Readying for Recovery: Strategies to Support Pre-Disaster Recovery Planning

TIDALBASINGROUP.COM 11 • Allowance for volunteer agency trailers. • Allowance for debris clearance and hazard abatement. • Allowance for damage assessment and placarding. • Allowance to establish one-stop service centers for permitting and licensing. The need for pre-event contracts was emphasized after the 2017 hurricane season. In its hurricane season after- action report, FEMA identified the need to support state, local, tribal and territorial governments in improving capabilities for disaster cost recovery, pre-event contracting and contract enforcement. Pre-event contracts allow for communities to fully comply with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) prior to a disaster, therefore bringing needed supplies and services to the community more efficiently after a disaster. Conclusion Numerous recent events have underscored the need for pre-disaster recovery planning. This effort is a comprehensive whole-community process which, if done right, takes time and a diverse array of stakeholders. Bringing these stakeholders together prior to a disaster will lead to a more effective and efficient recovery, not only for the jurisdiction, but for its residents as well. There are more than 89,000 communities that make up the nation — each with unique capabilities, vulnerabilities and needs. Community leaders must work together to ensure a plan to support community-based recovery. The most effective way to accomplish this is through pre-disaster recovery planning. “This effort is a comprehensive whole- community process which, if done right, takes time and a diverse array of stakeholders.” It is our hope that as communities begin or continue their efforts to plan for recovery, it is done collaboratively — utilizing and expanding upon plans and processes already in place rather than creating new ones — and focusing on the implementation of capabilities and tools to be used in a recovery operation. Through these efforts, communities will be better prepared to respond to — and recover from— disasters that can come their way. FEMA/Steve Zumwalt