ENGAGING SENIOR EXECUTIVES IN COMMUNITY-WIDE NATURAL DISASTER PREPAREDNESS PLANNING: THE TIME FOR A NEW PUBLIC POLICY

James L. Morrison University of Delaware 

ABSTRACT

Based on a survey of managers in the private sector, senior executives are perceived as being somewhat removed from community-wide natural disaster preparedness planning. Since

these executives have significant resources and knowledge that can be useful       in assisting communities in putting into place plans to reduce the destructive effects of a natural disaster, adopting a public policy that encourages boards of directors of multi-national corporations take the lead in mobilizing others to achieve a common mission is proposed.     Since public officials have often stated that they cannot protect communities by themselves, lacking resources to repair communities after-the-fact, it will take a more comprehensive approach to reduce the effects of such climatic disasters.           Requiring boards of directors to be accountable   for organizational resiliency not only for their own operations but for surrounding community devastation raises the stakes for becoming socially responsible