National Disaster 

Recovery Framework

Second Edition 

June 2016

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Executive Summary

The National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) establishes a common platform and forum for 

how the whole community builds, sustains, and coordinates delivery of recovery capabilities. 

Resilient and sustainable recovery encompasses more than the restoration of a community’s physical 

structures to pre-disaster conditions. Through effective coordination of partners and resources, we 

can ensure the continuity of services and support to meet the needs of affected community members 

who have experienced the hardships of financial, emotional, and/or physical impacts of devastating 

disasters. 

The primary value of the NDRF is its emphasis on preparing for recovery in advance of disaster. The 

ability of a community to accelerate the recovery process begins with its efforts in pre-disaster 

preparedness, including coordinating with whole community partners, mitigating risks, incorporating 

continuity planning, identifying resources, and developing capacity to effectively manage the 

recovery process, and through collaborative and inclusive planning processes. Collaboration across 

the whole community provides an opportunity to integrate mitigation, resilience, and sustainability 

into the community’s short- and long-term recovery goals. 

This Framework is always in effect, and elements can be implemented at any time. The 

structures, roles, and responsibilities described in this Framework can be partially or fully 

implemented in the context of a threat or hazard, in anticipation of a significant event, or following 

an incident. Selective implementation of the NDRF allows for a scalable and deliberate delivery of

specific resources and capabilities and a level of coordination appropriate for each incident. Building 

on a wealth of objective and evidence-based knowledge and community experience, this Framework 

seeks to increase awareness of recovery capabilities across the whole community. 

Key elements of the NDRF since it was first published in 2011 that are significant for all readers are 

the guiding principles and the Recovery core capabilities. The NDRF is guided by eight principles 

that when put into practice, maximize the opportunity for achieving recovery success. The guiding 

principles remind us of the importance of how we work together to support survivor needs and build 

resilience: 

 Individual and Family Empowerment;

 Leadership and Local Primacy; 

 Pre-Disaster Recovery Planning; 

 Engaged Partnerships and Inclusiveness; 

 Unity of Effort;

 Timeliness and Flexibility;

 Resilience and Sustainability; and

 Psychological and Emotional Recovery. 

This edition of the NDRF highlights and further defines the eight Recovery core capabilities—critical 

functions to enable preparedness and recovery—as identified in the National Preparedness Goal. 

Three core capabilities are common to all five mission areas: Planning; Public Information and 

Warning; and Operational Coordination. The remaining five are specific to recovery:

 Economic Recovery; 
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 Health and Social Services; 

 Housing; 

 Infrastructure Systems; and

 Natural and Cultural Resources. 

The NDRF focuses on ensuring that the Nation will be able to achieve recovery following any 

incident regardless of size or scale, and considers the full spectrum of threats and hazards, including 

natural, technological/accidental, and adversarial/human-caused. The NDRF helps ensure that all 

communities can coordinate recovery efforts to address their unique needs, capabilities, 

demographics, and governing structures. It encourages an inclusive recovery process, engaging 

traditional and nontraditional whole community partners, and provides a strategic and national 

approach to lead, manage, and coordinate recovery efforts while increasing the resilience of our 

communities. 
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Table of Contents

Executive Summary ....................................................................................................... i

Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1

Framework Purpose and Organization .................................................................................1

Evolution of the National Disaster Recovery Framework ...................................................3

Intended Audience ...................................................................................................................3

Scope ............................................................................................................................. 4

Recovery Continuum ...............................................................................................................4

Guiding Principles ...................................................................................................................5

Risk-Basis..................................................................................................................................8

Roles and Responsibilities........................................................................................... 9

Ensuring Inclusion of Whole Community ...........................................................................10

Individuals, Families, and Households ................................................................................11

Nongovernmental Organizations ..........................................................................................11

Private Sector Entities ...........................................................................................................13

Local Governments ................................................................................................................14

State, Tribal, Territorial and Insular Area Governments .................................................17

Federal Government ..............................................................................................................21

Core Capabilities......................................................................................................... 24

Planning ..................................................................................................................................25

Public Information and Warning .........................................................................................27

Operational Coordination .....................................................................................................28

Economic Recovery ................................................................................................................29

Health and Social Services ....................................................................................................30

Housing ...................................................................................................................................30

Infrastructure Systems ..........................................................................................................31

Natural and Cultural Resources ...........................................................................................32
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Coordinating Structures and Integration .................................................................. 33

Nongovernmental Organizations Coordinating Structures ...............................................34

Local Coordinating Structures .............................................................................................35

State/Territorial Coordinating Structures ..........................................................................35

Tribal Coordinating Structures ............................................................................................36

Federal Coordinating Structures..........................................................................................36

Integration ..............................................................................................................................42

Relationship to Other Mission Areas ......................................................................... 43

Prevention ...............................................................................................................................43

Protection ................................................................................................................................44

Mitigation................................................................................................................................44

Response..................................................................................................................................44

Operational Planning .................................................................................................. 44

Planning Assumptions ...........................................................................................................45

Planning Activities .................................................................................................................45

Framework Application............................................................................................... 48

Achieving Successful Recovery .............................................................................................49

Measuring Recovery Progress ..............................................................................................50

Supporting Resources................................................................................................ 51

Conclusion................................................................................................................... 52
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Introduction

The National Preparedness System outlines an organized process for the whole community to move 

forward with their preparedness activities and achieve the National Preparedness Goal. The National 

Preparedness System integrates efforts across five preparedness mission areas—Prevention, 

Protection, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery—in order to achieve the goal of a secure and 

resilient Nation. The National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF), part of the National 

Preparedness System, outlines the strategy and doctrine for how the whole community1

 builds, 

sustains, and coordinates delivery of Recovery core capabilities identified in the National 

Preparedness Goal in an integrated manner with the other mission areas. This second edition of the 

NDRF reflects the insights and lessons learned from real-world incidents and the implementation of 

the National Preparedness System. 

Prevention: The capabilities necessary to avoid, prevent, or stop a threatened or actual 

act of terrorism. Within national preparedness, the term “prevention” refers to preventing 

imminent threats.

Protection: The capabilities necessary to secure the homeland against acts of terrorism 

and man-made or natural disasters.

Mitigation: The capabilities necessary to reduce loss of life and property by lessening 

the impact of disasters.

Response: The capabilities necessary to save lives, protect property and the 

environment, and meet basic human needs after an incident has occurred.

Recovery: The capabilities necessary to assist communities affected by an incident to 

recover effectively.

Framework Purpose and Organization

As a component of national doctrine, the NDRF describes principles, processes, and capabilities 

essential for all communities to more effectively manage and enable recovery following an incident 

of any size or scale. This Framework defines how the whole community, including emergency 

managers, community development professionals, recovery practitioners, government agencies, 

private sector, nongovernmental organization (NGO) leaders, and the public, will collaborate and 

coordinate to more effectively utilize existing resources to promote resilience and support the 

recovery of those affected by an incident. The National Preparedness Goal defines resilience as “the 

ability to adapt to changing conditions and withstand and rapidly recover from disruption due to 

emergencies.” 

The NDRF advances the concept that recovery extends beyond simply repairing damaged structures. 

