There are four phases to emergency management. One phase is mitigation. This phase includes any activity that is geared towards preventing an emergency, reducing the chance of an emergency occurring, or reducing the effects of those emergencies that are unavoidable. An example of mitigation is purchasing flood insurance for your home. Mitigation occurs before and after the incident.
Another phase of Emergency Management is preparedness. This phase is where the response plans are developed and the training exercises are conducted. Examples of preparedness are developing evacuation plans and stocking supplies such as food an water. This phase occurs before the emergency occurs.
Once an emergency occurs the response phase becomes active. This phase will include actions taken to save lives, stabilize the incident to prevent it from getting worse, and conserve property. Response can also include evacuation to shelters and providing mass care to those affected. The response phase takes the preparedness plans and puts them into action. This phase occurs during the emergency.
Finally, there is the recovery phase. This phase occurs after the emergency and includes any economic recovery, debris management, temporary or permanent housing, and health and social services. Essentially these are actions taken to return the area to normal or make it an even safer situation. An example of this would be acquiring financial assistance to help pay for damage repair.
Please visit the emergency management section under municipal code to view the Village responsibilities during emergencies.