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DHS Issues National Preparedness Guidelines
The U.S. Homeland Security Department said yesterday it had issued a planning document intended to help boost preparedness around the nation for a major catastrophe (see GSN, March 2). The National Preparedness Guidelines “establish a vision for national preparedness and provide a systematic approach for prioritizing preparedness efforts across the nation,” the agency said in a press release. The purpose of the guidelines is to: organize and synchronize efforts at all levels of government to boost disaster readiness; guide national preparedness investments; incorporate the lessons of prior catastrophes in developing preparedness priorities; facilitating a “capability-based and risk-based investment planning process”; and prepare a system for measuring progress and overall preparations for terrorism and other potential crises. There are four parts to the guidelines, the agency said: — A vision statement: “The vision for the National Preparedness Guidelines is a nation prepared with coordinated capabilities to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from all hazards in a way that balances risk with resources and need”; — Fifteen planning scenarios for a range of threats, intended to “form the basis for national planning, training, investments and exercises needed to prepare for emergencies of all types”; — A list of 1,600 tasks that would bolster prevention, protection, response and recovery efforts in the event of a major catastrophe; and — A set of 37 capabilities for development by states, municipalities and the private sector to strengthen the response to a disaster (U.S. Homeland Security Department release, Sept. 13).
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