THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT IN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN NIGERIA AND USA

O.M.A

PAD 6450/01
SPRING 2014

INTRODUCTION
1Disaster refers to an emergency caused by natural hazards or human induced actions resulting in a significant change in circumstances over a relatively short time period. Typical examples are death, displacement, disease, loss of crops, damage to physical and service infrastructure, depletion of natural and social capitals, institutional weakening and a general disruption of economic and social activity. A broad definition of disasters include the fact that they are dramatic, sudden, unscheduled events that are often accompanied by large losses of human life, suffering and affliction to a society or a significant part of it, and a temporary breakdown of prevailing lifelines and systems. Such events cause considerable material damages and interrupt the normal functioning of an economy and of society in general (Otero and Marti, 1995). All communities face some risk of natural disaster or other emergency, and how it is handled at the local, state and national levels determines the impact of the aftermath of the disaster. Developing nations in particular, experience pervasive risk of devastation, human and property loss resulting from human and natural disasters. According to Henderson (2004), this level of risk can be attributed to socio-economic stress, aging and inadequate physical infrastructure, weak education and preparedness for disaster and insufficient fiscal and economic resources to carefully implement the preparedness, response, mitigation and recovery components of integrated emergency management. Disasters are clearly a development problem. First, because certain natural phenomena, including those of hydro-meteorological, geodesic and vulcanological origin tend to have greater effects on developing countries than on developed countries. Second, because several factors associated with a low level of development exacerbate such effects. Thirdly, the impact of natural phenomena on the prospects for long-term development is considerably greater in less developed countries (BID, CEPAL, 2000). Emergency Management or Disaster Management is the effective and efficient organization and management of resources and responsibilities when dealing with all aspects of emergencies, disasters or terrorist attacks. Emergency management involves plans, structures and arrangements established to engage government, volunteer, businesses and nonprofits in a comprehensive and coordinated way to mitigate the implications of a disaster, terrorist attack or emergency (Coleman 2005). Emergency management is divided into three distinct phases. Three Phases of Emergency Management are:

Planning
Response
Recovery
Following a disaster, certain steps have to be taken in order to initiate a response to the crisis, and ultimately ensure recovery of the infrastructure. This response requires intergovernmental relations (as discussed in Module 4 in class). These interactions are necessary in order for the roles and responsibilities of the different levels of government to be carried out effectively. This paper explores the roles and responsibilities of the various levels of government in an emergency situation, and seeks to answer these questions: What are the roles and responsibilities of government(s) in emergency response and management in both countries? How effective is government in responding to natural disasters, both in Nigeria and USA? METHODOLOGY

The method of research for this paper includes perusing of academic journals, newspapers, literature articles, and other secondary data, as well as exploring case studies, specifically pertaining to the Nigerian 2012 floods, and the Mississippi 1993 floods. This will allow for an in-depth analysis that answers the research questions already presented in the Introduction part of this paper, and will offer recommendations based on the findings.

RELEVANCE OF TOPIC TO GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS
The importance of this topic to governmental relations is that it gives a visual representation of how the various levels of government relate with one another in response to such situations, and will help us pinpoint certain similarities as well as differences that exist between these two countries. LITERATURE REVIEW

According to James M. Wright (2000) in his account of the historical perspective on government in flood disaster management, disaster reduction efforts initially centred on structural measures to control flooding. However, changing needs, values, and priorities resulted in new approaches to adjust future development and modify flood risk. The environment became a value in itself. During the last 30 years of the 20th century, the nation significantly progressed in applying new mitigation measures to reduce economic and environmental losses. In Vivian Henshaw’s article “What really happened during the 2012 floods in Nigeria” (Henshaw, 2012), an account is given of the floods that almost engulfed many rural communities in the states of Nigeria. Excerpts from interviews of victims were also contained within the article. Galloway Jr., Charles in his paper entitled “Learning From the Mississippi Flood of 1993”, presented in the US-Italy Research Workshop in Perugia, Italy, 1995, offers a historical evolution of the role of government in emergency situations. The Yale-Tulane Moc Special Report Mississippi River Spring Flooding 2011 is a special report compiled to keep the citizens up to speed with the flood prone areas, as well as the recovery efforts being made by the government. A Look at Nigeria’s Bourgeoning Emergency Management System: Challenges, Opportunities, and Recommendations for Improvement by Abdul-Akeem Sadiq gives insight into the emergency management system in Nigeria, and offers recommendations and areas of improvement.

AN OVERVIEW OF GOVERNMENT ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS. As outlined in the course readings and lecture notes, notably in the Module 1 re...

