Collaborative Governance and Disaster Recovery: The National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) in the U.S.

Abstract

Disasters impact communities and individuals and disrupt social-technical systems and community functions. Consequences of disasters can be minimized if communities and people reduce their vulnerabilities and increase their resilience. Disaster response received significant attention from the researchers and practitioners alike. In a sense it is easy to study short term disaster response. Investment in immediate disaster response also makes sense for policy makers. Unfortunately research on disaster recovery is very limited and it is considered the ignored phase of emergency management and existing knowledge and applied research of this phase is seriously lagging behind compared to what is required today. Disaster recovery is usually perceived and understood as a slow phase that begins after critical decisions and needs are met after a disaster. There is also a perceived notion that the government agencies at all levels have committed resources more to disaster response and relief efforts and less to recovery (and mitigation) efforts. Thus it is important to pay heed to this crucial phase of managing disasters. Recovery is a long process that offers ample opportunity to rebuild and redevelop resilient and sustainable communities. The chapter highlights that a shared effort to redevelop, restore, and rebuild a community requires effective intergovernmental and cross-sector collaboration and cooperation. Recent recovery experiences in the US, especially post-Katrina, have shown a considerable lack of coordination between different government agencies as well as political conflicts in planning and executing recovery efforts. The complex nature of recovery planning and efforts requires pre-disaster and post-disaster collaboration between different stakeholders including private, public, nonprofit organizations and citizens. This chapter focuses on collaborative governance principles applied to disaster recovery using the recent National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) in the U.S. as an example. The development of NDRF is also included briefly in the chapter. This chapter is important to gauge the usefulness of a national level recovery framework. This framework may assist in altering the general perception about the Federal government's lack of effort and planning towards disaster recovery.