You're faced with a community in crisis. How can you balance immediate response with long-term recovery?

The line between immediate response to disasters and recovery is not cut and dry. There is no switch to flip that says ok, we’ve ended response and we are now in recovery. When I activated my EOC, one of the positions staffed immediately was the Local Disaster Recovery Manager (LDRM). While the disaster was still unfolding, this individual had an eye on recovery. This individual led the damage assessment- the first step in initiating recovery activities, and the IA and PA process. As elements of response are no longer needed, staff can transition from response coordination roles to recovery coordination roles. With the LDRM already in place, there is a soft transition from response to recovery, helping ensure the success of both.

In the immediate aftermath of an emergency, prioritize safety and conduct a rapid assessment of critical infrastructure and buildings to identify immediate threats. Engage with community leaders and residents to gauge the social and emotional toll, ensuring their needs are addressed. Perform a detailed damage assessment of structures, utilities, and services, documenting everything for future reference. Allocate resources to meet immediate needs and develop a long-term recovery plan, continuously monitoring and adjusting as the situation evolves.

Community engagement is the cornerstone of effective crisis management. Listening to local residents' concerns and suggestions is crucial, as they best understand their community's needs and strengths. Establish forums for dialogue and encourage participation in decision-making processes. This approach fosters trust, empowers the community, and creates a more resilient and cooperative environment for recovery efforts.

Building resilience in a community is primarily thought of as actions taken before a disaster strikes. While true, it doesn't mean that resilience is limited only to this pre-disaster context. It should be interwoven throughout all phases of emergency management. During a crisis, timely and accurate community guidance can make all the difference. By giving community members actions they can take, lives can be saved and losses averted. For example, issuing evacuation orders in areas subject to flooding will be of immediate benefit (even though the ideal scenario would have been to address flood risk before an event). Later in the recovery phase, rebuilding with an eye toward resilience will provide long-term benefits to the community.