The prevalence of natural disasters, in addition to the potential for other civil hazards, has necessitated a common framework for assessing a community’s risk, vulnerability, and preparedness should an incident occur. The Hazard Vulnerability Analysis provides a framework for organizations to better identify hazards, prepare for emergencies, and mitigate the impact of disaster.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Hazard Vulnerability Analysis definition refers to the process of “identifying risks that are most likely to have an impact on a healthcare facility and the surrounding community.” The goal of the risk assessment is to inform organizations–like hospitals or emergency management entities–of the greatest risks they face and areas of vulnerability in the event of natural disaster or other civil hazards. A thorough HVA should guide organizations toward the areas of greatest risk so that they can subsequently focus attention and resources on risk mitigation efforts.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), there are basic components of a risk assessment:
This process generally requires a collaborative effort between community partners. An organization’s HVA results should be communicated to emergency response agencies.
Note: You may find the terms “Hazard Vulnerability Analysis” and “Hazard Vulnerability Assessment” used interchangeably.
Conducting a hazard identification and risk assessment is one of the first steps an organization must take in the emergency planning process. Determining areas of vulnerability is critical to any emergency and disaster preparedness plan. While avoiding hazards entirely may be impossible, a proactive approach to disaster management will help reduce the degree of impact and mitigate further damage. Responsible organizations should develop a thorough understanding of potential risks and resources required prior to a disaster, resulting in an effective, efficient response.
All hospitals in the United States are required to conduct an HVA. However, it’s not just hospitals that can assess vulnerability to environmental and civil risks. Many emergency management organizations and other public service entities benefit from conducting a hazard risk assessment. Note that non-healthcare organizations may refer to this process as a Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA). Businesses may conduct an assessment to identify assets at risk and to determine the potential operational and financial impact resulting from a disaster. Regardless of the size and reach of an organization, having a plan in case of emergency is not only responsible but potentially life-saving.
As part of the HVA process, you’ll need to assess the likelihood of possible hazards. The following examples were extracted from Ready.gov, a federal website for disaster preparedness information. While many of the hazards may seem unlikely, it’s important to take an all-hazards approach when developing a disaster management plan:
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An HVA should inform communities on preparedness and prioritize its resources. Therefore, the HVA or THIRA processes should initiate community-wide involvement. Community members and stakeholders have a range of expertise and resources, and can be called upon to contribute input and perspectives. Community entities may include:
Read more about the role of volunteers in disaster management.
For a disaster management plan to be effective, an HVA must be conducted before disaster strikes. If your community has already faced disaster or hazards, it’s never too late to safeguard your organization. The impacts that may have already been experienced can help further inform areas of vulnerability and resource allocation.
The United States’ National Preparedness Goal describes the process of preparing and responding to hazards, threats, and disaster. The five areas include:
Risk assessment methods like HVA or THIRA help organizations and communities to establish robust prevention, protection, and mitigation processes that occur prior to a disaster. Further, the hazard analysis seeks to identify risks that challenge an organization’s capabilities. These capability gaps can hinder a community’s ability to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from a threat or hazard. The following hazard vulnerability analysis template is a federally-recognized process.
FEMA offers a comprehensive Hazard Vulnerability Analysis Worksheet. This hazard and vulnerability assessment tool can help communities identify risks, address capability gaps, and evaluate preparedness:
FEMA’s hazard vulnerability analysis tool is for a variety of organizations and communities. Additionally, there are numerous other detailed hazard vulnerability assessment tools, most of which exist online. Kaiser Permanente, for example, has developed a hazard vulnerability assessment tool to guide hospitals and other healthcare entities toward a systematic method of assessment and to inform their disaster preparedness efforts and emergency planning.
The key to reducing the impact of emergencies and disasters is taking the necessary steps to ensure preparedness. If you are a community organization active in disaster response–and you rely on volunteers–it’s imperative to have a comprehensive volunteer mobilization plan in the event of a disaster. A disaster management software like ReDI can help you prepare your volunteer base for disaster, respond to emergencies promptly, and communicate with community partners in the most vital of moments.