Download or read book Developing a Post Disaster Damage Assessment in Burlington Township written by and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 82 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With natural and man-made disasters increasing in frequency and severity across the country, the damage assessment process plays a key role in emergency management. Damage assessment information is vital for local, county, state, and federal disaster declarations to be obtained. The problem that was identified for this research project is the Burlington Township Fire Department (BTFD) does not have a formal comprehensive post disaster damage assessment process. The purpose of the research was to identify components of a standardized process for post disaster assessments to ensure that consistent and reliable information is reported to Emergency Management. The descriptive research methodology was used to answer the following questions: (a) what information should be collected during a damage assessment; (b) how can damage assessment data be collected; (c) who should collect damage assessment information; and (d) how should a damage assessment be organized? Personal interviews, a survey, and a comprehensive literature review were utilized to answer the four research questions. The results identified key components of an assessment that include creation of damage assessment teams, use of computer programs for data collection and transmission, data collection guidelines, and how to organize the assessment process. The recommendations included composition of assessment teams, utilization of FEMA's 4 point methodology, training, documentation, communication, creation of critical documents, utilization of technology, and updating the emergency management plan. Implementation of the recommendations will result in the development of a formal comprehensive damage assessment process and the improvement of emergency management operations.