Analysis Using Faulkner’s Crisis Management Framework

Faulkner underlines the need to actualize a disaster management system that looks at

different aspects of a disaster, which begins with the preparation phases before the disaster hits to

how people and other key parties should respond during and after the disaster. The focus on this

phases outlines an understand at what crisis management is and what it entails (Hazaa,

Almaqtari, & Al-Swidi, 2021). The first aspect of the framework looks at the concept of pre-

event. This is a crucial area that entails the period when there is an action that can be an event to

prevent the occurrence of the disaster in the first place. In the case outlined in response to the

tsunami hazard scientifically based assessments have been incorporated to outline the at-risk

areas, thereby ensuring that a lot of people can have key information beforehand about the risk of

a tsunami. These assessments make it easier to decide the areas to build or choose to live in

while also avoiding at-risk areas, thereby underlining the observation of the pre-event aspect of

the framework (Kwak, Seo, & Choi, 2017). The outlined phase also primarily depends on the

education of the at-risk populations, whereby they are taught about the dangers they may

encounter while they receive insight on how they can respond in certain situations.

The second notable consideration that Faulkner emphasizes on is the prodromal stage

which looks at a time when the disaster is imminent. This phase primarily entails mobilizing

warning people about the disaster and mobilizing them to get out of the at-risk areas. In this

analysis, the assessment shows the imminent nature of the disaster and hence it is imperative to

start preparing people and looking toward taking them to safety (Marsen, 2019). The national

tsunami hazard mitigation program strategic plan shows that at-risk communities are educated

and prepared for the disaster. Therefore, during this phase, they understand what is expected of

them and can effectively evacuate with little or zero limitations.

 The disaster management framework further looks at the need for action when a disaster

strikes. Therefore, it entails looking for contingency plans to minimize the damage, protect the

people, and ensure that the region will mitigate the disaster effectively. The crisis management

plan covers this phase through its mitigation and recovery aspects. Therefore, the initial stages

primarily focus on having guidelines and model practices for mitigation and recovery for

communities and key infrastructure. Secondly, the outlined phase looks at the immediate choices

or courses of action to take when the disaster hits, such as evacuating people and having an

effective evacuation program that outlines how people are evacuated and which people are

prioritized for evacuation depending on different demographics.

The disaster management framework further talks about the intermediate phase which

looks at the needs that transpire after the short-term needs of the people have been addressed.

During this phase, it is imperative to look at things, such as damage monitoring, and cleaning

and restoration, among others. Therefore, the focus on the crisis management framework covers

this aspect through the recovery process, where it is paramount to analyze the damage caused by

the disaster and to start restoring things. For instance, if trees have fallen on buildings or blocked

the roads, one can actualize this stage to recover.

The framework further underlines the importance of maneuvering through the long-term

and resolution stages. The long-term phase continues with the intermediate phase by continually

reconstructing and helping overcome any major damages, while resolution ensures that

everything has been repaired. The crisis management strategy outlines the different areas that the

people can acquire information about disaster while also analyzing their response to understand

whether they have effectively managed to overcome the disaster and curb such issues in the

future, thereby underlining the enactment of these measures.

 Strengths and Weaknesses of the Plan

The plan actualizes notable strengths that instigate its success and effectiveness. For

starters, the plan outlines the importance of education and preparedness which insists on teaching

about disasters and preparedness in public schools and higher learning institutions. The

approach, thus, plays a pivotal role in ensuring that people learn from a young age about

disasters and how to act or respond to a disaster. The enactment of these measures in the learning

system shows that the plan understands the nature of the disaster and aims to prepare and protect

everyone.

In addition, the plan underlines the importance of emphasizing risk assessment, thereby,

underlining the essence of learning about the disaster and looking for potential solutions before it

transpires. Therefore, the outlined approach shows that the plan understands beforehand the

notable routes to enact during evacuation and the possible areas to take the people when the

disaster occurs. Evacuation measures play a key role in determining how to evacuate people

depending on their number and size (Liu, Chen & Chen, 2021). The outlined strengths pave the

way for response teams to reach the scene and secure it effectively while also managing to help

people from at-risk regions evacuate.

Consequently, the notable weakness of the outlined crisis management strategy is the

failure to comprehensively outline what the people are expected to do during such an emergency.

The strategy shows that the community, the state, and the federal government all have a role to

play in effectively mitigating the disaster. However, it could have been more comprehensive

about the different roles of the people, while also outlining its evacuation measures or priorities.

Conclusion and Recommendations

 The crisis management plan is brief and covers the essential aspects to enact before,

during, and after a crisis. However, the plan can benefit more from the enactment of details on

the different roles of the different people associated with the plan. For instance, it can outline the

first respondents during a crisis and what the people are expected to do during the crisis. The

plan can benefit by outlining the communication measures that will be enacted during the

disaster and how people are expected to observe them. Communication is essential during a

disaster and can look at aspects, such as how employees will be informed about the issue and the

public (Kim, 2018). A more comprehensive plan can outline all these details, thereby ensuring

that each individual is aware of the role they are expected to play and also understand what they

should do or who they should engage with when there is an issue. Lastly, the plan can also

outline the expected means of evacuation and the different roles that the public, private, and

other key parties can play in helping with the evacuation.

 References

Hazaa, Y.M., Almaqtari, F.A. & Al-Swidi, A., 2021. Factors influencing crisis management: A

systematic review and synthesis for future research. Cogent Business & Management, 8(1).

Kim, Y. (2018). Enhancing employee communication behaviors for sensemaking and

sensegiving in crisis situations. Journal of Communication Management, 22(4), 451-475.

[Link]

Kwak, C., Seo, B., & Choi, W. (2017). An approach to disaster management assessment with

consulting method for strengthening capability. Korean Society of Hazard Mitigation,

17(5), 155-126. [Link]

Liu, J., Chen, Y. & Chen, Y., 2021. Emergency and disaster management-crowd evacuation

research. Journal of Industrial Information Integration, 21, p.100191.

Marsen, S., 2019. Navigating crisis: The role of communication in organizational crisis.

International Journal of Business Communication, 57(2), pp.163–175.