How can leaders identify and mitigate risks during a disaster?

There are numerous methods and tactics leaders may incorporate when trying to identify potential hazards and mitigation strategies. Where we often run into trouble, is with underestimating the impact, or completely ruling out potential hazards due to our self imposed limits on our own imagination. We have to remember that just because we identify a potential hazard that may have a very low probability of occurring, it does not mean we will have a mitigation for that risk. Funding or bandwidth (or both) will always be a factor in mitigation. We can still identify the hazard and apply a mitigation strategy that may be as simple as discussing and mapping out what it would take to mitigate. The point here is, don’t discourage imagination.

Leaders can identify and mitigate risk by conducting on-going thorough risk assessments, developing robust contingency and response plans, ensuring effective communication with all public and private stakeholders, and regularly practicing drills to enhance preparedness and response capabilities. Additionally, staying informed about potential risks and leveraging technology for real-time monitoring can contribute to a more prepared and ready organization. I also believe leaders should be bold in decision making and of course make tough and often unpopular decisions in placing key subordinate leaders in positions of authority. Removing the bad apples from your leadership tree is often not talked about.

But a good leader needs to remain flexible enough within all those to make adjustments as the disaster unfolds. It is those adjustments that will help determine the outcome of the disaster. The old still holds true we can make all plans we want however the disasters are not reading those therefore the disaster is going to do what damage it is going to do. We try to mitigate as much as we can but we must remain as flexible we can to respond to the disaster as develops

Before you start your Hazard Mitigation plan, review the FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Handbook (pg. 242-250) and answer the questions. This will create the purpose of your plan. Natural hazards + Built Environment. And, know that one element or question can have multiple answers. Know that you need proof that you had a public outreach meeting (agenda, photos, flyers, etc., and clear contact information) during and before adoption. Follow the FEMA guidance and your hazard identification and risk assessment will be complete. You can expand it to include threats which opens the opportunity to complete your Threat, Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment or THIRA.

When disaster occured, the communication is the one of crucial part managing the disaster. The initial communication across internal and external stakeholder can help us to manage the situation especially when the speed of social media that can give wrong message to all stakeholder. They we communicate also require flexibility and not rely on one technique, we can deploy our leader to have direct communication in the field to explain direclty to the worker on the current situation, what we need support form worker and what we have done so far to mitigate the risk.

In my experience this step is probably the most difficult to “Honestly” perform. Good leadership MUST convey that we only get better by addressing issues. Critiques should never ever carry reprisals. By accepting Lessons Learned and applying changes to documents in our Comprehension Emergency Management Plan we reduce risks and loss of life in our next disaster. ✌️

Conduct After-Action Reviews (AARs) with all relevant stakeholders to discuss what worked well, what could be improved, and how to implement changes in future responses. AARs should be constructive and focus on continuous improvement. Based on this, identify Lessons Learned. These should be documented and used to improve existing contingency plans for enhanced preparedness for future disasters.

Attend training. In-person, or virtual, or independent study. Learn the language and use it properly. Finally, learn to write in concise bullet points. A good emergency plan is written at the 8th to 10th-grade level. Use bullets.

Start by reporting everything that might be a risk. Better to be proactive than to wait for something to happen. All reports of possible risks can then be prioritized specially where costs would be involved.

A culture of preparedness is the million-dollar question (sometimes literally). How to convince an organisation to spend money on preparedness when the threat is not imminent? The interest is usually high when it's too late, the disaster is approaching and everyone needs the same resources to mitigate consequences. Firstly, leadership must buy-in on the need for preparedness. Good contingency plans must be made for hazards identified in your risk assessment. Training including simulation is essential to develop and continuously refine contingency plans, as well as foster preparedness amongst all employees. A postive culture of preparedness can be encouraged amongst all continuously, through reminders and ways of communicating.

Consider the role of volunteers whether organized or organic. Consider the most vulnerable and prepare those neighbourhoods in advance.

Realize we cannot stand alone in the time of disasters and hazard mitigation. Having strong partnerships, memorandums of understanding, contracts, and good ole hand shakes across the table will allow us to share resources and to take advantage of the talents of multiple organizations. When working against our hazard list use these connections to build capability. Every city does not need a hazardous materials team or a bomb squad. Build these specialized units in various locations and willfully share those assets to enhance our preparedness.