Event Description

There is a growing understanding in many U.S. communities of the value of planning for post-disaster recovery not only after a disaster has occurred, but before it has ever happened? The functions of these two kinds of plans are very different, but the first can lay the groundwork for much greater success in the second. This course will explore how civic leaders can use both to rebuild more resilient communities better prepared to face future emergencies.

This course will consist of two two-hour segments. The first will review the overall concept of recovery planning and the need for widespread involvement by various sectors of the community. It will discuss the general meaning of resilience as a precondition to understanding how pre-disaster planning for recovery enhances resilience. With that background in place, most of the first segment will then be devoted to an in-depth discussion of what communities can achieve through pre-disaster plans for post-disaster recovery:

• Building a local culture of disaster awareness;
• Providing a focus for pre-disaster exercises;
• Establishing clear lines of responsibility for recovery efforts;
• Reviewing financial needs for long-term recovery; and
• Establishing policy priorities to guide recovery efforts.

The second segment will begin by summarizing how this sort of preparation can facilitate much more efficient recovery efforts in the event of an actual emergency or disaster. The immediate aftermath of a real disaster is the worst possible time to develop the needed working relationships among agencies and institutions, and across jurisdictional lines and between levels of government. Having these in place invariably expedites recovery efforts and improves resilience in the process. This second segment will walk participants through the kinds of information a community needs to gather quickly regarding the nature and extent of damage, assessing the scale and spectrum of the disaster and why that matters in assessing recovery needs, and how to involve the public in meaningful long-term recovery planning. Both segments, but particularly the second, will review relevant policy sectors that must be addressed for a comprehensive effort at long-term recovery. Throughout the course, we will also discuss nagging and difficult questions pertaining to social equity, protecting vulnerable populations, and environmental justice.

Sessions will be held on Aug. 21 & 22, 2018. Each session will be recorded on video, so if you have to miss a live session, you'll have access to the recording on the following day and for 30 days thereafter. Register by Aug. 3 to take advantage of all discounts. (See group rates below.)

All class sessions begin promptly at 10 a.m. Pacific, 11 a.m. Mountain, Noon Central and 1 p.m. Eastern.