What is the goal of the Preparedness phase in disaster management?

• A. To decommission hazardous facilities.
• B. To engage in planning, drills, and education, such as creating community disaster plans and personal emergency kits.
• C. To reconstruct after a disaster.
• D. To conduct long-term environmental cleanup.

Answer: (B)

Preparedness is about getting ready before danger arrives. It focuses on planning, training, and education so people and systems know what to do when a disaster occurs. This includes creating community disaster plans, assembling personal emergency kits, and running drills and exercises to practice actions. By building these capabilities in advance, response is faster, coordination is clearer, and the impact is reduced when something happens. Activities like decommissioning hazardous facilities, reconstruction after a disaster, or long-term environmental cleanup belong to other phases that occur after the event or during recovery, not during preparedness.