General Recovery Issues

• In North Carolina, there was before Helene. This is the after. (Washington Post, October 6, 2024): ““A hundred years from now, they will be talking about this flood,” said one resident in Western North Carolina, where the extent of the disaster is only beginning to emerge.”

Recovery Planning and Preparedness

• Five years after the Camp fire, Paradise survivors see a hard future for Maui (Los Angeles Times, August 20, 2023)
• Provide Disaster Recovery Information Before the Disaster (Government Technology, June 5, 2022)

Recovery Coordination

• U.N. Libya envoy urges unified Derna flood response (Reuters, October 2, 2023)

Recovery Capacity Building

• FEMA offers webinars on YouTube to help with rebuilding after storms (The Advocate, June 22, 2021): “FEMA’s Community Education and Outreach webinars for rebuilding to help those affected by the recent hurricanes with their recovery are now available to view on YouTube.”

Recovery Assessment

• UN organization to lead Haiti’s recovery assessment of August earthquake (Haitian Times, September 20, 2021): “The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is now leading the overall coordination of the recovery assessment on behalf of Haiti’s government, the group said via a news release last week. UNDP will manage a variety of recovery activities, including assessments of housing, disaster risk reduction, governance, gender, environment and overall human impact as part of the Haiti Post-Disaster Needs Assessment, or PDNA, launched Aug. 31.”

Economic Recovery

• Turkey was devastated by an earthquake. Here’s what that means for tourism (CNN, March 18, 2023): “Tourist reticence in the wake of a disaster is understandable. Vacationers tend to see news footage of any disaster zone and equate that with the country as a whole – even when that country is as geographically extensive as Turkey.”
• Many Jobs Lost During the Coronavirus Pandemic Just Aren’t Coming Back (Wall Street Journal, July 15, 2021): ” Economic data show that companies have learned to do more with less over the last 16 months or so. Output nearly recovered to pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter of 2021—down just 0.5% from the end of 2019—even though U.S. workers put in 4.3% fewer hours than they did before the health crisis. “
• Empty Beaches, Chained Doors: Surreal Scenes in Phuket as Island Pins Reopening Hopes on Vaccines (CNN, April 9, 2021)

Housing Recovery / Shelter

• ‘We lost just about everything we owned’: Survivors shoulder catastrophic loss and destruction after Helene leaves 213 dead (CNN, October 4, 2024)
• Disaster Housing Recovery, Research, and Resilience (National Low Income Housing Coalition, STATIC): Provides language on the roles of equity and disaster recovery housing challenges)
• If Hurricane Rebuilding is Only Affordable for the Wealthy, This is the Florida You Get (New York Times, September 29, 2023)
• Shigeru Ban brings Paper Log House to Morocco in wake of earthquake (Dezeen, September 28, 2023)
• The ‘Hurricane Tax’ Hitting Florida Alongside Idalia (Time, August 30, 2023): “Thanks to a broken home insurance market, a particularly bad hurricane could spread financial fallout throughout the state, leaving residents from Pensacola to Key West stuck paying repair bills for years.”
• These Maui Tenants Didn’t Lose Their Homes In The Fire, But They’re Still Being Displaced (Honolulu Civil Beat, August 29, 2023): “Advocates say the decision by some landlords to oust renters risks leaving more people homeless in an already tight housing market.”
• Maui Struggles To Find Housing For Displaced People As Search For Survivors Continues (August 11, 2023)
• Should post-flood Montpelier be rebuilt on higher ground? (Vermont Public, July 31, 2023)
• ‘This makes my brain hurt’: Connecticut used disaster aid to rebuild million-dollar homes (Politico, December 27, 2022)
• HUD Announces the Rapid Unsheltered Survivor Housing (RUSH) Program (National Low Income Housing Coalition, October 27, 2022)
• Renters may also be eligible for flood disaster assistance (News & Observer, August 11, 2022): “Uninsured essential personal property loses and other disaster-related expenses also may fall under the agency’s other needs assistance program for renters. Expenses include replacement or repair of furniture, clothing, tools, primary vehicles, medical, moving and storage.”
• Lismore residents whose homes were covered in oil from Boral asphalt depot after floods left with daunting clean up (ABC Australia, June 12, 2022): This article highlights the HazMat issues that often accompany floods, and which subsequently impact recovery.
• FEMA Trailers: Is There a Better Housing Solution? (Government Technology, July 20, 2021): “The three-bedroom modular structures were put in place in the years after Hurricane Rita struck Louisiana in 2005 as part of a program for post-disaster housing. They held up well in the 2020 hurricanes.”

