When major disasters strike American communities, the military becomes involved extensively with the emergency management process. In many cases, involvement by the National Guard or others is considered a “second wave” or “supplemental” way to handle major disasters, since they often arrive to the scene quite a bit later than first responders like law enforcement, paramedics, and even volunteers from the community. As a result, the role of these professionals differs considerably from those who are first on the scene. Even so, these responders are often the key to restoring order, confidence, and safety to communities affected by major disasters.
Supplies and Support: A Supplemental Role in Disaster Management
When an emergency situation becomes so severe that local first responders can’t handle the response all on their own, it may be necessary to call the state or federal National Guard to the area so that they can supplement the response and make it more effective. This is most often the case in larger communities, especially major cities that have been severely impacted by the disaster. Due to the strength of these groups and their equipment, they are able to more easily make their way into communities to assist in search and recovery activities and provide medical care and supplies, and even food or water.
This supplemental role helps communities pick up in the immediate aftermath and get back into a normal routine. It also ensures that casualties from a major disaster remain few and far between, by significantly improving search and recovery processes. Some National Guard members may step in for law enforcement or participate in rotating shifts with first responders.
Restoring Law and Order: Another Key Responsibility
In some cases, the emergency is less about a natural disaster and more about manmade issues, like riots and looting that pose a serious safety threat to communities. In many cases, incidents like these are hard for local law enforcement to control. They may have have lost the trust of the community or their numbers may simply be too small to effectively stop the dangerous rioting and related damage that poses a serious risk to residents. In this case, prompt arrival of National Guard members can contain the problem and help reverse the course of damage. In this capacity, the military acts as a supplemental police force and uses additional equipment to keep rioters and protesters at bay. Their work with a community tends to take several days, especially when rioters attempt to reignite violence and protest after the problem is initially contained.
Staff and Direct Disaster Control Centers
In the event of a major emergency or disaster, National Guard troops will be tasked with setting up an emergency response center that can communicate effectively with all stakeholders, including local residents, law enforcement, commanding officers, political officials, and anyone else in search of information about the situation at hand. This central communication and meeting post makes disaster recovery significantly easier. It’s also an important way to get the word out about any additional resources needed to get the job done quickly.
Key Responsibilities for Troops Assisting with Emergency Situations
Whether it’s establishing a communications center or providing hands-on assistance with search and recovery, rebuilding or containing the situation, National Guard troops are a key part of the disaster management process. Communities that leverage military emergency management can expect to recover faster, limit the loss of life and property, and return to normalcy in shorter order than if they had not had this exceptional assistance.