gas valves in an earthquake are both response activities. Response activities take place during and just after an emergency.
Some response activities include:Warning that an emergency is about to happen. This could be when the tornado sirens are sounded, when the National Weather Service issues a thunderstorm warning or tornado warning, or when the local television stations break into programming to update viewers on approaching weather or other emergency situation.Sheltering and feeding of disaster victims (and sometimes responders);Search and rescueoperations;Damage assessment;First aid, triage, treatment, and transport of injured to hospitals;Evacuation of dangerous areas;Firefighting;Containment of hazardous materials.

Recovery

Recovery activities include those actions taken to return to a normal or even safer situation following an emergency. Recovery includes getting financial assistance to help pay for the repairs. Recovery activities take place after an emergency.
Some recovery functions include:Repair of homes, facilities, and public works systems, as well as destruction and cleanup of sites which are beyond repair.Rebuilding, where repair is not feasible.Psychological healing of victims, responders, and others in the immediate area.Evaluation of mitigation, preparedness, and response efforts, and movement into new mitigation and preparedness activities.