Education

• Deadly disasters are ravaging school communities in growing numbers. Is there hope ahead? (USA Today, September 24, 2023)

Psychosocial Recovery

• Milton and Helene are taking a toll on the mental health of Floridians, leaving a trail of anxiety and frayed nerves (CNN, October 14, 2024)
• Rising from the rubble: A path to healing for young Morocco earthquake survivors (The New Humanitarian, November 2, 2023)
• Canada’s lack of recognition for gender-based violence is putting disaster survivors at risk (The Conversation, September 10, 2023)
• We rode a grief bus back to our burned-down home (Macleans, June 9, 2023)
• 20 years after deadly tornado, La Plata set to commemorate tragedy, recovery (WTOP Maryland, April 28, 2022): “
• Study Reveals an Alarming Link Between Depression and Disasters (Inverse, April 6, 2022): “As climate change worsens, so too will the mental health repercussions.”
• As Fires Intensify, Psychologists Are Concerned About Suicide Risk Among Firefighters (KQUE, April 5, 2022): “Wildland firefighters routinely endure treacherous, emotionally taxing conditions. But those conditions have become increasingly untenable as fires grow bigger and fiercer, and keep firefighters battling erratic blazes with no relief for weeks on end.”
• ‘A cry for help’: CDC warns of a steep decline in teen mental health (Washington Post, April 1, 2022): “The COVID-19 pandemic has created traumatic stressors that have the potential to further erode students’ mental well-being.”
• Disaster news can trigger post-traumatic stress in kids thousands of miles away (Washington Post, February 20, 2022): “With climate change, researchers estimate that today’s children will face three times as many climate-related disasters as their grandparents. And the pervasiveness of social media and 24-hour news make exposure to images of disasters more probable.”
• The prospect of a speedy real estate deal compounds some Surfside families’ grief (Washington Post, October 17, 2021): “A Dubai-based developer has submitted a $120 million bid to buy the Florida property where Champlain Towers South collapsed in June.”
• Free Psychological Wellness Resources for Fire Departments (USFA, July 29, 2021): ” The NVFC provides free tools and resources to help fire and emergency medical services departments foster a safety culture and support the mental and physical health of their members. The organization is highlighting 2 resources this month from the Psychologically Healthy Fire Departments initiative, part of the Share the Load program for firefighters and EMS providers.”
• U.S. Senate designates Pulse nightclub as a national memorial; bill headed to President Biden’s desk (Orlando Sentinel, June 9, 2021): President Biden signed the action into law soon after.
• As the Covid-19 crisis ebbs in the U.S., experts brace for some to experience psychological fallout (STAT, May 7, 2021): ““Even a small increase in the rates of people with new or worsening mental illness is going to be a problem.” And with the pandemic, “it has been the entire country” facing new stressors, Borja said.”
• Pacific Tsunami Museum to Reopen in Summer After Renovations (US News, 6/8/2021)
• One State Begins to Grapple With Pandemic’s Toll on Youth Mental Health (Route 50, 6/7/2021): To address post-lockdown mental health impacts on children, the US state of Connecticut implemented rules that allow children to take up to two excused mental health days from school per year, and allow them to have an unlimited number of visits with a mental health provider without requiring parents’ consent.
• The most important thing we can is to provide mental health support to students: Calif. superintendent (Yahoo, 5/28/2021): “There’s no question this has been probably the toughest time that most of us will experience in our lifetimes, and our kids have felt it like the rest of us.”

Mortuary Services

• The hunt for bones and closure in Maui’s burn fields (Los Angeles Times, August 31, 2023)
• Teen’s Body Found 3 Years After Death in Calif. Mudslide, Mom Says He’ll Be Buried Next to Dad (July 23, 2021): This article highlights the recovery implications of missing human remains following disasters.
• FEMA COVID-19 funeral assistance nears $364 million (FEMA Press Release, June 21, 2021)
• Death-certificate omissions stymie FEMA funeral assistance program (Politico, May 24, 2021): “More than 200,000 people have sought reimbursement of up to $9,000 per family for Covid-19-related funeral expenses.”

