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The Crises & disasters card from MethodKit for Society and Politics
Card 56 of 128 · MethodKit for Society & Politics
  • AreaSafety & defense
  • Centre of gravityCentral government
  • Points of influence2 on the journey
  • Decisive electionThe general election
Safety & defense

Crises & disasters

Managing crisis & responding to disasters

Storms, power cuts, floods and IT failures test society at regular intervals. Crisis preparedness rests on a simple principle: whoever is responsible for something in everyday life is also responsible in a crisis. That is why much of the preparedness begins in your municipality (kommun).

Where does the power lie?1

  • Municipality · local crisis response & rescue · approx 35 %
  • Region · healthcare in crisis · approx 10 %
  • State · systems, laws & warnings · approx 50 %
  • EU · help between countries · approx 5 %

The central government builds the system and raises the alarm, but the crisis is handled where it happens: in the municipality. The general election steers the framework, the municipal election the everyday.

How it works: the breakdown

The municipalityWhere the crisis is handled
The regionHealthcare in crisis
Central governmentThe system & the alarms · centre of gravity
Who decides?
The municipal executive board (kommunstyrelsen), the crisis management committee and the municipal rescue services.
The region's crisis management and the health and medical care committee.
The Riksdag, the Government, MSB, SMHI and the County Administrative Boards (Länsstyrelserna).
What do they decide?
Rescue operations, safety points, water and care during a crisis. The municipality has the local geographic area responsibility.
Healthcare, ambulances and infection control must work under pressure, with disaster medicine preparedness underneath.
The laws, the crisis management system, the public emergency alert (VMA) and weather warnings, plus reinforcement when the municipality's resources are not enough.
Where are decisions made?
In the municipality's crisis management and in preparedness plans decided by the council.
In the region's preparedness plan, with an on-call official around the clock.
In the preparedness legislation, MSB's regulations and the County Administrative Board's coordination.
Who pays?
Municipal tax plus central government compensation for preparedness tasks.
Regional tax plus central government preparedness funds.
The central government budget: the agencies, compensation to the municipalities and reinforcement resources.
Fastest way in?
The municipal election Follow the municipality's crisis channels, join a voluntary resource group, report risks.
The regional election The regional election steers healthcare preparedness. 1177 is the way in for both everyday life and crisis.
The general election The general election sets the framework. Referrals on preparedness laws are open for anyone to respond to.
EUThe EU's civil protection mechanism sends help between countries, such as firefighting aircraft for large forest fires. Shaped in the European Parliament election.

Read the table by column to understand one level, or by row to compare the levels. The green level is the area's centre of gravity.

How it works: follow the decision

The case A storm rolls in: from SMHI warning to a cleared road
  1. State

    SMHI issues a red warning

    The meteorologists see the storm several days in advance and warn. MSB and the County Administrative Boards activate their situation pictures, and when there is danger to life a public emergency alert (VMA) can go out on radio, TV and mobile phones.

  2. State

    The County Administrative Board coordinates the county

    With its geographic area responsibility, the County Administrative Board (Länsstyrelsen) brings together municipalities, the region, power companies and the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) into a shared picture: where the storm hits, what gets priority.

  3. Municipality

    The municipality activates its crisis management

    The crisis management committee can take over urgent decisions. Safety points open for warmth and information, home care prioritizes the most vulnerable.

    Point of influence

    The municipality's response is evaluated afterwards, openly in the council. That is where the demands for better preparedness are made.

  4. MunicipalityRegion

    Rescue services and healthcare work in parallel

    The municipal rescue services clear trees from roads and help at accidents, the region's ambulances find their way along detours and the hospitals run on backup power.

  5. StateMunicipality

    The roads are cleared level by level

    The Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) is responsible for national roads and railways, the municipality for streets and footpaths, often with contractors and volunteers at their side.

    Point of influence

    Voluntary resource groups and defense organizations often take part in clearing and support. You can join before the next storm.

  6. Your everyday life

    The power is back, the road is open

    Afterwards the municipality and the County Administrative Board write evaluations that change the plans for next time. Every storm makes the system a little wiser, if someone reads the report.

The journey looks the same in reverse: what has been built came the same way, through the same decisions. Whoever knows where the decisions are made also knows where they can be changed.

Questions to discuss

  1. Which crisis is most likely where you live, and are you and your neighbours ready for it?

  2. What may preventive preparedness cost, compared with what the crisis costs when it happens?

  3. How much of crisis preparedness should rest on volunteers, and where is the line?

  4. Who do you trust for information in a crisis, and why them in particular?

  5. What did your municipality learn from the latest major event, and is it noticeable today?

Glossary

Ansvarsprincipen
Whoever is responsible for an activity in everyday life is responsible for it in a crisis too.
Geografiskt områdesansvar
The duty to coordinate all actors within an area: the municipality locally, the County Administrative Board regionally, the Government nationally.
VMA
Important public announcement: a warning on radio, TV and mobile phones when there is danger to life and health.
Krisledningsnämnd
A municipal committee that can take over decisions from other committees during a serious crisis.
Trygghetspunkt
A place residents can go to for warmth, information and help when society is disrupted.
FRG
Voluntary resource group: trained volunteers the municipality can call in during a crisis.

Go further

Footnotes

1) This is an estimate of how decision-making power over the issue is split between the municipality, the region, central government and the EU, based on how responsibility is divided in legislation. A teaching guide, not an exact measurement.