ABSTRACT

Major disasters challenge or exceed the capacity of the official emergency management sector to provide needed rescue services, support and relief. Emergency services in most jurisdictions do not have the surge capacity for unusual or extreme events without drawing on other jurisdictions or local people from outside the formal emergency management organisations. In such circumstances, those in the affected area need to organise themselves and make maximum use of local resources to cope with the immediate aftermath of impact. To find the required surge capacity, this suggests a whole of society response with the official system working with the capacities of people, commerce and organisations outside the emergency sector. An example is provided by the destruction of the northern Australian capital city of Darwin by Cyclone Tracy in December 1974. Informal volunteering and emergent leadership in Darwin and across Australia were critical to the immediate response and relief. Volunteering was widespread and worked well alongside official emergency management. With today’s information and communication technologies and a strong national resilience narrative, we would expect to do at least as well. However, governments now exercise much more control over civil society. We examine the implications for surge capacity and adaptability.

摘要

重大灾难挑战或超过了官方应急管理部门提供所需救援服务，支持和救济的能力。在大多数辖区中，紧急服务部门不具备在异常情况或极端事件中激增的能力，而无法从正规应急管理组织之外的其他辖区或当地人那里获得利益。在这种情况下，受灾地区的人们需要组织起来，并充分利用当地资源来应对灾后的直接后果。为了找到所需的激增能力，这表明了整个社会的反应，官方系统与应急部门以外的人员，商业和组织的能力一起工作。1974年12月，特雷西飓风摧毁了澳大利亚北部首都达尔文，就是一个例子。达尔文和整个澳大利亚的非正式志愿服务和紧急领导对于立即做出反应和救济至关重要。志愿服务广泛存在，与官方紧急管理一起运作良好。借助当今的信息和通信技术以及强大的国家应变能力，我们希望至少也能做到。但是，政府现在对公民社会行使更多控制权。我们研究了对浪涌能力和适应性的影响。政府现在对公民社会行使更多控制权。我们研究了对浪涌能力和适应性的影响。政府现在对公民社会行使更多控制权。我们研究了对浪涌能力和适应性的影响。