Examining Emergency Response at the State-Level in the United States

The occurrence of natural or human-made threat that causes severe damage, injury or loss of life or property calls of evacuation and emergency response that would help mitigate the impacts of the threats. In the state of Texas, the response to emergency events is the role of state government, local governments, courts, and legislature. The duties and powers vested in these stakeholders vary due to the constitutional separation of powers (Kasner, 2017).

Separation of Powers

Governors

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A governor is a state's chief executive officer, and he/she has a responsibility of protecting the safety of the citizens. According to (Caravelis and Johnson, 2017), a governor has the roles of suspending state statutes, ordering statutes, and funding the emergency response. The governor can seek a court order to help in issuing orders of evacuation to ensure the safety of the people. Also, the governor can seek the help of the local authorities to help in the execution of the evacuation orders. The governor has the role of requesting for aids and emergency plans from the local authority when the emergency situation occurs at the time when the governor does not have the right strategies that may work well against the impending threat.

Legislature

The legislature has set up legislations that help in mitigating the effects of disasters and protects the special needs groups during emergencies. The legislations that have been set up in the Texas can either be part of the existing laws or exec orders. Some of the legislations that exist as laws include Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Older Americans Acts of 1965. These legislations are pertinent in protecting the rights of the special needs groups when there is an emergency (Richmond et al., 2014).

Courts

The occurrence of threat calls for an emergency evacuation that applies to all individuals residing in the affected area. The court's responsibility, in this case, is to hear cases and issue orders when some people fail to honor the control measures imposed by the local government and the governors. Moreover, in the case of emergencies that are in line with the duties of the Department of State Health Services, individuals who have contracted communicable diseases and failed to comply with the evacuation orders are given court orders. The court orders are implemented using the police and defense bodies. Therefore, the courts are important in the execution of evacuation orders (Holland, 2015).

Local Authority

Malilay et al. (2014) suggested that the local authority has direct contacts with the locals and have a firsthand knowledge of the community social, economic and environmental needs. They have a role in responding to disasters as requested and directed by the governor or when a disaster poses a danger that calls for a response, approve plans for disaster managements and ensure dissemination of information about emergencies and evacuation. In Texas, mayors and county judges are responsible for preparing for emergencies through hazard mitigation programs. The local authorities together with the governors and can work with the recommendations and directions of governors. Moreover, the local authorities can advise the governor on the best approaches of evacuation.

In conclusion, the separation of powers in the emergency response in Texas is important since the stakeholders responsible for the evacuations can work together to mitigate the impending threats. The role assigned to each stakeholder ensures the success of the emergency response.

References

1. Caravelis, C., & Johnson, T. C. (2017). DEVELOPING CRISIS MANAGEMENT AND EMERGENCY PLANS. Organization and Administration in Higher Education, 259.
2. Holland, N. (2015). Death Row Conditions: Progression Toward Constitutional Protections. Akron Law Review, 19(2), 6.
3. Kasner, A. J. (2017). Local Government Design, Mayoral Leadership and Law Enforcement Reform. Stan. L. Rev., 69, 549.
4. Malilay, J., Heumann, M., Perrotta, D., Wolkin, A. F., Schnall, A. H., Podgornik, M. N., ... & Greenp, J. R. (2014). The role of applied epidemiology methods in the disaster management cycle. American journal of public health, 104(11), 2092-2102.
5. Richmond, A. L., Sobelson, R. K., & Cioffi, J. P. (2014). Preparedness and emergency response learning centers: supporting the workforce for national health security. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 20, S7-516.

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