It also includes the continuation or restoration of services critical to supporting the physical, 

emotional, and financial well-being of impacted community members. Recovery includes the 

restoration and strengthening of key systems and resource assets that are critical to the economic 

stability, vitality, and long-term sustainability of the communities themselves. These include health 

 

1 The whole community includes individuals and communities, the private and nonprofit sectors, faith-based 

organizations, and all levels of government (local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, insular area, and 

Federal). Whole community is defined in the National Preparedness Goal as “a focus on enabling the participation in 

national preparedness activities of a wider range of players from the private and nonprofit sectors, including 

nongovernmental organizations and the general public, in conjunction with the participation of all levels of 

government in order to foster better coordination and working relationships.” 
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(including behavioral health) and human services capabilities and networks, public and private 

disability support and service systems, educational systems, community social networks, natural and 

cultural resources, affordable and accessible housing, infrastructure systems, and local and regional 

economic drivers. Together, these elements of recovery contribute to rebuilding resilient 

communities equipped with the physical, social, cultural, economic, and natural infrastructure 

required to meet future needs. 

This Framework establishes scalable, flexible, and adaptable coordinating platforms that align key 

roles and responsibilities across the whole community and depicts a process in which a community 

fully engages and considers the needs of all its members. A key element of the process is that the 

community assumes leadership in developing recovery priorities and activities that are realistic, wellplanned, and clearly communicated. The ability of a community to accelerate the recovery process 

begins with its efforts in preparedness, to include coordinating whole community partners, mitigating 

risks, incorporating continuity planning, identifying resources, and developing capacity to effectively

manage recovery, and through collaborative and inclusive planning processes. These efforts result in 

a more resilient community with an improved ability to withstand, respond to, and recover from 

disasters. 

This Framework provides guidance to recovery leaders and stakeholders by: 

 Identifying guiding principles for achieving successful recovery; 

 Outlining pre- and post-disaster roles and responsibilities for recovery stakeholders and 

recommending leadership roles across all levels of government; 

 Describing how the whole community will build, sustain, and coordinate the delivery of the 

Recovery core capabilities; 

 Explaining the relationship between Recovery and the other mission areas (Prevention, 

Protection, Mitigation, and Response); 

 Promoting inclusive and equitable coordination, planning, and information sharing processes; 

 Encouraging the whole community to leverage opportunities to increase resilience and 

incorporate climate adaptation and mitigation measures pre- and post-disaster, such as continuity 

planning and land use and environmental regulations; 

 Identifying scalable and adaptable organizations for coordinating recovery; 

 Describing key factors, activities, and considerations for pre- and post-disaster recovery 

planning; and 

 Ensuring recovery resources are sourced from a wide range of whole community partners, 

including individuals and voluntary, nonprofit, philanthropic, and private sector and 

governmental agencies and organizations. 

Following any incident, regardless of size or scale, affected communities will have recovery needs 

and require access to resources that necessitate an effective management and coordination process. 

As national doctrine, the NDRF is always in effect and principles should be implemented pre- and 

post-disaster. The majority of incidents are managed by local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, 

territorial, and insular area governments without assistance from the Federal Government. The

guiding principles and whole community roles, responsibilities, resources, and coordination 

mechanisms outlined in this Framework are equally valid for incidents that do not receive additional 

assistance. This Framework highlights types of recovery resources such as information for decision-
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making, technical assistance, subject matter expertise, labor, and equipment, as well as coordination 

and funding mechanisms; and the whole community partners from which they are sourced, to include 

insurance companies, NGOs such as voluntary, faith-based, nonprofit, and philanthropic 

organizations, and government departments and agencies. 

This Framework is not intended to alter or impede the ability of any local, regional/metropolitan, 

state, tribal, territorial, insular area, or Federal government department or agency to carry out its 

authorities or to comply with applicable laws, executive orders, and directives. Instead, it requires the 

whole community to coordinate or integrate individual authorities and missions. As the NDRF 

applies to all incidents, its structures and procedures apply equally to incidents where Federal support 

to local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, and insular area governments is coordinated 

under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act) and to 

incidents where Federal departments and agencies exercise other authorities and responsibilities 

outside the Stafford Act. After the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, for example, Federal response 

and support was managed pursuant to the Oil Pollution Act. Other statutes such as the Homeland 

Security Act, Small Business Act, the Farm Bill, and the Public Health Service Act authorize 

substantive Federal assistance in response to certain types of incidents. The costs of direct Federal 

recovery support will continue to be borne by agencies using appropriations made for such purposes, 

except for those expenses authorized for reimbursement under the Stafford Act or as otherwise 

provided by law. When recovery requirements extend over long periods of time, steady state 

programs may be leveraged to support recovery efforts. 

Evolution of the NDRF

In 2009, more than 600 recovery stakeholders representing local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, 

territorial, insular area and Federal governments, as well as public and private sector organizations 

from across the Nation, were brought together to help inform the development of a recovery 

framework. The guiding principles and key elements of leadership, coordination, and pre-disaster

planning identified through the national stakeholder process formed the foundation of the first edition 

of the NDRF published in 2011. The core principles and key concepts remain relevant and continue 

to guide pre- and post-disaster recovery at all levels of government. Many local, 

regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, insular area, and Federal governments have 

implemented these principles in developing pre-disaster recovery plans and incorporated exemplary 

coordination mechanisms following a wide range of incidents.2

 

In conjunction with the National Planning Frameworks for other mission areas, this document 

expands on the integration and interrelationships among the other mission areas of Prevention, 

Protection, Mitigation, and Response. It incorporates lessons learned and best practices from realworld incidents and national level exercises.3

 This Framework provides a strategic national 

perspective to enable coordination, information sharing, and increased resilience across the whole 

community regardless of the threat or hazard. 

Intended Audience

Although the NDRF is intended to provide guidance for the whole community, if focuses especially 

on the needs of those who are involved in delivering and applying the Recovery core capabilities 

 

2 Case studies can be found in the guidance document Effective Coordination of Recovery Resources for State, 

Tribal, Territorial and Local Incidents at https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/101940. 3 Lessons learned, innovative practices, after-action reports, plans, templates, guides, and other materials can be 

found on Naval Postgraduate School’s Homeland Security Digital Library at HSDL.org and on FEMA.gov. 
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defined in the National Preparedness Goal. Recovery practitioners will find guidance on Recovery 

core capabilities and critical recovery functions such as leadership, organizational and coordination 

structures, key recovery partners, applicable resources, and inclusive public engagement and 

communication strategies. For stakeholders involved in Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, and 

Response mission areas, the NDRF identifies the objectives, principles, practices, and stakeholders 

that lead, manage, and guide disaster recovery. Educating a broad audience on pre- and post-disaster 

recovery principles, processes, and capabilities will increase resilience and further enhance 

integration and coordination across mission areas and the whole community. 

Engaging the whole community is critical to success, and individual and community preparedness is 

a key component. By providing equal access to acquire and use the necessary knowledge and skills, 

this Framework seeks to enable the whole community to contribute to and benefit from national 

preparedness. This includes children4

; older adults; individuals with disabilities and others with 

access and functional needs5

; those from religious, racial, and ethnically diverse backgrounds; people 

with limited English proficiency; and owners of animals including household pets and service 

animals. Directly engaging people with different kinds of needs or disabilities in the planning process 

enhances national preparedness efforts. The NDRF provides a framework under which these various 

individuals and groups can work together and coordinate resources to support those affected by an 

incident, because a successful recovery requires the active commitment of the whole community. 

Scope

The Recovery mission area defines capabilities necessary for communities affected or threatened by 

any incident to rebuild infrastructure systems, provide adequate, accessible interim and long-term 

housing that meets the needs of all survivors, revitalize health systems (including behavioral health) 

and social and community services, promote economic development, and restore natural and cultural 

resources. The ability to manage recovery effectively begins with pre-disaster preparedness and 

requires support and resources focused on recovery at the immediate onset of an incident. 

Recovery Continuum

The recovery process is best described as a sequence of interdependent and often concurrent 

activities that progressively advance a community toward its planned recovery outcomes. Decisions 

made and priorities set by a community pre-disaster and early in the recovery process have a 

cascading effect on the nature, speed, and inclusiveness of recovery. Figure 1 depicts the 

interconnectedness of recovery activities from pre-incident through the long term.