Debris Clearance / Removal / Processing

• Developing capacity for post-typhoon disaster waste management in Lautoka, Fiji, and Makati, Philippines (APN Science Bulletin, September 23, 2023)
• A new threat rises in earthquake-battered Turkey: Mountains of rubble (Washington Post, April 25, 2023)

Environmental Recovery

• After wildfires destroyed Lahaina, the battle to restore an ancient ecosystem will shape the town’s future. (Washington Post, July 13, 2024)
• Health officials say cleanup of toxic materials in Lāhainā may take months (Hawaii Public Radio, August 12, 2023)
• FEMA funds first-of-its-kind effort to rebuild Puerto Rican coral reefs (Washington Post, July 29, 2023)
• The 1998 ice storm wreaked havoc on Montreal’s forests. Here’s how they’re doing 25 years later (CBC, January 14, 2023)

US Government Recovery Programs (IA/PA/Other)

• Biden announces more than $600 million for electric grid resilience during visit to survey Hurricane Milton damage (CNN, October 13, 2024)
• NC Family Describes Loss of Home in Hurricane Helene (NBC, October 2, 2024): Interviewed individuals discuss interaction with government recovery programs.
• As Climate Shocks Worsen, U.S. Disaster Agency Tries a New Approach to Aid (New York Times, January 19, 2024)
• FEMA expands disaster aid for extreme weather events, citing climate change (The Hill, January 22, 2024)
• Hawaii’s wildfires led to fast tracking federal identity tools for unemployment claims (NextGov, September 7, 2023)
• The Federal Government Accidentally Burned down Their Houses, Then Made It Hard to Come Home (Government Executive, April 25, 2023): This article illustrates how the regulations around Federal disaster assistance can oftentimes prove confining when recovery officials seek to address the unique needs of disaster impacted community members’ needs.
• Biden Wants to Move Faster Sending Disaster Aid to States (Route 50, April 29, 2022): “It can take upwards of a year to make funding available under a Department of Housing and Urban Development grant program that the president wants to rework. There’s at least some bipartisan support for reforms in Congress.”
• Why FEMA denies aid to Black families that have lived for generations in the Deep South (Washington Post, July 11, 2021)
• FEMA Rejected 95% Of Aid Applicants During California’s Last Wildfire Disaster. Why? (NPR, July 2, 2021): “California’s 2020 wildfires set a record: the most acres burned in a single year. Thousands of people lost their homes, and the smoke from the fires up and down the West Coast stretched all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.But another record was set that hardly anyone talked about: The disaster declared for the wildfires in the fall had the lowest eligibility rate for FEMA aid of any U.S. wildfire disaster on record.”

