Impact of Natural Disasters on Risk Management

Research says threats of natural disasters may continue to rise due to the increase in the average temperature of the water in oceans (Tennyson & Diala, 2016). Weather events will be intense and frequent due to global warming. This will result in rising sea levels and other environmental changes. According to Tennyson and Diala, disaster preparedness is the total of all measures that have been taken and the policies that have been adopted to address a disaster before it occurs and to mitigate or minimize the effect the disaster has on human life.

When preparing for a disaster the planning is directed towards the disaster and using the resources before and after a disaster occurs. The activities should help save lives and reducing the impact disasters have on an individual's human life (Tennyson & Diala, 2016).

The risk of a disaster is the chance of a harmful manmade event occur and have a harmful effect on human life, property, and the environment (Tennyson & Diala, 2016). For example, hurricanes are caused by weather conditions and they become dangerous based on the path they travel and the strength they gain while traveling. The larger the span of distance that a natural event travels after it reaches land, the greater the number of people, property, and environment it will affect.

Risk management includes activities, processes, and policies so that steps can be taken to reduce the impact of adverse event may have on people, property, or the environment. Disaster risk management is focused on reducing the impact of disasters on individuals, property, and communities through the adoption of a comprehensive process that includes preparing for a disaster before it occurs; enacting effective responses to disasters before, during, and after they occur, and recovering from disasters after they occur (Tennyson & Diala, 2016). Risk managers believe that advanced technology solutions and hurricane management preparedness can help commercial property companies do better to prepare for future storms and decrease their risk of damage (Marlow, Slatter, & Wozniak, 2006). When it comes to risk management in order to prepare, companies need to determine what is at risk to protect liabilities. Issues to consider during the risk assessment process is to ensure code compliance, speak with the insurer, coordinate with local, state, and federal agencies, develop critical parts and suppliers list, and document everything (including pictures of the property) (Marlow, Slatter, & Wozniak, 2006).

Although most disasters are not entirely unexpected and can be mitigated, the construction sector for disaster risk management should be more involved (Bosher, Dainty, Carrillo, Glass, & Price, 2007). Article states, "key recommendations to improve the construction sector in the process are as follows: construction-related stakeholders need to become more involved in groups such as Local Resilience Teams and Forums; risk and hazard awareness training needs to be integrated systematically into the professional training of architects, planners, engineers, developers, etc., and the construction sector should embrace and pre-empt regulatory changes regarding resilient construction requirements.

The construction decision-making process requires a thoroughly integrated understanding of how to avoid and mitigate the effects of emergencies and disasters (Bosher, Dainty, Carrillo, Glass, & Price, 2007). Preparing for a hurricane or other natural disasters from a risk management perspective is basically making sure communication is established before, during, and after the disaster. Emergency response teams can be created and all have roles they play in case of disasters, have a backup plan for temporary work sites and ways to communicate with employees, and shelter places should be developed and drills with employees should be rehearsed so everyone will know what to do in case of emergencies. From a business point, disasters happen but there are ways to mitigate risks and action plans to help restore business once a disaster or danger is over. It is critical for businesses to have policies and procedures in place to keep everyone safe and protect the business operations and assets.

References

1. Bosher, L., Dainty, A., Carrillo, P., Glass, J., & Price, A. (2007). Integrating disaster risk management into construction: a UK perspective. Building Research & Information, 35(2), 163–177.
2. Marlow, I. M., Slatter, M., & Wozniak, T. (2006). The Fury: Preparing for Natural Disasters. Risk Management (00355593), 53(5), 10–14.
3. Tennyson, D., & Diala, I. (2016). Case Study on Hurricane Sandy Survivors Experience. Scholedge International Journal of Multidisciplinary & Allied Studies, 3(3), 67–75.

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