There have been roughly 581 tornadoes so far in 2022. There are fewer deaths from tornadoes than from mass shootings.
So, get your “human-caused disaster list” out and add “mass shootings” to the list. Don’t write this off as just a law enforcement issue. As noted in a news report I heard, the Texas Division of Emergency Management has been called upon to help respond to the latest elementary school shooting in Texas.
Beyond adding the hazard to the list, get together with your public, private and nonprofit partners to game out what you will do collectively to respond to the aftermath of a mass shooting. Emergency management is ideally suited to help with the coordination that is needed immediately following a shooting. It is not all just guns and shell casings that have to be dealt with by crime scene investigators.
Some of the most common things that come to mind include:
- Mental health counseling
- Hotline for calls about the event
- Donations center
- Support for survivors
- A joint information center (JIC) to support all the media requests
- Temporary and permanent memorials
- Memorial services
