HM503 Unit 5 DQ’s Discussion topics support this unit’s objective and should be completed after reading all materials

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HM503

Unit 5 DQ’s

Discussion topics support this unit’s objective and should be completed after reading all materials. Your responses ought to include original evaluation, synthesis, or analysis of the topic, and contribute to the weekly discussion in a meaningful way. You must complete all discussion topics and reply to your peers' posts. Refer to the Discussion Board Rubric under Course Resources for additional requirements.

 

Topic 1: Federal Government Responsibilities

Should the federal government be responsible for damages to structures that received funds in previous floods? If the federal government reimburses farmers for the losses of their crops in floods, should owners of businesses in other sectors expect the same recovery measures for their losses? Why, or why not?

 

Respond Kindly to Student #1

Antonio Custodio

 

I do believe the federal government should have some responsibility with fund distribution and reimbursement into the community that can be damaged by flood waters or other natural disasters. As one of the goals in recovery is to build back the community better than it was and more resilient towards disasters as well as assisting in rebuilding the economy from the negative effects a disaster such as a flood can have on a community. As when a state of emergency can be called for a community who has fallen victim to flooding often these communities themselves as well as the state cannot financially provide for the recovery efforts and may have to heavily rely on federal assistance. Such as when Hurricane Sandy struck and the massive flooding that followed the federal assistance included assistance to businesses and building owners with low interest loans and federal grants. (Carter, N. 2012) Although the federal government does not necessarily have to offer aid to businesses or farmers and is ultimately the federal government’s decision as well as the governor’s decision to declare a state of emergency and request federal aid. Even with programs that help farmers who are victims of flooding and other natural disasters such as The U.S. Department of Agriculture having recovery programs for farmers there still should be some level of responsibility on the federal government in assisting farmers, local business owners, and the overall damaged community as I can understand the Federal government does not want communities to rely heavily on them for assistance yet depending on the community or state not all communities have the benefits of a solid rainy day fund or a large budget for recovery. (The Pew Charitable Trusts, 2017)

 

 

References:

 

Carter, N. (2012). Congressional Research Service, Federal Involvement in Flood Response and Flood Infrastructure Repair: Storm Sandy Recovery. Retrieved from: https://sgp.fas.org/crs/homesec/R42803.pdf

The Pew Charitable Trusts, (N/D) “When to Use State Rainy Day Funds” (2017), 23-25,  https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/reports/2017/04/when-to-use-state-rainy-day-funds .

 

Respond Kindly to Student #2

 

Jon Gagne

I was really torn on answering this question.  I think the question really depends on each situation and the length of time.  There is a difference between sending funds to a house every year that is flooded versus a house that happened to be caught in a flood 15 years apart.  Individuals who live in flood prone areas should retain flood insurance themselves and those who do not should only be able to receive partial assistance.  Private flood insurance is often quicker and can provide more money than relying on the government (Klein & Weston, 2019).  If a building receives funds from flooding the building should have a set amount of years before they can request additional funding.  That would work as an incentive to have individuals invest in the insurance or move to areas that are less prone to flooding while also saving the government a lot of money that could be reinvested in mitigation and preparedness efforts.  With natural disasters there is always a chance for a once in a lifetime event that could cause flooding in an area that is very unlikely to ever flood.  Those areas are not likely to buy flood insurance so I do think there should be joint support from the State and the Federal government in those circumstances (Haddow et al., 2021).

Other sectors of business should not expect the same recovery measures as farms.  Farms provide necessary sustenance for the nation so they have to grow the crops to feed everyone.  Farms cannot just pack everything up and move like other businesses can.  Farms require so much land to grow crops or livestock which is only available in certain places.  Land is not always created equal so a farm cannot just move from a fertile delta region to an arid desert environment and expect the same crops to grow (Sheldon, 2013).   

Haddow, G. D., Bullock, J. A., & Coppola, D. P. (2021). Introduction to emergency management. Butterworth-Heinemann is an imprint of Elsevier.

Klein, R., & Weston, H. (2019). No debt and underwater: The need for flood insurance especially as home equity rises. Journal of Financial Service Professionals, 73(4), 83–96.

Sheldon, T. (2013). No farms, no food: Local taxation and the preservation of Connecticut's farmland. Connecticut Law Review, 45(3), 1045–1082.