 

4 Children require a unique set of considerations across the core capabilities contained within this document. Their 

needs must be taken into consideration as part of any integrated planning effort.

5 Individuals having access and functional needs refers to persons who may have additional needs before, during and 

after an incident in functional areas, including but not limited to: maintaining health, independence, communication, 

transportation, support, services, self-determination, and medical care. Individuals in need of additional response 

assistance may include those who have disabilities; live in institutionalized settings; are older adults; are children; 

are from diverse cultures; have limited English proficiency or are non-English speaking; or are transportation 

disadvantaged.
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The Recovery Continuum highlights the reality that, for a community faced with significant and 

widespread disaster impacts, preparedness, response, and recovery are not and cannot be separate and 

sequential efforts. Laying an effective foundation for recovery outcomes is a key requirement of 

response activities, but planning for recovery begins before response. Community-level planning for 

recovery is a preparedness-phase activity that strengthens 

continuity and response and hastens recovery. The 

challenge is to ensure adequate and effective coordination 

between different efforts and players, as the decisions and 

outcomes for all phases are interconnected.

An example is a major employer deciding to relocate 

rather than rebuild because it perceives that destroyed 

housing, roads, retail, and basic government services are 

not being restored and rebuilt timely and adequately. This 

outcome may have been avoided by including the 

employer in pre- and post-disaster recovery planning 

efforts and maintaining close coordination after the 

incident.

Guiding Principles

The following subsections detail eight principles that 

guide Recovery core capability development and 

recovery support activities under the NDRF. When put 

into practice, these principles maximize the opportunity 

for achieving recovery success.

Individual and Family Empowerment

Successful recovery includes the ability of individuals and families to rebound from their losses in a 

manner that sustains their physical, emotional, social, and economic well-being, and all community 

Figure 1: Recovery Continuum

Guiding Principles

1. Individual and Family 

Empowerment

2. Leadership and Local Primacy 

3. Pre-Disaster Recovery Planning 

4. Engaged Partnerships and 

Inclusiveness 

5. Unity of Effort

6. Timeliness and Flexibility

7. Resilience and Sustainability

8. Psychological and Emotional 

Recovery 
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members must have equal opportunity to participate in community recovery efforts in a meaningful 

way. Care must be taken to assure that actions, both intentional and unintentional, do not exclude 

groups of people based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin (including limited English 

proficiency), religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or disability. Care must also be 

taken to identify and remove social and institutional barriers that hinder or preclude individuals with 

disabilities, and others in the community historically subjected to unequal treatment, from full and 

equal enjoyment of the programs, goods, services, activities, facilities, privileges, advantages, and 

accommodations provided. It is vital that all individuals, including owners and their animals

(including household pets and service and assistance animals) are provided with the tools to access 

and use a continuum of community support and resources that addresses both the physical losses 

sustained and the psychological and emotional trauma experienced. 

Leadership and Local Primacy

Successful recovery requires informed and coordinated leadership throughout all levels of 

government, sectors of society, and phases of the recovery process. It recognizes that local, 

regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, insular area, and Federal governments have primary 

responsibility for the recovery of their communities and play the lead role in planning for and 

managing all aspects of community recovery. This is a basic, underlying principle that should not be 

overlooked by local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, insular area, and Federal, and 

other recovery and emergency managers. Local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, and 

insular areas act in support of their communities, evaluate their capabilities, and provide a means of 

support for overwhelmed local governments. The Federal Government is a partner and facilitator in 

recovery, prepared to quickly enhance its role when the incident impacts relate to areas where 

Federal jurisdiction is primary or affects national security. While acknowledging the primary role of 

local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, insular area governments, the Federal 

Government is prepared to provide support following a major disaster or catastrophic incident. 

Pre-Disaster Recovery Planning

The speed and effectiveness of recovery operations, and the resilience of outcomes associated with 

them, can be greatly improved through pre-disaster recovery planning. The scale and magnitude of 

recovery needs can also be reduced through pre-disaster actions. All stakeholders, including other 

mission area partners such as Response and Mitigation, need to be involved to ensure a coordinated 

and comprehensive planning process6

, and to develop relationships that increase post-disaster 

collaboration and unified decision-making. Discussion and collaboration will also facilitate the 

development of a common definition of success. Pre-disaster recovery planning will help 

communities take pre- and post-disaster actions that significantly reduce future disaster impacts. By 

focusing on likely impacts, pre-disaster planning identifies avenues for near-term mitigation through 

means such as building codes that encourage disaster resilient building practices, and for long-term 

mitigation through reconstruction land use plans that avoid risk areas. In addition, all partners 

involved will work together to build and develop their collective capacity and capability to lead, plan, 

and manage their recovery and increase their overall resilience. Encouraging innovative pre-disaster

planning practices can generate tools and resources that will support and sustain disaster mitigation 

and recovery efforts. 

 

6 Recovery specific planning guidance for local, state, tribal, and territorial governments is under development. It 

will be posted on https://www.fema.gov when published.
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Engaged Partnerships and Inclusiveness 

Effective partnerships rely on an inclusive recovery management and coordination process that 

engages all elements of the whole community. Those who lead recovery efforts must communicate 

and support engagement with the whole community by developing shared goals and aligning 

capabilities to reduce the risk of any jurisdiction being overwhelmed in times of crisis. Layered, 

mutually supporting capabilities of individuals, communities, the private sector, NGOs, tribal 

nations, and governments at all levels allow for coordinated management and planning. Partnerships 

and collaboration across groups, sectors, and governments can assist affected communities in 

evaluating current and anticipated recovery needs and understanding how to access all available 

resources beyond traditional recovery programs. Engaged partnership and coalition building includes 

ongoing clear, consistent, effective7

, accessible, and culturally appropriate communication and 

information sharing throughout recovery. 

Engaged partnerships are vital for ensuring that all voices are heard from all parties involved in 

recovery and that all available resources are brought to the table. This is especially critical at the 

community level where nongovernmental partners in the private and nonprofit sectors play a critical 

role in meeting local needs. Inclusiveness in the recovery process includes individuals with 

disabilities and others with access and functional needs, advocates of children, older adults, members 

of underserved communities, and those with animals (including household pets and service and 

assistance animals). Engaged leadership relies on participation and involvement of all people in the 

whole community and ensures every community emergency management process includes people 

with disabilities across all committees, projects, and public gatherings. Involving people with 

disabilities in preparedness sets the stage and frame of mind to involve them in response, recovery, 

and mitigation. Sensitivity and respect for social and cultural diversity must be maintained at all 

times. Compliance with equal opportunity and civil rights laws must also be upheld. 

Unity of Effort

Successful recovery, as defined by the community, requires a unified coordinated effort. Recovery 

experiences have consistently pointed to examples of increased coordination efforts as central to 

efficient, effective, and timely recovery. Coordination following any incident will allow recovery 

leaders to identify needs and priorities more effectively, reallocate existing resources, engage 

traditional and nontraditional whole community partners, and identify other assistance. Since most 

incidents are managed at the local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, or insular area level, 

the incorporation of a coordinated effort is critical. A unity of effort respects the authority and 

expertise of each participating organization while coordinating support of common recovery 

priorities and objectives built upon consensus and a transparent and inclusive planning process.

