Reference no: EM133634927 , Length: word count:1500

Foundations of Emergency and Disaster Management

For this assessment, you will be considering the potential impact that a similar event to your presentation topic would have on the state of Queensland. Note that while none of the historical events in Assessment 1 took place in Queensland, there are parts of the state that are vulnerable to a similar event.

You will prepare a short report (maximum 1,500 words) describing the relevance of the event to Queensland, the risks it would pose to the state, and how the perspective of the Sendai Framework could assist the state government in reducing the risks. Your report should discuss:

The characteristics of a similar event which would pose a risk to the state's population

Which parts of the state or sub-populations would be most at risk from a similar event (eg. urban vs rural populations; specific demographics; geographical regions, etc)

Social factors and characteristics which put either the state as a whole or specific sub-populations at particular risk from a similar event
Suggested strategies for the government and other stakeholders to reduce risk and vulnerability to a similar event, with attention to the perspective of the Sendai Framework and the Sustainable Development Goals and the factors they identify as relevant to social vulnerability

You may draw on your previous research on the event, such as you did for the first assessment, for the purposes of this report. Many of the issues and topics relevant to this report will be covered in the second half of the unit, and your study of those weeks' content may be a good place to start. To support your arguments and suggestions, you should also search for additional literature and sources. For example, there is extensive information available about Queensland's demographics, population distribution, and economic activity, which may be relevant to certain kinds of impacts.

Introduction

Briefly describe your topic from Assessment 1 - what happened, where, and what the outcomes were. Explain why the event is relevant to Queensland. Depending on the nature of your event, this might be because there is an area with similar geography or the potential for similar weather, where similar damage or loss of life could occur. But this could also be because there are regions that would face similar economic or social impacts. In the field of disaster management, it is advantageous to point out more than one element of impact.

Risks to Queensland
Based on the event's characteristics, describe which areas of Queensland are most at risk. Be as specific as you can. This depends largely on the nature of your topic, and which parts of the state have effects which match the characteristics of the place it occurred. For example, if your event is an industrial accident, these are usually more likely to happen in cities, ports, or anywhere related industrial activity takes place; the same is true of other kinds of anthropogenic emergencies, which are often linked to specific kinds of social or economic activity. If your event is a natural disaster involving weather, it might be more likely to happen in a part of the state whose weather conditions and physical environment are similar to those where the original event took place. This means you will need to refer to a map of the state, information about its population distribution, etc. Describe what you believe its impacts would be on the population of Queensland. As noted above, this can include not only loss of life and damage, but also less tangible impacts such as economic and social disruption.

Vulnerable Populations
Describe which segments of Queensland's population would be harmed most by a similar event taking place in the state. This should refer to accepted methods of distinguishing parts of a state's population based on geography, environment, demographic characteristics, etc. Again, you should be able to refer to published information about the areas of the state you have identified as most vulnerable to make this judgment.

Depending on the nature of your event, you may be able to focus either on the entire population of a geographic region, or on sub-populations within that area. Neither one is automatically right or wrong, depending on your topic and the argument you wish to make, but ensure that you clearly state the reasons why you have made this decision.

Factors Impacting on Vulnerability
Describe any characteristics of the identified communities which would make them more or less vulnerable to the risks arising from the event. You should make reference to established factors discussed in the existing literature (such as we have discussed in this unit), including local environmental characteristics, rural and urban characteristics, socioeconomic status, etc.

Risk Reduction and Mitigation Strategies
Suggest at least one strategy by which the government and other stakeholders could reduce risk and vulnerability to a similar event. These strategies should be plausible given the context of Queensland (eg. do they fit with Queensland's economic and social priorities?), plausible for the type of event you are considering (eg. do they actually address any of the risks and hazards associated with the event, or the systemic factors that cause vulnerability to the event?). Your answer should at least make an attempt to connect the suggestions to the priorities of the Sendai Framework (which concerns disaster risk reduction specifically), the Sustainable Development Goals (which concern socioeconomic well- being more generally), or another similar relevant framework.

References
As you recall, units in the DSMG stream use the APA style of referencing. You must cite ideas that you take from other sources and use to support your work, both on the reference list at the end and with in-text references.