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The U.S. needs to prepare for the low-probability, but the high-consequence possibility of agroterrorism. The Kansas Emergency Plan states that its basic premise is that local administrations are responsible for disaster management efforts (Adjutant Generals Department: Division of Emergency Management, 2017). The Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) is the primary agency responsible for food security. The KDA Office of the Secretary develops a plan of operation, the KDA Division of Food Safety implements control measures, and the KDA Division of Animal Health initiates quarantine or sanitation measures. Their work is supported by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas State Historical Society, American Red Cross, and Kansas State Animal Response Team. The involvement of local governments is evident when reviewing past instances of plant and livestock disease in Kansas. When plants bought at Walmart and Home Depot led to oak death in 2019, the Horticulture Agent at the Shawnee County Extension Office advised buyers to dig up the plant and throw it into a landfill (KSNT News, 2019). The first response to disaster recovery is dependent on the efficient cooperation of city, county, and state governments.
If local officials cannot regulate the situation, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to suspend imports from the suspected countries, quarantine and dispose of infected livestock, and compensate farmers using the USDAs Commodity Credit Corporation. The National Incident Management System, guided by the National Response Framework, would coordinate the response in a large-scale event (Fagel & Hamilton, 2013). The business community recovery is facilitated by compensation for the market value of animals destroyed and the aid of government-funded laboratories. The cultivation of animals and plants resumes in affected areas, with lab-engineered genetic traits resistant to the pest or disease. Mitigation actions include continued surveillance after eradication and communication and education programs to inform affected farmers and consumers.
My recommendation would be to formulate a community-centered plan that mobilizes local farmers and gives them a more active role in the recovery process. Private agriculture-related companies should utilize their resources to coordinate with local authorities to arrange transport, evacuate residents, and deliver supplies. If every local farmer and private employee knows his area of responsibility and the correct response procedure in cases of agroterrorism, there is a higher likelihood of avoiding panic and enacting a fast, efficient response. Furthermore, farmers would be less hesitant to dispose of infected livestock and plants since they would be more involved in the process and thus have a stronger sense of agency over disaster management efforts.
An integral component of disaster management plans is communication with the public. The media is the optimum mechanism for communicating information to the public because it can reach many people in a short period. The communications staff should be involved in all disaster operations to ensure that the facts are being consistently reported to citizens to avoid fear-mongering and mass panic. The Kansas Emergency Plan operates on the assumption that disaster information needs to be spread quickly, so citizens make the best decisions for themselves and their families (Adjutant Generals Department: Division of Emergency Management, 2017). Furthermore, keeping the public informed maintains their trust and confidence in government institutions. In case of a food safety problem, officials have access to administrative records mandated by the FDA, such as the registration system for all food-related facilities (Fagel & Hamilton, 2013). Rapidly disseminating disaster information to the general public reduces negative impacts on their life and property.
The emergency plan for disseminating information is outlined in ESF 15 of the Kansas Response Plan. The governors office bears primary responsibility for public information. However, the Joint Information Center Standard Operating Guide maintained by the Kansas Adjutant Generals (TAG) Department Public Affairs Office oversees media communication on behalf of the governors press secretary, and the TAG public affairs director is the primary news media point of contact (Adjutant Generals Department: Division of Emergency Management, 2017). Tools such as official press statements, news conferences, interviews, and social media posts are used to spread information quickly and effectively. The local and federal government has a pre-approved network of appropriate media outlets and pre-scripted information on a range of topics ready to ensure rapid dissemination.
Many local governments have created official social media profiles to share information directly with the populace. For example, in response to the Covid-19 epidemic, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment published vaccination booster guidelines for immunocompromised individuals on its official Instagram page (Texas DSHS, 2022). Since news outlets often distort information to present a skewed political narrative or to incite a reaction from viewers, I recommend that the government utilize social media more often to communicate with citizens directly. This type of approach would also ensure that outreach efforts reach younger populations that are more dependent on their phone as a source of local and global news. State departments need to dedicate a portion of their resources to analyzing the advantages of social media in disaster management plans.
References
Adjutant Generals Department: Division of Emergency Management. (2017). Kansas Response Plan. Web.
Fagel, M. J., & Hamilton, K. (2013). Agroterrorism. In M. J. Fagel (Ed.), Crisis Management and Emergency Planning (pp. 509-535). CRC Press.
Kansas.gov [@ksgovernment]. (2022). Frequently asked question: Am I eligible for a COVID-19 booster if I have a weakened immune system? [Instagram photograph]. Web.
KSNT News. (2019). Check your plants: disease in Kansas causing you to destroy rhododendron plants bought at Walmart [Video]. Youtube. Web.
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