Recovery Financing

• Extreme Weather Is Hitting Americans in the Wallet (Wall Street Journal, October 26, 2024): “Cities and counties are selling bonds to cover costs from storms and drought”
• As Atlantic hurricane season begins, Florida community foundations prepare permanent disaster funds (AP, May 27, 2024)
• Japan to expand FY2024/25 budget reserves for earthquake aid (January 8, 2024)
• A warming planet is creating a booming, and dangerous, disaster-restoration industry (Grist, September 30, 2023)
• Disaster recovery projects stall nationwide as FEMA runs out of money (Grist, September 29, 2023)
• HUD Announces $138 Million for 2023 Disaster Recovery (HUD Press Release, August 24, 2023)
• States urged to budget for wildfires as Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire funding flows (Santa Fe New Mexican, August 23, 2023)
• Maryland Establishes State Disaster Recovery Fund (Maryland General Assembly, May 2023): “Establishing the State Disaster Recovery Fund to provide disaster recovery assistance to units of local government for individuals and families and for the repair, restoration, reconstruction, or replacement of public facilities, low-interest or no-interest loans to businesses and nonprofits when a federal disaster declaration is not received, and disaster-related assistance for the unmet needs of individuals and families after a federal disaster declaration or in the event of a certain denial of federal assistance; etc.”
• As Climate Damage Rises, Utilities Turn to ‘Recovery Bonds’ (The Washington Post, November 29, 2022): “By late November, utilities were on track to sell nearly $20 billion of recovery bonds in 2022, a record, and up from $2.3 billion in 2021.”
• Blockchain-based solutions aim to address US disaster relief (Coin Telegraph, July 14, 2022)
• The private market can speed up disaster recovery. Here’s how (Fortune, May 17, 2022): “More American homes are at a greater risk of harm from weather-related disasters than at any point in our history. In 2021, the U.S. recorded at least 20 disasters that cost $1 billion or more in losses, totaling more than $145 billion in recovery costs. Estimates pegged the damage from Hurricane Ida at $95 billion—just for one single storm.”
• Pre-agreed disaster finance: The agenda that women’s advocates should be influencing (Side Event by ODI at the NGO Forum for the UN Commission on the Status of Women, March 16, 2022)
• Disaster fatigue is getting worse with more billion-dollar extreme weather events (The Hill, October 10, 2021): “The physical resources and human effort needed to restore a sense of normalcy to places affected by disasters is limited, and they are tested with every new event. Because of the size of these events, they require assistance from local, state and federal governments. With a limited amount of funds and responders, the increased number and size of events are straining an already-stressed system.” 
• UNDP Launches New Insurance and Risk Finance Facility (UNDP, September 27, 2021): “The new Insurance and Risk Finance Facility (IRFF) aims to build financial resilience and bridge the $1.4 trillion global health, mortality, and disaster protection gap.”
• All these simultaneous disasters are messing with our brains (The Atlantic, August 23, 2021): ” The earthquakes and wildfires and wars keep piling up. When does our empathy run out?”
• Catastrophe risk insurance makes its biggest payout ever following Haiti disaster – but is it enough? (Centre for Disaster Protection, August 19, 2021): “The good news is that some international money for response and recovery has already been delivered to the country to help with the response. The automated pay out of almost $40M by the Caribbean Catastrophic Risk Facility (CCRIF), a risk pool set up to finance hurricane and earthquake response in the region, is 5 times greater than its 2010 equivalent.”
• The Jamaica Cat Bond — is it any good? (Centre for Disaster Protection, August 18, 2021): ” Hurricanes are a devastating force in the Caribbean, and small island states such as Jamaica are particularly exposed to these climate shocks. This $185 million of pre-arranged finance could make a real difference to Jamaica’s ability to respond and recover to this climate threat over the next three years. “
• Alberta expects crop insurance to pay $1-billion as a result of drought (The Globe and Mail, July 22, 2021): ” Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, British Columbia and Saskatchewan have requested support from the federal government through the AgriRecovery framework. “
• Germany floods: Government announces financial aid for victims (DW, July 21, 2021)
• Natural disaster H1 insured losses hit 10-year high-Aon (Reuters, July 2021)
• Crisis funding – how much do we really know? (Centre for Disaster Protection, July 21, 2021): This article describes the outcomes of the “Funding Disasters” report (see below).
• Joint Statement calling for G7 action on disaster risk finance (Centre for Disaster Protection, April 29, 2021): “We, the signatories of this joint statement, believe the time has come to bring about a step change in the way the world responds to and pays for crises.”
• Here’s what 2020 taught us about funding a crisis and how to do better in 2021 (Centre for Disaster Protection, January 20, 2021):
• The opportunity cost of covid-19 emergency expenditure reallocation (Center for Disaster Protection, December 4, 2020): This press release describes a study that is being conducted by CDP to better understand the costs and benefits of reallocation for recovery.

Other Recovery Support

• What to do — and what to avoid — to help those affected by Hurricane Helene (Vox, October 1, 2024)
• Euronews Debates: How do you respond and reconstruct when disaster strikes? (Euronews, December 6, 2022): This is a transcript of a panel on recovery best practices.
• These lawyers are helping low-income people navigate the complicated process of post-disaster recovery (Fast Company, September 23, 2021)

Build Back Better in Recovery

• I’ve seen how deadly floods are devastating Europe – we are not prepared for what’s next (The Guardian, May 16, 2024)
• Floridians adamant about rebuilding in areas devastated by Hurricane Ian (ABC News, October 9, 2022): “The risk of hurricanes is something “you sign up for” when you move to Florida, Doyle said.”
• Report: FEMA Fails to Require Resilience in Funded Disaster Rebuilds (Engineering News Report, July 20, 2021): “The Federal Energy Management Agency has failed to develop a program under mandate from a 21-year-old disaster response law that funds efforts to prevent recurring damage to roads and bridges and other infrastructure from extreme weather, the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security’s Inspector General says in a new report. The watchdog says the agency claims its priorities have been responding to numerous major disasters in that time frame.”

