What does the term "Whole Community" focus on in emergency management?

The term "Whole Community" in emergency management emphasizes the importance of engaging a diverse array of stakeholders in the preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation phases of emergency management. This approach recognizes that effective emergency management requires the contributions, resources, and perspectives of individuals, organizations, businesses, and local governments, among others. By involving the entire community, emergency management can be tailored to meet the specific needs and capabilities of the community, ensuring that plans are more inclusive and comprehensive.

Engaging participants from various sectors fosters collaboration and builds resilience, as it allows for a greater pooling of resources and knowledge, encourages joint problem-solving, and enhances the overall capacity to respond to and recover from disasters. This inclusive approach is crucial for identifying vulnerabilities and leveraging local assets, hence improving overall community preparedness and response effectiveness.

Options that suggest isolating stakeholders, fostering a government-led initiative, or centralizing activities do not align with the Whole Community concept, which is fundamentally about collaboration and inclusivity rather than focusing solely on a top-down or isolated approach.