"Whole community recovery" is a framework that recognizes that every group within a community (neighborhood groups, age groups, income groups) and sector (businesses, governments, nonprofits) has a unique experience, which leads to each group experiencing a disaster differently. This framework acknowledges that each group will have distinct needs for recovery and can also contribute unique strengths to pre- and post-disaster planning.
For example, in a snowstorm, people who work from home will need different support than those who drive to work. Similarly, elderly residents may need help with snow removal, and people with limited income might need assistance with heating.
Additional considerations in disaster planning should be given to disproportionately impacted communities, which the Colorado State legislature defines as those who bear more than their fair share of environmental and socioeconomic burdens. These include:
- low-income communities
- communities of color
- mobile home communities
The unique context created by differing foundational and chronic obstacles can elevate a community’s underlying stress load. The higher a community’s level of underlying stress, the lower its capacity to respond to a sudden, significant challenge (e.g., natural disaster) (Model for Adaptive Responses to Complex, Cyclical Disasters).
Why is this approach crucial now?
Today, whole community recovery is especially important because there is more uncertainty around communities' resources. Shifting federal funding landscapes, including reductions to services like childcare, food assistance, and housing support, may make communities more vulnerable to disasters. For example:
- A decrease in federal funding to help communities bury power lines to prevent wildfires, upgrade power stations to reduce blackouts, and protect wastewater facilities from flooding, leaving local governments with fewer resources to proactively reduce the impact of future disasters (e.g. Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Program);
- Changes to SNAP and Medicaid could increase community hunger and health issues.
These and other changes make a whole community approach vital for local governments to identify and prioritize the most impacted communities.
Key Questions for a Whole Community Recovery Approach
Implementing a whole community recovery framework involves asking key questions to ensure all groups are supported and community resources are used effectively. FEMA’s 2023 guide, Achieving Equitable Recovery, outlines several goals that can guide this process.
- How can we meet the needs of all those in our community in recovery coordination and structures?
One effective method is to create working groups focused on identifying and addressing the unmet needs of community members.- Example: Larimer County's Long Term Recovery Working Group has a team dedicated to identifying unmet needs, which helps iteratively identify opportunities to improve their recovery response to everyone.
- State-level support: The State of Colorado has an Access and Functional Needs Coordinator who helps local governments incorporate considerations for specific needs, such as health conditions or language barriers, into their planning.
- Which groups are most affected by different hazards and what are their unique needs?
Local governments can use a combination of community engagement and data tools to answer this. Some State tools that may be helpful for exploring who may be most impacted include:- Colorado Enviroscreen: This tool from the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment allows communities to identify census blocks most exposed to hazards like drought or extreme heat and those facing social challenges like housing cost burdens.
- State Demography Office: These resources provide insights into employment, poverty, and health disparities, helping to pinpoint communities with elevated vulnerabilities.
- Colorado Equity Compass: This provides additional data-based resources and information on how to best gather these kinds of data within your community.
- Crisis Track and Survivor Disaster Program: After a disaster, survivors can use this portal to share their needs and request assistance, providing a crucial source of real-time information.
- Include a variety of representatives from different groups and organizations from the community in the disaster planning process.
Questions to ask include:- How can we use targeted outreach and different communication methods to encourage participation from various communities?
- Who might not be able to participate in our current planning process (e.g., people who work 9-5, those without reliable transportation or childcare, or people uncomfortable with government settings)?
- What accommodations can we make to enhance accessibility?
- Who are the community advocates or liaisons who should be engaged in this process?
By asking these questions and incorporating a whole community approach, local governments can build more resilient communities that are better prepared to handle future challenges and support all their residents.
What are some ways your community could apply these principles in its disaster planning?
Resources for integrating “whole community recovery” into your work
Interested in exploring whole community recovery within your planning processes? Here are some resources that can help you integrate this framework into your community processes.
- Access and Functional Needs Resources, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
- Community Readiness and Resilience Toolkit, Colorado Resiliency Office
- Pre-Disaster Recovery Guidance, Colorado Resiliency Office
- Post-Disaster Recovery Toolkit, Colorado Resiliency Office
- Compilation of Recovery, Rebuilding, and Resiliency Resources, Division of Local Government
- Larimer County’s IDEA Strategic Plan is a great example of integrating whole community recovery principles into emergency management.
Additional resiliency-related guidance resources
Guidance for Local Government Climate Adaptation, Colorado Resiliency Office
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