Equity in Recovery

• Indigenous Pacific wildfire survivors on Maui can finally get FEMA help (Government Executive, April 1, 2024)
• The Texas Panhandle Wildfires and Four Keys for Equitable Recovery (Urban Institute, March 6, 2024)

Relocation

• A midwestern town moved uphill to survive the elements. Can others do the same? (The Guardian, August 21, 2021): This article features the town of Valmeyer, IL, which relocated after a catastrophic flood, but contains a number of other relocation case studies to provide comparison.

Recovery Success Stories

• Some are leaving earthquake-rattled Wajima. But this Japanese fish seller is determined to rebuild (Daily Mail, January 9, 2024)
• Paradise, California, was destroyed by fire. Here’s what it looks like 5 years later (Fast Company, November 1, 2023): “The Camp Fire killed 85 people and devastated the city. Now, it’s the fastest-growing community in California.”
• Five Famous Environmental Disasters Where Humans and Nature Healed Together (Popular, 2/26/2021)

Recovery Challenges

• The Hurricane That Threatens to Sink Asheville’s Feel-Good Success (Wall Street Journal, October 1, 2024)
• Wealth and Glamour Give Way to Gangs and Devastation in Acapulco (Bloomberg, April 17, 2024)
• A year after Turkey’s earthquake, hundreds of thousands of people remain in shelters (NPR, February 9, 2024)
• Lahaina Recovery And The Dark Work Of Coming Back (Forbes, December 24, 2023)
• Promoting Equitable Wildfire Recovery in Lahaina: Four Lessons for Local Leaders, from Colorado’s Marshall Fire (Urban Institute, November 29, 2023)
• Hurricane-ravaged Florida beach town attracts risk-taking wealthy homebuyers (Business Mirror, November 5, 2023)
• A California town was leveled by a wildfire. Three years on, it feels the world has forgotten (The Guardian, November 5, 2023)
• ‘Our grief is still too fresh’: Lahaina residents petition to delay reopening West Maui to tourists after devastating fires (CNN, October 5, 2023)
• A warming planet is creating a booming, and dangerous, disaster-restoration industry (Grist, September 30, 2023)
• After Hurricane Ian, Fort Myers Beach struggles to become ‘a functional paradise’ (NPR, March 28, 2023)
• Sandy knocked them down. Nothing will make them leave (Washington Post, October 28, 2022)
• California wildfire survivors struggle to rebuild as settlement money trickles in (NBC News, October 23, 2022)
• End the endless post-storm recovery (The Hill, October 13, 2022): “Despite disaster declarations and promises of billions in aid after major storms strike and best intentions by federal and state agencies, rebuilding homes — particularly rental homes — can take years. As billon-dollar storms become more frequent and more destructive, our government-led recovery system is deeply broken, too slow to keep up with the unrelenting pace of now-frequent climate-charged disasters. And unless we streamline federal resources and work to strengthen communities that are in the line of fire, we risk not just lives but the survival of entire communities.”
• Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico 5 years ago. Recovery in many ways had just begun (Washington Post, September 20, 2022)
•  ‘We have not recovered’: Puerto Rico’s water supply remains vulnerable to hurricane fury (The Guardian, September 21, 2022)

Recovery Reports

• International Recovery Platform “Guidance Notes” on Recovery (Multiple Topics, including Health, Private Sector, Climate Change, Environment, Gender, Governance, Infrastructure, Livelihoods, Pre-Disaster Recovery Planning, Psychosocial Recovery, Shelter, and Telling Live Lessons)

Politics and Recovery

• Abortion battle delays flood aid for New Orleans amid hurricane fears (Washington Post, August 19, 2022): “Louisiana Republicans who control money for hurricane flood relief are angered by Democratic city officials’ opposition to the state’s new abortion ban.”

Recovery Technology

• ‘Bioconstruction’ will build homes out of flowering, 3D-printed dirt (Fast Company, August 18, 2022)

Other Recovery

• Mold, leaks, rot: how Brad Pitt’s post-Katrina housing project went horribly wrong (The Guardian, February 3, 2022)
• Can they go home again? The Marshall Fire destroyed the Colorado Subdivision of Sagamore. Homeowners weigh how to build back – and whether they will feel safe. (Washington Post, January 25, 2022)