Timeliness and Flexibility

Successful recovery upholds the values of timeliness and flexibility in coordinating and efficiently 

conducting recovery activities and delivering assistance. It also minimizes delays and loss of 

opportunities. The process strategically sequences recovery decisions and promotes coordination 

across mission areas, addresses potential conflicts, builds confidence and ownership of the recovery 

process among all stakeholders, and ensures recovery plans, programs, policies, and practices are 

 

7 Information, warning, and communications associated with emergency management must ensure actionable, 

accessible, and effective communication, such as American (or other) Sign Language interpreters, captioning, 

alternative formats, computer assisted real-time translation, and other services. 
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adaptable to meet unforeseen, unmet, and evolving recovery needs. 

Resilience and Sustainability

Pre- and post-disaster recovery activities offer unique opportunities to reduce current and future risk

and contribute to a more sustainable community. A successful recovery process engages in a rigorous 

assessment and understanding of community risks that might endanger or pose additional recovery 

challenges. Resilience is the ability to prepare for and adapt to changing conditions and withstand 

and recover rapidly from disruptions. Resilience includes the ability to withstand and recover from 

deliberate attacks, accidents, or naturally occurring threats or incidents. The Mitigation, Recovery, 

and Protection mission areas focus on the same community systems to increase resilience. Crossmission area integration activities, such as planning, are essential to ensuring that risk avoidance and 

risk reduction actions are taken during the recovery process. Pre- and post-disaster recovery efforts 

can be leveraged to implement solutions that will increase community resilience in the economic, 

housing, natural and cultural resources, infrastructure, and health (including behavioral health) and

social services, and government sectors. 

Communities can capitalize on opportunities during rebuilding to support their sustainability and 

livability goals such as laying foundations for future growth; making smart energy choices; 

improving economic competitiveness; expanding location- and energy-efficient accessible housing 

choices; and enhancing healthy, safe, and walkable neighborhoods—rural, urban, or suburban. The 

process of pre-disaster planning can help build capacity and increase resilience and sustainability by 

taking a deliberate look at physical, continuity of operations, environmental, and societal risks and 

opportunities prior to an incident. Well planned, inclusive, coordinated, and executed solutions can 

build capacity and capability and enable a community to prepare for the future. 

Psychological and Emotional Recovery 

Successful recovery addresses the full range of psychological, emotional, and behavioral health 

needs associated with the disaster’s impact and resulting recovery challenges. Behavioral health 

assistance provided in recovery may include provision of information and educational resources, 

basic psychological support and crisis counseling, assessment, and referral to treatment when needed 

for more serious mental health or addiction issues. Individuals and families will be better situated to 

manage their recovery once their basic needs are met, such as shelter, food, and reunification with 

family and household pets or service and assistance animals. Successful recovery acknowledges the 

linkages between the recovery of individuals, families, social networks, and communities.

Risk Basis

The risks faced by a community can directly impact and limit those responsible for delivering core 

capabilities. The whole community must maintain the ability to conduct essential functions during 

and immediately following an actual incident to ensure delivery of core capabilities for all mission 

areas. Risk identification, prevention, and mitigation must be included as an integral part of the 

whole community’s pre-disaster recovery preparedness initiative and, when applicable, as an 

essential part of its pre-and post-disaster recovery plan. 

To further national preparedness, this Framework encourages all communities to work with their 

partners and stakeholders rigorously and regularly assess continuously changing risks that may 

impact them. Risk assessments identify each possible risk’s probability or frequency of occurrence 

and determine hazard-prone areas and susceptible assets within a community. An assessment will 

also estimate a risk’s potential impact in terms of scope and severity upon life, property, built and 
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natural environments, essential services, critical infrastructures, and economic systems. As risks 

change, each community can prioritize and invest in risk reduction measures that can build 

capabilities to prevent, protect, mitigate, and respond to risks and impacts that most likely and 

severely affect it. Such investment reduces the time, effort, and cost required for any post-disaster 

recovery. 

Results of the Strategic National Risk Assessment (SNRA), contained in the second edition of 

the National Preparedness Goal, indicate that a wide range of threats and hazards continue to 

pose a significant risk to the Nation, affirming the need for an all hazards, capability-based 

approach to preparedness planning. The results contained in the Goal include:

 Natural hazards, including hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, droughts, wildfires, winter storms,

and floods, present a significant and varied risk across the country. Climate change has the

potential to cause the consequence of weather-related hazards to become more severe.

 A virulent strain of pandemic influenza could kill hundreds of thousands of Americans, affect

millions more, and result in economic loss. Additional human and animal infectious diseases,

including those undiscovered, may present significant risks.

 Technological and accidental hazards, such as transportation system failures, dam failures,

chemical spills or releases, have the potential to cause extensive fatalities and severe economic

impacts. In addition, these hazards may increase due to aging infrastructure.

 Terrorist organizations or affiliates may seek to acquire, build, and use weapons of mass

destruction (WMD). Conventional terrorist attacks, including those by “lone actors” employing

physical threats such as explosives and armed attacks, present a continued risk to the Nation.

 Malicious cyber activity can have catastrophic consequences, which in turn, can lead to other

hazards, such as power grid failures or financial system failures. These cascading hazards

increase the potential impact of cyber incidents. Cybersecurity threats exploit the increased

complexity and connectivity of critical infrastructure systems, placing the Nation’s security,

economy, and public safety and health at risk.

 Some incidents, such as explosives attacks or earthquakes, generally cause more localized

impacts, while other incidents, such as human pandemics, may cause impacts that are dispersed

throughout the Nation, thus creating different types of impacts for preparedness planners to

consider.

In addition to these findings, climate change has the potential to adversely impact a number of 

threats and hazards. Rising sea levels, increasingly powerful storms, and heavier downpours are 

already contributing to an increased risk of flooding. Droughts and wildfires are becoming more 

frequent and severe in some areas of the country. 

Roles and Responsibilities

Successful recovery depends on all recovery stakeholders having a clear understanding of pre- and 

post-disaster roles and responsibilities. In keeping with the NDRF principles, clearly defined roles 

and responsibilities are a foundation for unity of effort among all recovery partners to jointly identify 

opportunities, foster partnerships, and optimize resources. This section will review the recommended 

roles and responsibilities of local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, insular area, and 

Federal governments as well as the recommended recovery leadership positions. Additionally, this 

section will address roles and responsibilities for individuals, families, and households, NGOs, and 

private sector entities. 
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The recovery management positions detailed in this section include the Local Disaster Recovery 

Manager (LDRM), the Tribal, Territorial, and State Disaster Recovery Coordinators (TDRC and 

SDRC), and the Federal Disaster Recovery Coordinator (FDRC). These positions support, manage, 

and organize recovery efforts on behalf of their respective government entities. The establishment of 

recovery coordination and leadership positions for local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, 

territorial, and insular area governments are recommendations to the whole community to facilitate 

recovery. 

Recovery management staff in all jurisdictions have a fundamental responsibility to consider the 

needs of all members of the whole community, including children; individuals with disabilities and 

others with access and functional needs; those from religious, racial, and ethnically diverse 

backgrounds; and people with limited English proficiency. The potential contributions of all these 

individuals toward delivering core capabilities during recovery (e.g., through associations and 

alliances that serve these populations) should be incorporated into planning efforts. 

Staff must also consider those who own or have responsibility for animals both as members of the 

community who may be affected by an incident and as a potential means of supporting recovery 

efforts. This includes those with household pets, service and assistance animals, working dogs, 

livestock, wildlife, exotic animals, zoo animals, research animals, and animals housed in shelters, 

rescue organizations, breeding facilities, and sanctuaries. 

