The impact of a disaster on a community can be significant and felt long after responders and volunteers have departed. To support recovery needs in a better, more coordinated way, the federal government worked with state, local, tribal, and territory agencies, non-government organizations and private industry to craft a National Disaster Recovery Framework released Friday.
The framework recommends roles and activities for everyone involved in recovery, from government agencies to non-government organizations and from private businesses to families. A coordinated structure is important because everyone has a role to play in helping communities bounce back as quickly as possible after a disaster, just like everyone plays a role in preparing for and responding to emergencies. By working together to promote the resilience, health and well being of the whole community we can accomplish more than we could by working independently.
All events are local and local governments lead disaster response and, in the same way, they also lead recovery. The framework introduces six recovery support functions that represent an area of recovery assistance. HHS, through ASPR, leads the Health and Social Services Recovery Support Function so we’ll coordinate federal agencies that can help local, state and tribal agencies restore public health, behavioral health, health care systems, and social services networks.
The other recovery support functions are Community Planning and Capacity Building, Economic, Housing, Infrastructure Systems, and Natural and Cultural Resources.
Already we’ve seen what a coordinated recovery effort can accomplish. In Joplin, Missouri, HHS is supporting community and state agencies in addressing mental health needs and impacts to child care. In Alabama, where FEMA piloted the framework, HHS staff is helping the State and the impacted communities identify health and social services issues and potential resources to address post-disaster challenges and plan for long-term recovery.
Anticipating the need for better coordination, last month ASPR stood up a recovery office. The office will be the HHS lead for the federal Health and Social Services Recovery Support Function, working within HHS and with partner agencies to coordinate federal recovery resources and assist states and communities as we move forward together in helping communities recover as quickly as possible.
I hope you’ll check out the new National Disaster Recovery Framework and join us in helping communities across the country prepare for, respond to and fully recover from crises.
