The Relationship between Emergency Planning and Emergency Management

Emergency planning is important and complex. The purpose of planning is preparedness of community to face disaster and also reduction of losses, both in terms of human life and in damage to property. The planning process is never complete, because of changes in environmental threat and also changes in the tools of management of threats. The planning process continues to identify new vulnerability. An effective planning process recognizes changes in old vulnerability and also monitors changes in knowledge and technology which affect the ways we respond to emergencies. Through this process, two contexts are very important: • Disaster management that defines the goals, structure, and strategy used to deal with extreme events that can generate losses. • Emergency planning that addresses ways to gather resources and also ways that minimize risk. Through reviewing Hurricane Katrina and California seismic safety, the present article aims at defining the differences between emergencies, disasters and catastrophes as well as describing the relationship between emergency planning and emergency management.