• How the National Response Plan guides disaster recovery operations.
• The recovery programs administered by FEMA to fuel individual and community recovery operations.
• How federal agencies other than FEMA contribute to disaster recovery. • The role of national voluntary relief organizations.
• Tools that are available for community recovery planning.
Introduction
There is often a theoretical debate over when the response function ends and the recovery function begins. For this book, the response function is classified as the immediate actions to save lives, protect property, and meet basic human needs. The recovery function is not so easily classified. This function often begins in the initial hours and days following a disaster event and can continue for months and, in some cases, years, depending on the severity of the event.
Unlike the response function, where all efforts have a singular focus, the recovery function or process is characterized by a complex set of issues and decisions that must be made by individuals and communities. Recovery involves decisions and actions relative to rebuilding homes, replacing property, resuming employment, restoring businesses, and permanently repairing and rebuilding infrastructure. The recovery process requires bal- ancing the more immediate need to return the community to normalcy with the longer- term goal of reducing future vulnerability. The recovery process can provide individuals and communities with opportunities to become more economically secure and improve the overall safety and quality of life.
Because the recovery function has such long-lasting effects and usually high costs, the participants in the process are numerous. They include all levels of government, the business community, political leadership, community activists, and individuals. Each of these groups plays a role in determining how the recovery will progress. Some of
these roles are regulatory, such as application of state or local building ordinances, and some, such as the insurance industry, provide financial support. The goal of an effective recovery is to bring all the players together to plan, finance, and implement a recovery strategy that will rebuild the disaster-affected area safer and more secure as quickly as possible.
As noted in the previous chapter, the precipitating event for an area affected by a disaster is the presidential declaration of disaster under the Stafford Act. Recovery activities begin immediately after a presidential declaration, as the agencies of the federal government collaborate with the state in the affected area in coordinating the implemen- tation of recovery programs and the delivery of recovery services.
In the period 1990–1999, FEMA spent more than $25.4 billion for declared disas- ters and emergencies, compared to $3.9 billion in current dollars for 1980–1989. For the 1990–1999 period, more than $6.3 billion was provided in grants for temporary housing, home repairs, and other disaster-related needs for individuals and families. An additional $14.8 billion went to states and local governments for cleanup and restora- tion projects, including more than $1.37 billion for mission-assigned work undertaken by other federal agencies. In the 1990s, a total of 88 declarations were issued for hurricanes and typhoons, for which FEMA obligated more than $7.78 billion for disaster costs. The most costly to FEMA was Hurricane Georges in 1998, followed closely by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
The most frequently declared disaster type was flooding resulting from severe storms, with more than $7.3 billion committed by FEMA for response and recovery costs. The most costly were the Midwest floods in 1993 and the Red River Valley floods in 1997.
By December 2001, the disaster assistance provided by FEMA, the Small Business Administration, and the state of New York for the September 11, 2001, World Trade Center event had reached $700 million. Recovery costs for this disaster as of December 5, 2001, included the following:
• More than $344 million in public assistance funds to help New York City repair damaged infrastructure, restore critical services, and remove, transport, and sort debris.
• More than $196 million in individual assistance approved in the form of grants and loans. This assistance includes temporary disaster housing assistance, mortgage and rental assistance, disaster food stamps, individual and family grants, and SBA low-interest loans to homeowners and businesses.
• More than $151 million provided through other agencies, including the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, disaster medical assistance teams from the Department of Health and Human Services, and FEMA’s urban search and rescue task force. Hurricane Katrina has become the costliest disaster in U.S. history. The federal government expects to provide in excess of $100 billion in disaster relief to individuals and communities affected by Katrina along the Gulf Coast and to communities around the country that hosted the over 250,000 persons displaced by Katrina. The White House report on Katrina, “The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons Learned,” estimated damage to housing at $67 billion, business property suffered $20 billion in damages, and government property an estimated $3 billion in damages (Townsend,
2006). More details concerning federal recovery costs in Katrina are included in Katrina:
A Case Study.
Without a doubt, the federal government plays the largest role in providing the technical and financial support for recovery. For that reason, this chapter focuses on the federal role in the disaster recovery function. It discusses the structure and the various programs available to assist individuals and communities in the postdisaster environ- ment. The various national voluntary organizations that provide some assistance for recovery are briefly referenced, and several case studies are included to demonstrat e the different types of recovery.
As noted earlier, the decisions during recovery are driven predominantly by local government. At the end of the chapter is a listing of potential planning tools for the recovery process. This, along with a more encompassing discussion of the complexities of recovery and roles and responsibilities of the various players in it, can be found in a book prepared for FEMA by the American Planning Association, Planning for Post-
Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction.