Preparedness: the state of the art and future prospects

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show the evolution of the concept “state of preparedness” into “state of resilience” in the context of emergency management, and the implications raised by this new concept.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is a literature review (scientific and governmental) of the most important articles in the field of state of preparedness evaluation.

Findings

This article presents two trends in the state of preparedness evaluation: response capability and preparation management. These two trends contribute to the evolution of the concept “state of preparedness” into “state of resilience”, a state that is defined as the ability of a system to maintain or restore an acceptable level of functioning despite disruptions and failures.

Originality/value

This literature review helps define the concept of “state of preparedness” (in terms of both management and response capability) as the new trend of resilience.

Citation

Hémond, Y. and Robert, B. (2012), "Preparedness: the state of the art and future prospects", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 21 No. 4, pp. 404-417. https://doi.org/10.1108/09653561211256125