-2011 -25 -389 /articles/technology-supporting-emergency-response/123342 000 04/30/2014 1 10 100 110 1936 1968 1993 1994 1995 1disaster 2 2000 2003 2004 2005 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 20th 20th-century 21 22 24 25 26 298 3 30 33 36 363 369 4 5 592 6450/01 70 774 800 abdul abdul-akeem abil absenc abubakar academ access accompani accomplish accord account accumul accur achiev acr across act action activ actual ad addit address adequ adjust administr adopt affect afflict africa african aftermath age agenc agent aggrav agreement aid air akeem alert alloc allow almost along alreadi also although american among amount amzat analysi analyz and/or announc anoth answer anyth appar appli applic approach approv april aquat area arkansa arrang articl asid aspect assess asset assist associ assum attach attack attribut author auwal avoid away back bank base basin battl becam becom began begun belat bellonwu benu better beyond bid bid-cep bodi bourgeon breakdown brief bring broad brought build burdensom bureaucraci bureaucrat busi bypass c c.l came cameroun camp cannot capabl capit capita care carri case casualti caus cent center centr central centralized-author centuri cepal certain certif challeng chanc chang characterist charg charl chose circumst citi citizen citizenri clariti clark class claus clear climat cling coincid coleman collabor collaps come commenc commerci committe communiti compact compar comparison compil compon comprehens concept concern conclus condit conduct confer confin confront congress consequ consider constitut contain content conting continu contribut control controversi cooper coordin corn corrupt cost cost-shar could countri cours cover creat creation creatur credit crisi critic crop culverts/canals current custom d.a d.c dam damag data databas deal death decad decentr decis deem defenc defin definit deforest degrad delay delta demand deni depart deplet depth design despit destroy determin devast develop defin die differ difficult dillon direct director disast disaster/emergency discuss diseas displac disput disrupt dissemin distinct distribut district divid divis domin done drainag dramat drawn duti earli econom economi ecosystem ed educ effect effici effort embrac emerg emergencies/disasters encompass encourag end endors engag engulf enhanc enlighten enorm ensur entitl environ environment eoc eop era erod escal esf especi essenti est establish evacu event evolut ewarn exacerb exampl excerpt excess exist expect expend expens experi experienc explor extens face facil facilit fact factor fagbemi failur farmland faster feder felt fema fg figur final find fire first fiscal flash flaw flood floodplain floodwal floodwat flow fmoh follow food forc form found frame framework free freedom freshwat frp fulli function fund funding/grants-in-aid futur galloway gave general geodes give given global go goal good govern government grant grant-in-aid grants-in-aid great greater gross ground grow gulf hail handl happen hard hazard health help henderson henshaw high high-risk higher hindranc histor hit hoboken hoc home homeland howev huge human hydro hydro-meteorolog hydrolog hyogo identif identifi idndr idp illus immedi impact implement implic import improv in-depth inadequ incent incentiv includ incom incorpor increas independ induc ineffect inextric inform infrastructur initi insight institut insuffici insur integr inter inter-american interact interag interest intergovernment intern interrupt intersect intertwin interview introduct inund involv issu itali item jacket jame jebba jersey jimoh jingl john joint journal jr juli jurisdict kanji kayod keep ken kevin kill knowledg l lack lagdo laid land languag larg last later law lawmak lead learn lectur legisl lema less lethal leve level life lifelin like limit line link literatur littl live livelihood lives/properties local locat long long-term look lose loss lost louisiana low lower m m.1 machineri made maintain major make manag manageri mandat mani manifest map market market-bas marti materi matter may mcentir mdas measur mechan meet messag meteorolog method methodolog mile million ministri mississippi missouri mitig moc mod model modifi modul monetari month mortgag most mount move much multipl munasingh must mutual myth nation national-loc national-st natur navig ncp necessari need negat neighbor nema network new newspap nfip nfis niger nigeria nigerian non non-food non-monetari nonprofit nonstructur normal notabl note noth notifi nourish novemb nwf nwpf o.e o.m.a object oblivi obstruct occur ocha offer offic often ogundiya oil ojo old one onuoha oper opportun order ordin organ origin otero outlin overcrowd overflow overlap overview owe owner p.17 p.18 pad paper part particular pass passag pattern pay pda peculiar peopl per percent period person perspect pertain perugia perus pervas phase phenomena phenomenon physic pinpoint pipelin place plan plant player polici policymak poor popul possibl post post-disast post-flood potchefstroom potenti poverti power practic pre pre-disast precipit predict preemin preliminari premium prepar prepared present prevail prevent primari prime princip prioriti privat probe problem procedur proceed process proclaim produc product program progress project prone proper properti prospect protect prove provid provis public purchas push put quantiti question r radio rainfal raini rainstorm rate read realist realiti realli reason recent recommend reconstruct record recoveri reduc reduct refer reflect regard regardless region regul regular rehabilit reinsur relat releas relev relief repair report represent request requir rescu research residenti resourc respond respons restor result reveal review rise risk river role room root rule rural s.17 sadeeq sadiq safara safer safeti say scope sds/env/publications sea sea-level search season second secondari section secur sediment seek seen sema sensit sent serv servic set sever share shelter shiroro shock short shorten signatori signific silver similar sinc sink sitrep situat six slow slow-mov slum social societi socio socio-econom soil solid sometim son sourc south soybean span special specif speed spelt spread spring stake standard state statist stem step still straight strategi strengthen stress strike string structur studi submit subsid success sudden suffer suffic support supremaci survivor sustain swell system system-emerg systemat take taken task taxpay taxpayer-subsid team technic technolog temporari tend tendenc tennesse term terror terrorist texture/structure third thirteen thousand threat three tide tier time today togeth toll took topic topographi tornado total toward tragic trail translat tribal tributari tulan turn two type typic ultim unabl understand undoubt unifi unit univers unnecessari unschedul upper upstream us us-itali usa use usual valley valu vandalis various vast vca ventur victim view visual vivian volum volunt vulcanolog vulner waiv warn washington wast water way weak weaken weather web well wellb wide wildlif wiley wind wise within without witt work workshop world worldwid wors would wright www.directionsmag.com www.directionsmag.com/articles/technology-supporting-emergency-response/123342 www.iadb.org yale yale-tulan year yet z zonal zone fiscal flood floodplain