Above all, when it comes to emergency preparedness there are agencies that work together to ensure a plan is place when the time comes. There are several stages in the process of developing a sound emergency preparedness plan. First, there is prevention. This is an imperative step in making sure that everyone involved is ready and willing to respond should an event occur. Next, planning and preparation which is where all of the key elements are identified for a quick response and recovery. At this stage it is imperative that rehearsals be performed, so that when an event happens everyone is ready to go. Third, implementation and response is understanding when to initiate the emergency preparedness plan and assign duties to responsible parties. Lastly, there is the recovery stage. This is when emergency preparedness agencies work together to get everything back up and functional. Following this four stage process is key for any emergency …show more content…
According to (“Emergency Management”, n.d.), “Emergency Management is responsible for planning and coordinating actions to prepare, respond, and recover from natural or man-made disasters in Polk County”. Comparatively, the Florida Division of Emergency Management and Federal Emergency Management Agency have similar types of responsibilities, but on a much broader scale. The county emergency operations center is where everything is coordinated for Polk County and is also where training occurs. They also participate in many other activities such as producing hurricane shelter maps and hurricane shopping lists for the county, as well as holding educational events to help ensure the citizens of the county are prepared should a natural or man-made disaster occur. Moreover, this agency works as the mediator amongst the other state and federal agencies and provides them with the necessary information to escalate the emergency preparedness plan should it be