All of these measures directly limit the ability of the
disaster to penetrate the community, gain hold, and inflict damage.
The inclusion of the emergency services is an important
point. Typically disaster
resistance and resilience is expressed in terms of disaster
mitigation programs, and preparedness activities by the emergency
services are considered preparedness (not mitigation).
In the United States model this is a programmatic
distinction. However, the
reality is that defense of communities outside the actual period of
response requires the integration of mitigation, preparedness, and
recovery. Rapid and effective
emergency service response is key to resisting the disaster impact.
