Term
|
Definition
|
Source
|
| Adaptation |
An action or strategy to prepare for and adjust to new conditions. |
(Bierbaum et al., 2014) |
| Case study |
Descriptive research that spotlights the experience(s) of a single person, group, or event. |
(Calhoun, 2002) |
| Climate |
The slowly varying aspects of the atmosphere-hydrosphere-land surface system, typically characterized in terms of averages, frequencies, and extremes. |
(Glickman and Zenk, 2000) |
| Climate action plan |
A plan to address climate change impacts at a local or agency level. |
(Stone et al., 2012) |
| Climate data |
The many types of data – instrumental, historical (diaries or crop records, for instance), proxy (tree growth rings) – that constitute the major sources of information for climate studies. |
(Glickman and Zenk, 2000) |
| Comprehensive plan |
A guidance document that integrates the wide range of decisions that a community must make about future growth and development. |
(Kelley, 2012) |
| Consensus building |
Practice in which stakeholders come together to address a policy issue of common concern, seeking consensus rather than majority rule. Also called collaborative problem solving. |
(Innes and Booher, 1999) |
| Core capability |
Set of critical elements necessary to meet the National Preparedness Goal by addressing the greatest risks to the nation. |
(FEMA, 2018) |
| Decision-support tool |
Information tool used to connect climate science with policy implementation. |
(Feldman and Ingram, 2009) |
| Drought |
A deficit of expected water availability that results in water shortages for some activity or group. |
(National Drought Mitigation Center, 2019) |
| Drought impacts |
The complex effects of a drought hazard on physical and social systems. |
(National Drought Mitigation Center, 2019) |
| Drought plan |
Actions taken by individual citizens, industry, government, and others before drought occurs in an effort to reduce or mitigate the impacts and conflicts that can arise from drought. |
(Schwab, 2013) |
| Drought Impact Reporter |
An interactive web-based tool designed to compile and display drought impact information across the United States in near real-time from a variety of sources such as media, government agencies, and the public. |
(National Drought Mitigation Center, 2018) |
| Drought Risk Atlas |
An interactive web-based tool that provides historic drought and climate data for stations across the United States. |
(National Drought Mitigation Center, 2019c) |
| Emergency managers |
Individuals who create the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. |
(FEMA, 2018) |
| Evaluation |
A systematic determination of how a program is operating, whether it is working as intended, or if it has achieved its objectives and to identify areas for improvement. |
(Martin, 2015) |
| Exercise development/planning team |
Group of individuals that manages and is responsible for exercise design, development, conduct, and evaluation. |
(Department of Homeland Security, 2013) |
| Facilitation |
A process where an individual assists a group in solving problems and making decisions, without directly contribution to the process or discussion. |
(WebFinance Inc., 2019) |
| Focus group |
A group of people brought together for an in-depth discussion of a problem or issue of concern. |
(Calhoun, 2002) |
| Functional exercise |
An activity designed to validate and evaluate capabilities and functions during a disaster or emergency. This type of simulated exercise is conducted in the most realistic manner possible. |
(Department of Homeland Security, 2013) |
| Game |
An activity that often involves two or more teams competing to explore consequences and achieve goals related to planning or managing a disaster. |
(Department of Homeland Security, 2013) |
| Geographic information system (GIS) |
A computer system that analyzes, manages, and displays spatial or geographic data. |
(Mitchell and Minami, 1999) |
| Hazard |
Potentially damaging physical event, social and economic disruption, or environmental degradation. |
(FEMA, 2018) |
| Historical record |
The collection of past climate data. |
(van Kooten, 2013) |
| Instrumental record |
Weather data observed by instrumentation, such as temperature data, that are measured by a thermometer. |
(van Kooten, 2013) |
| Institutional memory |
The collective knowledge and learned experiences of a group. |
(IGI Global, 2019) |
| Jurisdiction |
An area with unified decision-making authority. |
(WebFinance Inc., 2019) |
| Land use management plan |
A plan to manage the development of land |
(Kelley, 2012) |
| Mitigate/mitigation |
Actions taken by individual citizens, industry, government, and others to lessen a disaster’s impact before it occurs. |
(FEMA, 2018) |
| Model/modeling |
A tool for simulating or predicting the behavior or a system such as the atmosphere or hydrologic cycle. |
(Glickman and Zenk, 2000) |
| Multi-hazard mitigation plan |
A plan to reduce loss of life and property by lessening the impact of different types of disasters. |
(FEMA, 2019) |
| Objective |
A specific result that a person or program aims to achieve within a given timeframe and with available resources. |
(WebFinance Inc., 2019) |
| Preparedness |
The state of being ready to monitor and respond to a hazard, including the early warning signs. |
(FEMA, 2018) |
| Qualitative methods |
Collection of feedback in a more open-ended format. These methods can be done through open-ended questions, focus groups, interviews, and general observations. |
(CDC, 2012) |
| Quantitative methods |
Used in evaluation processes where a defined set of data is collected and analyzed. These methods can be done through telephone, paper, or online surveys. The data can be statistically analyzed as well. |
(CDC, 2012) |
| Resilient |
The ability of a system to be disrupted, absorb shocks, adapt and recover after a disaster. |
(Adger, 2006) |
| Risk management |
In the context of disaster management, an approach that emphasizes actions and activities that take place before an event, such as mitigation, preparedness, and prediction and early warning activities. |
(Wilhite et al., 2000) |
| River basin |
The total area drained by a river and its tributaries. |
(Glickman and Zenk, 2000) |
| Scenario |
An outline or model of the simulated events used in a disaster preparedness exercise. |
(Department of Homeland Security, 2013) |
| Scenario-based exercise |
Structured, interactive activities designed for engaging decision-makers, stakeholders, planners, and emergency managers in the process of planning and managing mitigation and response activities for a disaster. |
(Department of Homeland Security, 2013) |
| Scope |
An indicator of the extent of an emergency preparedness exercise. |
(Department of Homeland Security, 2013) |
| Stakeholder |
An individual, group or organization that is impacted by the outcome of a project. They have an interest in the success of the project, and can be within or outside the organization that is sponsoring the project. |
(Calhoun, 2002) |
| Threat |
A thing likely to cause damage. May result from natural disasters, technological hazards, and human caused incidents. |
(Department of Homeland Security, 2016) |
| Tabletop exercise |
A facilitated group discussion in which representatives from agencies and organizations meet in a classroom or in breakout groups to discuss the implementation of a disaster plan. |
(Department of Homeland Security, 2013) |
| THIRA |
Acronym for the Department of Homeland Security's Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment process, a four-step process designed to help communities identify capability targets and resource requirements necessary to address the risks that they may face. |
(Department of Homeland Security, 2016) |
| U.S. Drought Monitor |
A weekly map of drought conditions across the U.S., jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. |
(NDMC, 2019b) |
| Vulnerability |
The state of susceptibility to harm from exposure to a hazard or disaster. |
(Adger, 2006) |
| Workshop |
A participatory gathering of attendees to discuss how to achieve a specific result or build a specific product. |
(Department of Homeland Security, 2013) |