21st Century FEMA Study Course: Damage Assessment for Public Works (IS-556) - Local Assessment for Public Works Professionals, Urban Planners, Local Government Officials, Elected Officials

This Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) independent training course manual from the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) is designed to build local capacity for damage assessment by enabling the development or refinement of a damage assessment program for the public works agency. By the end of this course, participants will be able to: Explain basic concepts related to damage assessment; use risk and vulnerability assessment information for public works damage assessment planning; explain how public works is involved in planning the damage assessment program for both the community and the agency; use training and exercises to enhance the damage assessment program; describe basic operations of local damage assessment; analyze damage assessment after-action information. The primary audience is public works professionals, urban planners, local government officials, elected officials.

Public works is relied upon to clear entrance and egress routes to make it safe for other first responders and search-and-rescue teams to enter damaged areas. Public works is also a key member of the damage assessment response team. The information gathered by the damage assessment response team provides a snapshot of the situation detailing the extent and location of damages. This information is evaluated to determine the needs of the survivors and the community as a whole. Thus, the damage assessment sets the tone for the entire response operation and drives the recovery process. Damage assessment helps your community and your public works agency set priorities for response activities such as search and rescue, as well as for recovery operations such as removal of storm debris and rebuilding or repair of infrastructure. It also helps identify needs for additional resources from local, State, and Federal agencies and provides some of the documentation necessary for applying for these avenues of assistance.

As a bonus, this compilation includes Disaster Response: Staff Officer's Handbook with Observations, Insights, and Lessons - Comprehensive Information on Military Response to Natural Disasters, Emergency Management, Terrorism.
This is a uniquely valuable, informative, and up-to-date guide to military emergency management response, covering all aspects of defense support to civilians in times of crisis. Contents: Introduction * Chapter 1 - The Language of Disasters and Incidents * Chapter 2 - The Legal Framework * Chapter 3 - The National Response Framework and National Incident Management System * Chapter 4 - Department of Defense Role in Incident Response * Chapter 5 - Emergency Support Functions * Appendix A - Unit Planning Considerations * Appendix B - Casualties * Appendix C - Biological Incidents * Appendix D - Nuclear and Radiological Incidents * Appendix E - Catastrophic Incidents * Appendix F - Terrorist Incidents * Appendix G - Mass Evacuation Incidents * Appendix H - Nongovernmental Organizations * Appendix I - Legal Considerations and Law Enforcement * Appendix J - Operations Security * Appendix K - Airspace Command and Control * Appendix L - Search and Rescue * Appendix M - After-Action Reviews * Appendix N - Composite Risk Management * Appendix O - State Points of Contact * Appendix P - Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officers * Appendix Q - Websites.

Natural and man-made disasters in the United States cause pain and heartbreak to our fellow citizens. Picking up the pieces of shattered lives and homes is devastating, even to the stoutest among us. While the military cannot repair the emotional damage, it can mitigate the effects of tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, wildland fires, oil spills, and terrorist attacks.