 

Topic 2: Cost of Recovery

Is it realistic to expect state and local organizations to be able to contribute to the cost of recovery, or should the federal government assume 100% of the cost. If the federal government points out needed protective measures for the private sector, does it also bear a responsibility to at least partially fund those improvements?

 

Kindly Respond to Student #1

Blake Carter

 

In my view, local and state organizations should contribute to the cost of recovery, and it is unrealistic to expect the federal government to contribute for all of it. For instance, according to an article published by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, “…the states are primarily responsible for guiding and facilitating recovery efforts in disasters that spill across local boundaries and for helping local governments when the disaster overwhelms their capacity to mount an effective recovery effort” (USCC Foundation, 2021, p. 2). This is important because the states are primarily responsible for their own needs while the federal government should only intervene if help is requested. This idea goes back to the concept of state rights and the federal government not intervening unless it is absolutely necessary or if assistance is requested.

Another important aspect of recovery is mitigation. The article highlights this by stating, “The best way to ensure recovery is to prevent initial losses” (USCC Foundation, 2021, p. 10). Local and state organizations are primarily responsible for mitigation because they understand the needs of their local communities and what is needed. The federal government does not. Sure, the federal government could provide the resources if needed, but the local and state have a much better understanding of where those resources should be used.

In closing, local and state organizations should contribute to the cost of recovery because of their own identity and also for their understanding on what the communities need. The federal government should only intervene if necessary or if the assistance is requested.

Reference

USCC Foundation. (2021). State governments and community disaster recovery: A critical role. Retrieved from USCC Foundation: https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/sites/default/files/publication/ccc/A%20Critical%20Role%20-%20Ten%20Policies%20Needed%20for%20Community%20Disaster%20Recovery.pdf

 

Respond Kindly to Student #2

Gertrude Maima Ware

      The recovery process in emergency management is a joint process. The federal government is to work along with the state and local and prepare to respond and to respond after an incident. However, it is the state and local organization's full responsibility to handle the recovery cost. According to Edwards (2017) it states, as for disaster response, federal involvement is appropriate when agencies have unique capabilities to offer, such as the Coast Guard’s search and rescue capabilities. But it is mainly the state, local, and private entities that own the needed resources and are on the scene to assist in emergencies. Every state has a budget inside the general budget and if their demand has been met by the general budget, it is their full responsibility to manage and respond to every cost that needed to be handled. The federal government could come to handle but it is because the state needs to be independent in responding to disasters and to plan in ways that are more convenient and comfortable for them. Federal intervention can impede disaster response and rebuilding because of the extra paperwork involved and the added complexity of decision-making. A growing federal role may also induce states to neglect their disaster preparedness because officials assume Uncle Sam will bail them out when disaster hits (Federal, 2017).     

    The federal government must point out needed protective measures for private sectors because it has to do with public safety and the wellbeing of its citizens. Even though the private sectors are running the business on their own, it still does not exclude them from the law and whatever benefit, or funds are allocated for their project. Milano (2019) informs, some states also fund research and development projects and work with private investors and the federal government to raise funds. This shows that there is always an extra fund set aside to partially help the private sectors meet up with their budget in complying with what the federal government requires. The roles of a government, in a mixed economy, are grouped into two categories, namely, regulatory roles and promotional or development roles. The regulatory role of the government involves formulating and implementing various direct and indirect measures to monitor and regulate the economic activities of the private sector Nitisha, n.d). The government comes in because the task to produce a protective measure might be too huge for the business and might bring a challenge to their financial standing as a private sector, so the developmental fund is also partially given to them by the government to assist with the process. It is also a partnership to keep the nation safe because what the government points out for protective measures is also in the interest of the nation and if should be handled wisely and carefully, the government should also be willing to help in funding the process for protective measure. The government provides a specific amount of money for a specific purpose (e.g., to a project), usually free of charge (interest-free), with no expectation of repayment (Flynn. M, 2018).

References

Edwards C. (2017) The Proper Federal Role in Natural Disasters. Downsizing the Federal Government.

     https://www.downsizinggovernment.org/proper-federal-role-natural-

 Flynn. M, (2018) Private sector participation in public sector financing. Deloitte

      https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/Public-Sector/gx-ps-funding-

Milano. S (2019) Small Business government Grant. Role of Government in Promoting Small Business

         https://smallbusiness.chron.com/role-government-promoting-small-business-60657.html

Nitisha (n.d) Role of Government in Private Businesses. Economic Discussion Net

       https://www.economicsdiscussion.net/government/role-of-government-in-private-