Prevention involves ensuring we are optimally prepared to prevent an imminent terrorist attack.
A terrorist threat is considered imminent if intelligence or operational information warns of a credible, specific, and impending terrorist threat.
Protection
Protection involves safeguarding the homeland against acts of terrorism and manmade or natural disasters.
Mitigation
Mitigation refers to the actions taken before an event occurs to prevent or lessen the impact the event has to life and property. Examples of mitigation activities are:
Establishing building codes and zoning ordinances
Grant funding
Training
Response
Response involves the mobilization of resources to meet the needs of the community in response to the nature of the disaster, including local, county, state ,and federal resources as necessary.
Response is usually associated with the period of time immediately after the event and necessary to ensure life safety issues are handled. Examples of response activities include:
Fire and EMS services
Search and Rescue
Debris removal
Public works activities
Law enforcement
Recovery
Recovery is the long-term mobilization of support operations that work toward returning the community to its pre-event condition.
This period is usually when social services and volunteer organizations tasked with relief effort gear up. The greater the magnitude of the disaster the greater the recovery effort.