Ensuring Inclusion of Whole Community

A successful recovery effort is inclusive of the whole community. Understanding legal obligations 

and sharing best practices when planning and implementing recovery strategies to avoid excluding 

groups is critical. Actions, both intentional and unintentional, that exclude groups of people based on 

race, color, ethnicity, national origin (including limited English proficiency), religion, sex, sexual 

orientation, gender identity, age, or disability can have long-term negative consequences on entire 

communities and may violate law. Those who are engaging in recovery activities are covered by 

specific legal obligations that prohibit discrimination. Statutory and Executive order obligations also

include accessibility in architecture, transportation, housing, effective communications, employment, 

social services and public benefits, education, and policies and programs including those receiving 

Federal funding. 

Relevant statutory and Executive order obligations may include: 

 Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act), as amended;

 Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act;

 Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended;

 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as amended 2008;

 Fair Housing Act of 1968, as amended;

 Architectural Barriers Act of 1968;

 Communications Act of 1934, as amended;

 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (I D E A) of 1975, as amended;

 Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended;

 The Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended;
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 Executive Order 12898 (February 11, 1994), – Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice

in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations;

 Executive Order 13166 (August 11, 2000), – Improving Access to Services for Persons with

Limited English Proficiency; and

 Executive Order 13347 (July 22, 2004), –- Individuals with Disabilities in Emergency

Preparedness.

Those applying the NDRF should be aware of statutory and Executive Order obligations involved. 

Individuals, Families, and Households

Individuals, families and households have a pivotal role in facilitating not only their recovery but the 

recovery of their community. One key action individuals and households can take is to have a 

disaster preparedness kit and recovery plan that addresses evacuation, sheltering-in-place, and 

sheltering needs. Each individual, family, and household will be better prepared in the immediate 

aftermath of a disaster if they build an emergency kit that includes food, water, and battery powered 

communication devices (see resources at www.ready.gov). Individual plans should include 

requirements to address the access and functional needs of all individuals who reside in the 

household, including children, pregnant women, older adults, people with disabilities, and pet owners 

and their animals, including household pets and service and assistance animals that reside in the 

household. Those who prepare will reduce their personal stress, be able to reach out to others in need 

of assistance, and be better positioned to actively contribute to post-disaster recovery planning 

efforts.

Homeowners who have adequate hazard and flood insurance coverage and take steps to protect their 

property from hazards common to their area, reduce the impacts of an incident and are less reliant on 

external assistance to repair or rebuild their homes. Examples of measures to reduce risk from 

common hazards include strengthening the existing home’s structure as appropriate for the home and 

specific risks. Future impacts may also be reduced if individuals, families, and households integrate 

mitigation measures into design, repair, and rebuilding of their home. After suffering losses, 

survivors can maximize any benefits from insurance coverage, pursue additional funding through any 

available personal or loan-based resources, and also apply for local, regional/metropolitan, state, 

tribal, territorial, insular area, or Federal program assistance that may be available. After applying, 

survivors should ensure they follow up on agency requests, gain full understanding of program 

processes, and express unmet needs. 

Individuals, families, and households are encouraged to stay aware of and participate in disaster 

preparedness efforts in their community and become aware of planning efforts in regards to 

floodplain management, building codes, and land use and environmental regulations. After an 

incident, individuals, families, households, are encouraged to get involved in their community’s 

recovery activities, including providing input in the post-disaster recovery planning process. 

Nongovernmental Organizations

NGO are voluntary, faith-based, philanthropic, or community organizations that coordinate and 

collaborate to help individuals and communities respond to and recover from disasters. NGO support 

is provided by a range of organizations from small community-based nonprofits to national 

organizations with extensive experience in disaster response and recovery. NGOs provide targeted 

services to groups such as children, individuals with disabilities, people with access and functional 

needs, ethnically and culturally diverse communities, people with limited English proficiency, and 
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animal owners, including household pets and service and assistance animals. As NGOs are pivotal to 

the recovery of an affected jurisdiction, it is crucial that the whole community understands their role 

and that they receive timely recovery information and the resources necessary to be an active 

participant in the recovery process. 

NGOs contribute a wealth of research and experience around issues of resilience, either by effecting 

change through private sector initiatives, philanthropy, and public policy, or through project-specific 

undertakings that result in stronger communities. In the pre-disaster setting, disaster planners work 

with these organizations to foster relationship building that will enable these groups to effectively 

engage in recovery collaboration. NGOs often have access to extended networks through local 

offices and chapters of the organization, providing contextually based insight and access to potential 

recovery partnerships and resilience champions. 

Some NGOs are part of Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) or Community 

Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD), which are responsible for meeting disaster-caused unmet 

needs of disaster survivors. 

Examples of NGOs include: 

 Voluntary organizations, 501(c)(3), with disaster response/recovery missions

 Faith-based organizations and ministerial alliances

 Community-based organizations

 Intertribal organizations

 Animal control, welfare, and/or rescue organizations

 Housing nonprofits

 Chambers of commerce and business organizations

 Environmental organizations

 Cultural organizations

 Professional organizations

 Academia

 Independent national, regional, and local advocacy, health, and social services agencies

 Fraternal organizations

 Regional planning commissions

 Planning and development districts

 National planning organizations

 Independent charities

 National and community-based foundations

 Volunteer recruitment groups

 Civic groups

 Veterans organizations

 Aging organizations
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 Cross-disability organizations

 Independent national, regional, and local disability advocacy, health, support, and service

agencies.

NGOs also offer expertise and assistance in a wide range of services and capabilities. Examples 

include volunteer coordination, communication support, feeding, long-term sheltering, alternate 

housing solutions, community recovery planning, case management services, short-term 

psychological and emotional support, respite, personal care, other medical or nonmedical supportive 

services, individual and systemic advocacy, spiritual care, donations management, temporary roof 

repair, debris removal, muck out, benefits application assistance, support group facilitation, family 

caregiver assistance, technical and financial support, grant writing, environmental and cultural 

resources, housing repair and reconstruction and rehabilitation that meets accessibility/universal 

accessibility standards, and project implementation. 

Many NGOs have subject matter expertise and knowledge of communities and community disability 

adaptive/assistive equipment and other local/state resources that are valuable to local, 

regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, insular area, and Federal disaster preparedness and 

recovery planning efforts. NGOs that establish and maintain relationships with recovery leadership in 

the local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, insular area, or Federal government where 

they operate can articulate their resources and capabilities. 

Many NGOs originate from or remain in the affected community to continue to mobilize, support 

and provide services. When needs are identified that fall outside the scope of one organization, these 

needs can be coordinated with other disaster recovery organizations, including whole community 

partners to ensure a unified recovery process that maximizes effectiveness of the overall effort. It will 

benefit local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, insular area, and Federal recovery efforts 

if NGOs actively participate in the formation of long-term recovery and community organizations or 

entities.

NGOs play a critical role in the implementation of an inclusive, locally led recovery organization and 

planning process. The expertise of NGOs means they are often well positioned to contribute to 

recovery efforts. Throughout the recovery process, NGOs may note milestones achieved and 

document best practices for their use and for the benefit of their peers. This information may also be 

implemented into the planning process for the state VOAD or COAD as appropriate. The experience 

and subject matter expertise of NGOs can greatly assist with the management of money, manpower, 

and materials to meet recovery needs and obligations that otherwise are not funded by government 

programs. In addition to collaborating on disaster planning with recovery partners, it is beneficial for 

NGOs to develop their own plans for how they will support disaster recovery efforts. 

Private Sector Entities

The private sector plays a critical role in establishing public confidence immediately after an 

incident. When the business community is working, the area recovers more quickly by retaining and 

providing jobs, goods and services and a stable tax base. A prevailing indicator of future economic 

recovery efforts is when local and tribal nation leadership and the business community work together 

during pre-disaster periods to develop recovery plans, the public is more likely to be optimistic about 

the community’s ability to recover.

