Emergency Aid and Disaster Science

Abstract

Introduction: In the world we live in, we witness those disasters and emergencies are experienced more severely with each passing day. When these events occur, the importance of pre-disaster preparedness and planning is as significant as an effective response. The pre-disaster planning process, on the other hand, includes comprehensive and partially complex processes in which short, medium and long-term studies are carried out and operational, tactical and strategic plans are prepared. Purpose: The aim of this study is to analyze the strategic plans of the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in terms of disaster management phases and implementation priorities of the Sendai Disaster Risk Reduction Framework. Methods: In this study, document analysis and content analysis methods, which are included in qualitative research, are used. Strategic plans on the official websites of FEMA and AFAD were accepted as official documents and content analyzes were made using the MAXQDA20 qualitative analysis program. Results: When the plans of both institutions are evaluated, it is seen that FEMA's strategic plan is more purpose-oriented and has a simple structure. While the mitigation phase comes to the fore in FEMA's strategic plan, the response phase remarks in AFAD's strategic plan. While the title of understanding the risk towards Sendai Framework priorities is more prominent in the FEMA’s Strategic Plan, and effective response stands out in the AFAD’s Strategic Plan. Conclusion: When the plans of both institutions are compared, it is seen that the FEMA’ plan is mitigation and risk-oriented, while the AFAD’s plan is more response and crisis-oriented. For future studies, it is suggested that a more comprehensive study can be done by including strategic plan analyzes in the past years.