HLSS603 APUS Preparedness and Resilience in Homeland Security Discussion
Responses should be a minimum of 250 words and include direct questions. You may challenge, support or supplement another student’s answer using the terms, concepts and theories from the required readings. Also, do not be afraid to respectfully disagree where you feel appropriate; as this should be part of your analysis process at this academic level.
Respond to:
The word resilience has many of definitions at which vary between different fields, such as psychology, sociology, physics, civil engineering, supply chains, economics, business, energy and ecology (Kahan, 2017). This term is thought to have officially entered “the world of homeland security” in response to the devastating events of 9/11 (Kahan, 2017). As defined in our reading, Disaster Resilience: A National Imperative (2012), from a homeland security prospective, resilience is “the ability to prepare and plan for, absorb, recover from, and more successfully adapt to adverse events.” When resilience is increased it is thought to lead to a greater capability to anticipate the disaster and mitigate the potential losses, rather than waiting to take action after the event takes place (“Disaster Resilience,” 2012, p.1).
This is the same platform at which the Presidential Policy Directive (PPD-8) is aimed towards. According to the Homeland Security (2018), PPD-8 is aimed towards “strengthening the security and resilience of the United States through systematic preparation for the threats that pose the greatest risk to the security of the nation, including acts of terrorism, cyber attacks, pandemics, and catastrophic natural disasters.” While the term national preparedness refers to “the actions taken to plan, organize, equip, train, and exercise to build and sustain the capabilities necessary to prevent, protect against, mitigate the effects of, respond to, and recover from those threats that pose the greatest risk to the security Nation” (“Presidential Policy Directive,” 2018). With this notion, I find that resilience and preparedness, taken from a homeland security prospective is synergetic.
Preparedness can generate resilience as one of its outcomes, at which is now a main focus of the homeland security strategy (Kahan, 2017). In order to prepare and build resilience, the involvement and interaction of everyone must be adhered. With that being said, it’s important that it’s not just steps taken from the government but that it is a whole community approach (individuals, families, communities, the private and nonprofit sectors, faith-based organizations, and state, local, tribal, terrirorial, insular area and federal governments) to assist in the nations overall security and resilience when struck by all hazards, such as epidemics, natural disasters, and acts of terrorism (“Week 1: Resilience,” n.d & Whole Community, n.d). There are several characteristics to build a more resilient nation which include:
- “Every individual and community in the nation has access to the risk and vulnerability information they need to make their communities more resilient.
• All levels of government, communities, and the private sector have designed resilience strategies and operation plans based on this information.
• Proactive investments and policy decisions have reduced loss of lives, costs, and socioeconomic impacts of future disasters.
• Community coalitions are widely organized, recognized, and supported to provide essential services before and after disasters occur.
• Recovery after disasters is rapid and the per capita federal cost of responding to disasters has been declining for a decade.
• Nationwide, the public is universally safer, healthier, and better educated” (Disaster Resilience,” 2012, p.2).
Majority, if not all, of these stated above characteristics have some correlation with preparedness. Without preparedness, the resilience of our nation is thought to be fragile. For our nation to withstand events it is essential that we are resilient and prepared as a whole.
Thank you,
Kaitlyn M.
W/C 536
Disaster Resilience: A National Imperative. (2012). National Research Council,1-2.
doi:10.17226/13457
Presidential Policy Directive 8: National Preparedness. (2018, August 14). Retrieved from
https://www.dhs.gov/presidential-policy-directive-8-national-preparedness
Resilience Redux: Buzzword or Basis for Homeland Security. (2017, March 30). Retrieved from
https://www.hsaj.org/articles/1308
Whole Community. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.fema.gov/whole-community
