Stockton said that the United States government has learned from past catastrophes including the tragedies of Sept. 11 and Hurricane Katrina and is attempting to synchronize the efforts of several federal agencies to improve the quality of the government's emergency response.
While he said he is confident that the current national disaster response system can effectively deal with certain types of catastrophes, Stockton said that the system is not prepared for the level of coordination and planning needed for large-scale disasters.
"The system that we have is exceptionally tuned to deal with what I call normal' disasters," he said.
Stockton said he is working to coordinate several agencies' emergency planning efforts. All of the agencies, he said, currently have independent emergency response plans.
Stockton emphasized the importance of a bottom-up approach to emergency planning in which information and response strategies from towns and states are used to formulate national plans.
"We need to capture the wisdom of states and localities, not only in implementing disaster response, but in shaping it," he said.
Stockton said the organization of the American system of government makes cooperation among local, state and federal governments difficult.
"We don't have a direct line of authority that goes from president to governors to mayors and then to the community," Stockton said.
Stockton emphasized that individual citizens must assume responsibility for their own safety and take precautions in the event that a disaster arises.
"Before law enforcement, before fire, we are responsible for ourselves," Stockton said. "There's a lot you can do. Don't be a victim, be a survivor."
In addition to improving domestic emergency preparedness coordination, Stockton said he hopes to increase international collaboration to mitigate the effects of disasters.
Stockton shared past instances in which the United States successfully collaborated with other nations to deal with a catastrophic incident.
"Mexico sent vitally needed assistance across the border when Katrina struck," he said.
Stockton urged students to keep in mind emergency preparedness and public service as they contemplate their future careers.
"Public service comes in many flavors, and both in the government and in private sectors, in local communities and religious organizations, volunteering in non-governmental organizations, these all provide avenues to do things to help each other," Stockton said in an interview with The Dartmouth following his speech. "Big challenges cannot be tackled by just one person."
The event was co-sponsored by the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding and the Rockefeller Center.