Businesses have an opportunity to participate and assume leadership roles in the local recovery 

planning process both before and after an incident. Private sector entities may collaborate postincident in the form of recovery groups or task forces to effectively coordinate and communicate 
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business recovery issues to government and community leaders. Local businesses may participate 

directly or through chambers of commerce or other associations. Partnerships with other businesses 

can facilitate the process of identifying and navigating the assistance application processes. 

It is critical that recovery officials recognize the importance of partnership and create coordination 

opportunities with private sector leaders during pre-disaster planning processes. Post-disaster, 

recovery officials need to maintain communication with the private sector about the status of 

operations and supply chains as well as restoration challenges and timelines. The private sector owns 

and operates the vast majority of the Nation’s critical infrastructure systems, such as electric power 

and financial and telecommunications systems. These entities play a major role in the recovery of a 

community and a region as a whole; small businesses, for example, often shape and support the 

character of a community. The resources and capabilities of the private sector, including utilities, 

banks, insurance companies, healthcare systems, and local and tribal businesses also play an 

important role in encouraging mitigation and creating greater resilience (e.g., information sharing and 

priority setting) in a whole community. Private sector entities can also work to identify potential 

funding sources to be used in the event of an incident and should implement regular review and 

training on business continuity plans. Businesses that plan for disruption are less likely to go out of 

business after an incident than those that do not. Businesses need to develop continuity plans that 

include actionable, effective, and accessible internal communication processes and protocols to 

convey critical information. In some cases employers can provide volunteers, leaders, technical 

assistance, commodities, and facilities to support the recovery effort. 

As major players in recovery efforts, businesses, especially critical infrastructure owners and 

operators, have an important responsibility to improve resilience by identifying risks and 

incorporating mitigation measures into facility design and construction accordingly. If the incident 

necessitates rebuilding or repair of private sector facilities or infrastructure, private sector entities 

have an opportunity to incorporate mitigation measures to reduce the impacts of future incidents. 

These actions, coupled with purchase of adequate all hazards insurance policies, will expedite 

recovery from disaster and build resilience. 

The private sector, while often affected by disasters, can also be a major resource to the community. 

The resilience of the private sector in providing infrastructure services, other essential commodities, 

critical employment, or the color and character of a community plays the key role in the current and 

future viability of a community. The resilience of the private sector in the affected area works hand 

in hand with an effective community recovery. 

Apart from being an employer, and providing access to goods and services for members of the 

community, the private sector often provides resources to the community to assist with disaster 

recovery efforts. The exact nature of the resources provided will vary from community to community 

and business to business, but the community investment and philanthropic nature of the private sector 

in a post-disaster environment should be considered during both pre- and post-disaster recovery 

planning processes. 

Local Governments

The local government has primacy in preparing for and managing the response and recovery of its

community. Individuals, families, and businesses look to local governments to articulate their 

recovery needs. The local government leads pre-disaster recovery and mitigation planning efforts and 

has the primary role of planning and managing all aspects of a community’s recovery post-disaster. 

These capabilities must be able to be delivered in a no-notice environment regardless of the threat or 
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hazard. Because such incidents may affect organizations’ or communities’ ability to accomplish these 

functions, continuity planning and operations need to be an inherent component of pre-disaster 

planning processes to ensure the continuation of each core capability and of the coordinating 

structures that provide them. 

Pre -Disaster

A pre-disaster recovery planning process is necessary to enable local governments to predetermine 

local recovery functions, roles, structures, and funding for post-disaster recovery efforts to expedite 

the recovery process, including planning for and training an LDRM. This will help determine how 

local emergency support functions work with state and Federal resources, to include Recovery 

Support Functions (RSF), and establish a process pre-disaster to conduct post-disaster damage 

assessments (i.e., train community residents and business owners, recruit post-disaster damage 

assessments volunteers, expand on citizen corps efforts) and to inform state officials about incident 

impacts. The local elected leadership (mayor/county executive) has the authority to appoint local 

recovery leadership that they select or that is selected by a designated recovery management 

organization. Training and exercise, conducted regularly, enable the local government to educate 

recovery partners and stakeholders about the local pre-disaster recovery plan and to ensure recovery 

management and leadership capacity is maintained.

Local governments need to understand key hazards and evolving risks that cause systemic and major 

disruptions and challenges for recovery, reconstruction, and revitalization and communicate those 

risks to the exposed community in an accessible and effective manner. Education on risks and 

hazards can occur through community mapping initiatives that visually depict or otherwise identify 

known susceptible geographic areas and infrastructure systems, neighborhoods/communities with 

limited capacity and capability, risks to environmental and/or cultural resources within a community, 

resource available areas, and projected post-disaster impacts. These and other education and training 

initiatives can help encourage individuals and households to prepare for their recovery. Ideally, local 

governments will plan with and not for people with disabilities. The goal is to work together, 

reviewing plans, agreements, and operational initiatives to ensure the whole community can build, 

sustain, and improve their capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and 

mitigate all hazards. If concerns have been raised about possible deficiencies in addressing the needs 

of individuals with disabilities or others with access and functional needs, local governments may 

benefit from creating disability core advisory groups or consulting with local disability advisory 

organizations or nonprofits with subject matter expertise. Engaging local people with disabilities, 

disability advocates, service providers, and support providers brings a wide array of subject matter 

experts to the planning table and raises the bar for local preparedness.

The majority of mitigation measures are adopted, codified, and enforced at the local level. While 

there are state and Federal standards, it is often up to the local government to adopt and enforce 

them, or in some cases strengthen them. Examples include participating in the National Flood 

Insurance Program and enforcing building codes. Integrating hazard mitigation and pre-disaster 

recovery planning helps to build resilience in communities and can make those communities less 

vulnerable to future incidents. 

Post-Disaster

After a disaster, local governments seek to rebuild and revitalize all sectors of the community, 

including local critical infrastructure and essential services. Local governments also must focus on 

business retention and the redevelopment of housing units that are damaged or destroyed. The 

process of repairing and rebuilding presents an opportunity for the local government to promote and 
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integrate mitigation measures into recovery rebuilding strategies and plans. While some strategies 

can be identified pre-disaster, local governments will benefit from revising these strategies postdisaster in order to adapt to changing and long-term risks that the community faces such as climate 

change.

Throughout the recovery process, it is critical to find opportunities to share information with the 

public on the status of recovery efforts in order to maintain community coordination and focus. The 

local government can take the lead in ensuring that recovery needs assessment and planning 

processes are inclusive and accessible, often by establishing local recovery structures that address 

overall coordination, sectors impacted, and survivor services. Throughout the recovery planning 

process, it is important to document progress made towards objectives and best practices for use in 

future incidents. This information could be especially helpful in the context of peer-to-peer 

engagement opportunities with other local governments who may face similar situations postdisaster. Additionally, best practices and lessons learned are vital to guide future revisions of local 

plans. 

Government agencies also play an important role as employers and need their own plans to protect 

and assist employees during emergencies. Internal communication structures can be used to inform 

employees about preparedness efforts that address needs for individuals and households. The 

incorporation of continuity planning and operations, specifically with regards to the reconstitution of 

an organization’s leadership, staff, communications, and facilities can aid in the overall community 

disaster recovery process. 

Local government may become overwhelmed and need staffing, recovery expertise, or other 

assistance after an incident. In addition, they may establish agreements and mechanisms to ensure 

adequate staffing and expertise is available post-disaster. They can also implement protocols or 

agreements that create efficiencies with local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, insular 

area, and Federal government, as appropriate, for disaster response and recovery. Disability core 

advisory groups can be called upon for additional local people with disabilities and others with 

access and functional needs to help populate community recovery groups and serve not only as 

inclusive community members but also as subject matter experts. Community recovery groups 

should have guidance about accessible facilities, effective communication access, and program 

access. Including local citizens as disability subject matter experts can further integrate the whole 

community and help recovery efforts progress. State and Federal officials are available to work with 

local governments in the development and implementation of their plans and recovery efforts when 

needed and requested. 

