Agenda - Council - 12/10/2019 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Anoka County MINNESOTA Respectful, Innovative, Fiscally Responsible 1.2 Emergency Management Background Anoka County 2019 Multi -Jurisdictional All Hazards Mitigation Plan I Commented [REK1]: Over the past fifty years, the meaning and scope of homeland security and emergency management has significantly evolved in response to changes in political, military, and natural environments. Emergency management has grown from a narrow civil defense focus, to its present position of providing a wide array of services in response to natural and manmade hazards, including aspects of homeland security. This evolution has resulted in a shift from federal based initiatives to one of fostering both local and state developed and delivered programs. Within this framework, local emergency management organizations work to implement local, state, and federal emergency management and homeland security policy. By working collaboratively with governmental agencies, private industry, and citizens, and by providing technical assistance and support, local emergency management organizations are expanding capabilities to contribute a broad spectrum of professional services. Historically, federal and state perspectives have shaped the focus, scope, and policy of emergency management. Prior to and extending through the 1930s, emergency management programs did not exist except for some "New Deal" social programs, administered by federal agencies, that aided in response to specific disasters. Emergency Management found its beginning and was developed immediately after World War II as a response to military attack. The federal government created a nationwide shelter program under the provisions of the Civil Defense Act. The first federal assistance to state and local governments was provided under civil defense programs. At the federal level, response and recovery from natural and manmade disasters were thought to be within the jurisdiction of state and local governments. These disasters were philosophically and legally separate from "war - related" emergencies until the late 1970s. In 1979, the Federal Emergency Management Agency was established to assist in responding to war caused emergencies, nuclear events and natural and manmade disasters. In the 1980s, response and recovery efforts from other than war caused disasters became eligible for federal funding. This was the first effort to view emergency management as a comprehensive set of services encompassing four phases - mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Emergency Management also experienced a key policy shift. Focus shifted from one of nuclear war preparedness to a more balanced focus on natural and manmade hazards and disasters. An "all -hazards" approach was emphasized. Federal assistance became available for preparedness, direct response and recovery efforts. The increasing demand on federal funds for disaster recovery assistance prompted a change in federal policy to emphasize mitigation and provide technical assistance to build state and local government capabilities to more independently deal with emergencies and disasters that occur within their jurisdictions. In the 1990s, federal, state, and local governments recognized the increasing threat of terrorism. Domestic and foreign events, including the bombing of the New York World Trade Center in February 1993; the April 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City; the bombing of the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia in June 1996; the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole in Yemen in October 2000; terrorist attacks on September 2001; and the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013 demonstrated terrorists' willingness to use weapons of mass destruction. Federal agencies began to examine the causes and effects of these events, to shape U.S. policy, and fund domestic anti -terrorism preparedness activities. 2