Assessing the Effectiveness of Local Emergency Planning Committees

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Emergency response professionals and disaster researchers agree that emergency planning is an important precondition for effective community response to environmental emergencies. Unfortunately, hazard mitigation repeatedly has been found to be a low priority activity because of perceptions of low hazard vulnerability and the high cost of hazard mitigation. However, local emergency planning committees (LEPCs) are a promising mechanism for promoting community emergency planning. This study will investigate the structure and planning effectiveness of such organizations. Results of this study will be relevant to planning for toxic chemical releases caused by natural hazards such as earthquakes and industrial accidents. In addition, the study results are expected to illuminate many important issues associated with community planning for a broad range of natural and technological hazards.