Disaster Crisis Management
Date
1986
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Disaster Research Center
Abstract
Description
The crisis management of disasters does not follow automatically from disaster planning. Research has shown that successful disaster management results primarily from the activities of emergency organizations. In particular, there are management problems with respect to the communication process, the exercise of authority, and the development of coordination. There are at least five different areas of difficulties in the communication process, namely in intra-organizational behaviors, between organizations, from organizations to the public, from the public to organizations, and with systems of organizations. Exercise of authority difficulties stem from losses of higher echelon personnel because of overwork, conflict regarding authority over new disaster tasks, clashes over organizational jurisdictional differences. Coordination difficulties come from lack of consensus among organizations working on common but new disaster related tasks, and difficulties in achieving overall coordination in any community disaster that is of any magnitude. Prior planning can limit these management difficulties but cannot completely eliminate all of them.
Keywords
crisis management, community disaster, disaster management