Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange
Abstract
The nature of disasters has changed over the years. There is a need for informing the general public of the nature of these changes so that they can be prepared for disasters that may be possible in the future. This thesis addresses the nature of these changes and what the response has been to each. An effort will be made to predict the types of disasters that may be most certain in the future. Most counties in South Dakota do not have written plans for their communities in the event of a disaster. Brookings County is one of the few that does. For some of the counties that are attempting to get their Emergency and Disaster Services and their county plans moving, Brookings County is the model they use. It is one of the best in the state of South Dakota. This thesis attempts to examine why emergency services are needed in Brookings County, and why a Emergency and Disaster Services program will continue to be important in the future. If there were no disasters in Brookings County, there would be no need for an Emergency and Disaster Service or the various plans that go with it for the future. When examining the geography of a given area, one is interested in more than just where something is located and why. All living organisms on the earth\u27s surface interrelate with one another in various ways. The purpose of this study is to investigate a small, but very important, aspect of a county\u27s future; how it can mitigate the losses of lives and property should a-disaster occur