Local Disaster Recovery Managers

In order to facilitate effective and efficient local recovery, the NDRF strongly recommends that local 

government leaders appoint an LDRM to serve as the central manager for recovery coordination activities 

for the jurisdiction. 

The role of the LDRM is to organize, coordinate, and advance the recovery at the local level. To 

effectively organize and manage recovery, this position calls for an individual with a good 

knowledge of management, leadership, public administration, community planning, and/or 

community development. In addition, the individual occupying this position should be able to 

represent and speak on behalf of their respective chief executive (e.g., mayor, tribal chief). The 

LDRM may serve as the jurisdiction’s primary point of contact with the state agencies. 
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Ideally, the LDRM position would be filled pre-disaster. This would provide time to establish and maintain 

contact with recovery partners in neighboring communities as well as regionally and with state 

recovery agencies. The LDRM can also play a role in integrating resiliency and sustainability 

principles into recovery planning initiatives. LDRMs may also coordinate opportunities to train and 

exercise recovery plans. 

In the event of a disaster, the LDRM takes the lead in coordinating local government-led recovery 

organizations and initiatives. LDRMs work with local emergency management to assess impacts and 

communicate local recovery priorities to the state and Federal governments, as well as other recovery 

stakeholders. The LDRM also has a role in promoting inclusion of mitigation, resilience, and 

sustainability measures in local recovery plans and strategies. 

The LDRM works to ensure an inclusive community recovery process that engages the whole 

community and is accessible to all community members including individuals with disabilities, 

limited English proficiency, or others with access and functional needs. Throughout the recovery 

process, the LDRM works with recovery partners to ensure recovery activities are communicated to 

stakeholders as appropriate. Ideally, LDRMs will build a core recovery coordination team and 

actively seek subject matter experts from a wide range of disciplines to ensure a more efficient and 

effective recovery effort. Some specialties that are helpful include at a minimum the recovery core 

capabilities such as economic development, housing, infrastructure/public works, health and social 

services, and natural and cultural resources. In addition, the team may benefit from participation of 

experts in disability integration, resilience and hazard mitigation, local cultural communities, etc. An 

organized, inclusive recovery process facilitates a recovery plan or strategy that can be rapidly 

initiated and is publicly supported, actionable, and feasible based on available funding and capacity. 

In order to implement recovery plans and strategies, the LDRM can collaborate with state, Federal 

and other stakeholders and supporters, such as the business and nonprofit communities, to raise 

financial support (including long-term capital investment in local businesses) for the community's 

recovery, leverage the resources where possible, and resolve potential duplication of assistance. 

State, Tribal, Territorial, and Insular Area Governments

State Government

The state has a critical role in supporting local recovery efforts. Post-disaster recovery is a locally

driven process, and the state supports communities by coordinating and/or providing any needed 

technical or financial support to help communities address recovery needs. 

Planning

In addition to maintaining and promoting mitigation plans and actions and implementing continuity 

of operations and continuity of government plans, states are also encouraged to initiate a pre-disaster 

recovery planning process. Pre-disaster recovery planning positions the state to effectively support 

local, tribal, and territorial recovery efforts. If a plan is already in place, the state may conduct 

exercises and training to ensure recovery partners are well versed in their roles and responsibilities. 

There are numerous actions states can take pre-disaster to facilitate post-disaster recovery efforts. 

Many states provide technical assistance and training to local governments and NGOs on state plans, 

programs, and other resources for recovery and support local governments in the establishment of 

pre-disaster recovery leadership and coordination structures. States may create a post-disaster 

recovery authority that is implemented immediately and features the legal and fiscal tools needed to 

ensure an effective recovery process. In addition, they may establish agreements and mechanisms to 
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ensure adequate staffing and expertise is available post-disaster and implement protocols or 

agreements that create efficiencies with local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, insular 

area, and Federal government, as appropriate, for disaster response and recovery. States can also 

promote peer-to-peer engagement opportunities with other state and local governments to share best 

practices and lessons learned. The recovery planning process also presents an opportunity to reduce 

vulnerability to hazards; the state can develop and aid enforcement of building and accessibility 

codes and land use standards, and establish, organize, and coordinate goals, objectives, and timelines 

for recovery. Connecting recovery plans to preexisting state plans and programs can help states 

identify and leverage available resources. 

Ideally, states establish a recovery management structure pre-disaster to facilitate organization and 

coordination of recovery initiatives post-disaster. This includes identifying and training leadership to 

manage recovery for the state (e.g., SDRC, discussed below) and creating an organization or 

designating agencies that will provide recovery support in priority functional areas for the state (e.g., 

accessible housing, social services, infrastructure). Federal agencies will adapt and align with state 

recovery structures. The Federal RSF structure provides a model for states to consider in their 

planning. It is important to review plans, policies, or initiatives already in place to help minimize 

conflicts and ensure alignment of priorities. 

Assistance to Local Governments

States assist local governments post-disaster by identifying, securing, and leveraging recovery 

resources and funds for local governments. States also oversee regional coordination of recovery 

elements, set priorities, and direct assistance where it is needed. In addition to managing federally 

provided resources, state governments may develop programs or secure funding (e.g., assistance 

acquiring appropriate insurance coverage pre-incident or issuing bonds after an incident) that can 

help finance and implement the recovery projects. States may also enact new or existing exemptions 

to state laws and/or regulations to facilitate rebuilding activities and promote safer, stronger, and 

smarter building and oversee volunteer and donation management in coordination with Federal 

partners, including Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Voluntary Agency Liaisons. 

Where additional needs exist, states can reassign existing internal resources to streamline and 

expedite recovery, such as forming a new or ad hoc state recovery agency or reprioritizing and 

reallocating existing funds. Many states have programs that meet disaster-related needs, which may 

include the needs of survivors, businesses, affected local governments and others; these programs 

should be leveraged post-disaster. States also play an important role in keeping the public informed 

through strategic messaging, and they work with all other stakeholders to provide an information 

distribution process. In addition, states can assist in developing and maintaining a system to manage 

and monitor implementation of the recovery effort, enforce accountability, ensure accessibility, and 

track resources. State government agencies are also employers and need their own disaster recovery 

plans, including continuity of government and continuity of operations plans, to protect and assist 

their employees. 

Tribal Government

Tribes, as sovereign nations, govern and manage the safety and security of their lands and 

community members. Many tribal boundaries cross multiple counties and states, presenting a unique 

challenge in planning for response and recovery efforts. The Federal Government recognizes that the 

tribal right of self-government flows from the inherent sovereignty of American Indian and Alaska 

Native Tribes as nations and that federally recognized tribes have a unique and direct relationship 
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with the Federal Government. While resources from other communities and governments may be 

available and easily accessible for most local and state governments, this is not the case in many 

tribal government communities. Understanding these basic facts assists local, regional/metropolitan, 

state, territorial, insular area, and Federal governments when working with the sovereign tribal 

governments to develop and implement their recovery plans both pre- and post-disaster.

The Federal Government is required to engage in meaningful consultation with tribal governments 

prior to the finalization of policy or program implementation. Local and state governments are 

encouraged to engage with tribal governments as well (see Executive Order 13175, Consultation and 

Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments). Per The Sandy Recovery Improvement Act (January 

29, 2013), federally recognized Indian tribal governments have the option to request a Presidential 

emergency or major disaster declaration independent of a state. 

