Community recovery

Disaster recovery is the most complex and often least understood of all the phases in the disaster management cycle. In Chapter 1 we outlined the discursive nature and lack of consensus of the definition of 'disaster'; similarly, agreement is not assured concerning definitions of 'recovery', or when the actual recovery has been reached. One useful definition is: "The coordinated process of supporting disaster affected communities in the reconstruction of the physical infrastructure and the restoration of emotional, social, economic and physical well-being." (AEMI 2011: p. 19) Recovery is a developmental and remedial process encompassing: • Minimising escalation of the consequences of the disaster. • Regenerating social, emotional, economic and physical wellbeing of individuals and communities. • Adapting to meet the future social, economic, natural and built environment needs. • Reducing future exposure to hazards and their associated risks.