Week three of Building Safety Month is ‘Understanding the Four Phases of Emergency Management”. Even though there are many distinct types of natural and manmade hazards, they have a common element that can allow you to prepare and protect yourself from disasters.
Most emergency managers think of disasters as recurring events with four phases: Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. A community should be in at least one phase of emergency management at any time.
Disaster Recovery Phase
The Recovery phase takes place after a disaster. The goal is to restore and rebuild damaged or destroyed infrastructure, homes and buildings, after life saving efforts and basic services have been restored. The Recovery phase is gradual and may last a long time, six months to a year on average, or even longer depending on the amount of damage.
Assistance in the Recovery phase is available from multiple sources. FEMA has programs for individuals and communities and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development has annual grants available for communities for restoring housing and a suitable living environment. If you have insurance on your property, usually assistance is available above and beyond the repair or replacement of the property.
The recovery phase should include provisions for modernizing or updating the life safety and building codes. Newer codes when enforced, will create a more resilient community and is a worthwhile investment in the future. FEMA has a collection of building code documents available which provide guidance on hazard-resistant provisions for property owners, building code officials, engineers, engineers, design professionals and the general public.
With the Recovery phase being a gradual and planned process to restore a community, time will be needed to create the resiliency from additional disasters in the future.
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