Recovery Overview
Recovery efforts are primarily concerned with actions that involve rebuilding destroyed property, re-employment and the repair of other essential infrastructure. When a disaster occurs the State, local governments and other organizations commit resources in response to the incident. When local and/or State resources are overwhelmed by an emergency or disaster, the President can declare an emergency or disaster event, opening the door to Federal assistance.
Guided by the principles outlined in the National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) and enabled by the Louisiana Recovery Homeland Security and Emergency Assistance and Disaster Act (Louisiana Disaster Act), GOHSEP works to maximize recovery assistance – both funding and/or technical assistance – to eligible public entities, qualified private not-for-profit organizations (PNPs) and individuals/families, primarily through implementation of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act) programs that follow a Presidentially declared disaster.
Disaster Assistance Programs include the:
Individuals Assistance (IA) Grant Program, which provides assistance to individuals and families for necessary expenses and serious needs in cases where those expenses/needs cannot be satisfied through other means. Click here to learn more about the IA Program.
Hazard Mitigation (HM) Grant Program, which provides funding to public entities and certain PNPs that maintain an approved Hazard Mitigation Plan for activities that reduce or eliminate the risk of damage in future disasters. Click here to learn more about the HM Program.
Public Assistance (PA) Grant Program, which provides funding to public entities and certain PNPs entities to assist in response and recovery efforts. Click here to learn more about the PA Program.
Additionally, either in conjunction with a Presidential Declaration OR through a Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrative Declaration, if an event is not severe enough to warrant a Presidential Declaration, the SBA may provide low interest loans through its SBA Disaster Loan Program to help individuals and private businesses meet necessary expenses resulting from the disaster.
Disaster Assistance Process
The disaster assistance process begins with a declared State of Emergency by the Governor of the impacted State. The State of Emergency declaration is followed by:
Once assistance is approved, individuals and families are helped; projects are formulated and implemented to restore public infrastructure. Project formulation includes developing scopes of work, detailing cost estimates and other steps to determine and describe the recovery work to be done.
Other Potential Disaster-related Resources
Within the State, the State Interim Emergency Board (IEB) may be a source for funding support. In both declared and non-declared events the IEB may provide discretionary funding (based upon legislative appropriations) to assist in the recovery from disaster damage. In addition, funding and/or technical assistance may be found in other State and Federal agencies, the nonprofit community and the private sector.
Community Resilience + National Disaster Recovery Framework
After a catastrophic event, an effective recovery requires a whole community approach to ensure the community builds back safer, stronger, smarter and is better prepared to face the next disaster. Recognizing this concept, FEMA has published the National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) as a tool to help communities more effectively organize to take advantage of all available resources at the local, State and Federal levels. The NDRF provides guidance for coordinating Federal, State, local and private-sector resources and technical support to assist a community in its recovery from a disaster or other emergency.
To enhance coordination efforts, the NDRF also creates a new Federal and State leadership structure. Similar to the Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO) and State Coordinating Officer (SCP) who manage response, the NDRF establishes the Federal Disaster Recovery Coordinator (FDRC) and calls for the State to establish the roll of a State Disaster Recovery Coordinator (SDRC), to coordinate and manage the longer recovery effort.
The FDRC and SDRC are responsible for recovery decision-making, coordination and management of recovery assets. The NDRF articulates pre- and post-disaster roles and responsibilities for each.
Similar to the Emergency Support Functions (ESFs) which support the response phase of a disaster, FEMA and the State have organized six (6) Recovery Support Functions (RSFs) to facility the recovery process. Each RSF is supported by a primary Federal and State agency, and a host of Federal and State support agencies.
The NDRF recommends that local governments designate a Local Disaster Recovery Manager (LDRM). With the FDRC and SDRC, the LDRM coordinates fiscal and technical resources to facilitate the recovery and develop the community’s long-term recovery vision for its future.
Disaster-related Planning
Planning and organization for recovery is best done prior to the disaster. Establishing the organization for the recovery, identifying key stakeholders and providing for the participation in and the development of a strategic vision for the future of the community is more efficiently accomplished if the groundwork is laid before the actual disaster.
Whole Community Approach
Recovery is a shared responsibility. To be maximally effective, recovery calls for the involvement of everyone – not just local, State and Federal governments. Pre-event planning, response and the recovery itself benefit from a whole community approach – especially when a disaster is catastrophic. When communities and stakeholders work together, recovery efforts are more effective, efficient and timely. Recovery needs are better understood when addressed from a wholistic perspective. Whole community participation results in a clear path forward and a shared vision for the community’s post-disaster future.
- Individuals and families, including those with access and functional needs.
- Businesses
- Faith-based and community organizations
- Nonprofit groups
- Schools and academia
- Media outlets
- All levels of government and stakeholders, including State, local, Tribal, Territorial and Federal partners
