How Americans Reduce Disasters and Relief Disasters

Disaster relief in the United States is different from disaster relief in China. The disaster relief department is different depending on the type of disaster and the method of rescue, and different departments are responsible for it. However, the division of labor in each department is complete and the system is complete.

Disaster relief system is divided into two levels of federal and state

The disaster prevention and relief system in the United States is divided into two levels, the federal and the state. The department responsible for leading and coordinating national disaster affairs is the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In March 1979, after the Sanri Island incident that shocked the world in the history of civil nuclear energy, the United States immediately established a dedicated Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s terms of reference cover many disasters: earthquakes, droughts, extreme heat, floods, hurricanes, landslides and mudslides, tornadoes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, wildfires in forests, snowstorms, lightning, hazardous waste, and building fires. Radiation accidents, nuclear power plant incidents, and even terrorist attacks, almost none of which the Federal Emergency Management Agency is unable to control.

When the severity of the disaster exceeds the local processing capacity, the state can request the president and federal support. Special funds are set by the Stanford Act (Robert T. Stafford Act) and assessed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as the national disaster after the president’s assessment. . At this time, the Federal Emergency Management Agency made decisions based on the situation of the disaster, organized the federal assistance team, coordinated relevant departments, provided resources for disaster relief, and notified the public of changes in the disaster situation. At the same time as disaster relief, we must plan and correct future disaster prevention directions and strategies.

News media picks up

In the United States system for disaster reduction and relief, the news media is a key sector. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has a large Department of Public Affairs dedicated to providing detailed information to the media. There are also specialized public affairs organizations within the agency's sub-district offices. They respond quickly to media interviews and cooperate with them. One of the most important tasks of the government and related organizations is to inform the public through various media. The major news media will also open columns to conduct comprehensive coverage in order to allow the public to keep abreast of the latest developments in disasters and enhance self-protection awareness.

Americans are accustomed to paying close attention to radio and television and timely issuing warning messages before and during each storm. Sometimes, radio and television will forcibly interrupt normal broadcast programs and broadcast news about the storm, telling the audience when and when the storm will end, and the intensity of the heavy rain. Even if the TV does not interrupt the normal program, it will also play a very eye-catching subtitle directly above the TV screen to remind the viewer to pay attention to the storm information or simply remind the viewer to switch the TV channel to the "weather channel".

What the Federal Emergency Management Agency does on a day when no disaster strikes is: strengthen individual awareness of disasters, provide basic common sense, assist in designing family contingency plans, purchase appropriate disaster insurance (floods, earthquakes, etc.), and prepare for home days. Take precautions and call for the help of young and old people when disaster strikes.

Public and private assistance

The relief provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency is divided into public and private. The targets of public assistance are local governments, private non-profit organizations, etc., which are mainly used for repairing public facilities, maintaining pipelines, etc., and removing debris and pavement deposits after the disaster.

The object of private assistance is to ordinary people, which may be loss of personal property or damage to the company. There are few concerns that after a disaster, there will be no fixed place, because the government will resettle. As long as the President announces that he is a disaster-stricken area, ordinary people can directly use free telephones to apply for assistance, such as rental assistance for housing, temporary shelter or emergency repair funds; low-interest housing loans to cover the uninsured part of property losses; The severe loss can be applied for personal and family benefits. In addition, there are psychological consultations (such as relatives and friends, casualties, etc.) caused by disasters, unemployment assistance and legal assistance.

If you want to find friends and relatives, you only need to make a free phone call. If you suspect that there will be a will for the victims, you only need to call the police and give it to the government department. This is different from China's self-help. Americans provide disaster relief, search survivors with firefighters, collect bodies to have professional bodies to deal with action teams, clean up collapsed houses and rubble with construction workers, clean up broken branches and professionally cut trees.