In addition to maintaining and promoting mitigation plans and actions and implementing continuity 

of operations and continuity of government plans, tribes prepare by conducting pre-disaster recovery 

planning. Pre-disaster planning will allow tribal governments to establish, organize, and coordinate 

goals, objectives, and timelines for recovery. Ideally, tribes coordinate with local, 

regional/metropolitan, state, other tribal, territorial, insular area, and Federal governments, as 

appropriate, to develop protocols or agreements that facilitate disaster response and recovery efforts. 

Establishing this coordination ensures that partners know the best means of communicating within 

the tribe and provides an opportunity to inform partners of any tribal distinctions or cultural 

differences to be aware of. It is essential that preservation of natural and cultural resources, sacred 

sites, and traditional lands be integrated into pre-disaster planning discussions and in recovery and 

mitigation planning efforts. To promote an inclusive recovery process, it is important for tribal 

governments to address the needs of individuals with disabilities, older adults, and others with access 

and functional needs when developing recovery plans. It is beneficial if training and exercises occur 

regularly to educate recovery partners and stakeholders about the tribal recovery plan and to ensure 

recovery leadership and management capacity is maintained. 

The pre-disaster planning process enables tribal governments to establish a recovery management 

structure to facilitate organization and coordination of recovery initiatives post-disaster. This 

includes identifying, planning, and training leadership to manage recovery (e.g., TDRC, discussed 

below) and creating an organization or designating agencies that will provide recovery support in 

priority functional areas for the tribal government (e.g., housing, social services, infrastructure). Predisaster recovery planning will also allow tribal governments to develop a system to manage and 

monitor implementation of the recovery effort, enforce accountability, ensure accessibility, and track 

resources. Alignment with the Federal RSF structure is optimal but not required; Federal agencies 

will adapt and align with the tribal recovery structure. 

Post-disaster, tribal governments drive the process of assessing recovery needs, setting priorities, and 

communicating and collaborating with local, regional/metropolitan, state, other tribal, territorial, 

insular area, and Federal, and nongovernmental partners to address recovery needs. The 

implementation of a recovery management structure, led by a TDRC to organize and manage 

recovery assistance, will facilitate the recovery process. 

Territories/Insular Areas 

The roles and responsibilities of territorial and insular area governments are similar to those of a 

state. Their governments are responsible for coordinating resources to address actual or potential 

incidents. Due to their remote locations, territories and insular area governments often face unique 
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challenges in receiving assistance from outside the jurisdiction quickly and often request assistance 

from neighboring islands, other nearby countries, states, the private sector or nongovernmental 

resources, or the Federal Government. Federal assistance is delivered in accordance with pertinent 

Federal authorities (e.g., the Stafford Act and other authorities of Federal departments or agencies). 

State, Tribal, and Territorial Disaster Recovery Coordinators 

The NDRF strongly recommends that state governors as well as tribal and territorial leaders appoint 

an SDRC or TDRC to lead recovery coordination activities for the jurisdiction.

The role of the SDRCs and TDRCs is to organize, coordinate, advance, and lead state or tribe-wide

recovery. The SDRC/TDRC is the primary point of contact regarding recovery issues and leads the 

recovery organization and state/tribal-wide recovery priority setting. In addition, the individual 

occupying the position should be able to represent and speak on behalf of his or her respective chief 

executives (e.g., governor, tribal leader). The SDRC/TDRC serves as the jurisdiction’s primary point 

of contact with the state and federal agencies and the FDRC to explore and ideally resolve unmet 

recovery needs. Pre-disaster, an SDRC or TDRC coordinates development, training, and exercises of 

the jurisdiction disaster recovery plan. 

Depending on the severity of the incident and anticipated scope and duration of disaster recovery 

efforts, the State Coordinating Officer or Tribal Coordinating Officer may fulfill the Recovery 

Coordinator role under the Stafford Act. However, major disasters or catastrophic incidents often 

necessitate the appointment of a separate position to ensure recovery activities are well managed 

while extended response and short-term recovery activities are ongoing. Also, states that have 

experience applying this Framework have discovered advantages in appointing officials outside 

emergency management for this purpose; examples have included a senior official from the state 

economic development agency and representatives from the office of the governor. 

In order to effectively organize and manage recovery, the SDRC and TDRC positions will ideally be 

filled by collaborative leaders with a working knowledge of and existing connections within the 

specific state, tribal, or territorial community, as well as a strong background in community 

development. Their primary role is to manage and coordinate redevelopment, revitalization, and to 

rebuild in a manner that engages the whole community and ensures inclusiveness in the community 

recovery process. This includes persons with disabilities, individuals with access and functional 

issues, and people with limited English proficiency. In order to effectively communicate with all 

stakeholders, SDRCs and TDRCs create a unified and accessible communication plan applicable to 

all recovery stakeholders. SDRCs and TDRCs also have a role in coordinating and leveraging state, 

tribal, territorial, Federal, and other funding streams for recovery efforts and communicating issues 

and solutions to address recovery assistance gaps and overlaps. In cases where state/territorial and 

tribal communities are both affected, coordination between the SDRC(s) and TDRC(s) is important. 

To reduce the impact of future incidents, the SDRC and TDRC should seek integration of critical 

mitigation, resilience, sustainability, and accessibility-building measures into the recovery plans and 

efforts. Such integration can begin during the pre-disaster recovery planning process, and will be an 

important focus of the SDRC or TDRC post-disaster. 

Recovery efforts may be adjusted or improved based on tracking of progress measures. SDRCs and 

TDRCs should take care to document best practices for their respective jurisdictions to inform future 

planning efforts, as well as to facilitate peer-to-peer sharing of experiences. 
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Federal Government

Pre-disaster, Federal departments and agencies work to build capacity for all Recovery core 

capabilities across the Federal RSFs (see Federal Coordinating Structures) through joint planning, 

training, and exercises. Guidance, training, and tools are developed for local, regional/metropolitan, 

state, tribal, territorial, insular area, and Federal governments and NGOs on pre-disaster recovery and 

mitigation planning and coordination activities. The Federal Government promotes resilience through 

guidance and grants to reduce the impacts of disaster across the Nation in addition to encouraging, 

coordinating, and developing continuity plans to ensure the uninterrupted continuation of essential 

services and functions by governmental and private sector entities. Government agencies also play 

roles as employers and need to have their own plans to protect and assist their employees after 

emergencies. In order to leverage the lessons learned and best practices of local communities and 

state, tribal, and territorial governments, the Federal Government may facilitate and coordinate peerto-peer engagement to connect those who have navigated the recovery process.

The Federal Government uses the NDRF and its coordinating structures to engage necessary and 

available department and agency capabilities to provide enhanced coordination and support state, 

territorial, tribal, and local recovery efforts when necessary. Primarily, enhanced coordination of 

resources and support is needed when one or more incidents occur that exceed the capacity of state, 

tribal, or territorial resources that are exceptionally complex, involve multiple states, or impact

Federal property, other areas of primary Federal jurisdiction, or national security interests. 

Addressing the unique recovery need of each affected community requires a national, collaborative 

effort of the whole community, including Federal agencies, local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, 

territorial, insular area, and Federal governments, community members, NGOs, and the private 

sector. 

The Federal Government’s supporting role is especially important during the early weeks after a 

major disaster or catastrophic incident, when many local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, 

territorial, and insular area governments are overwhelmed with response and short-term recovery 

efforts. Federal agencies participate in and support recovery planning, capacity building, and 

mitigation efforts through technical assistance, expertise, or other assistance as requested and needed. 

The Federal Government encourages adopting recovery actions that reduce future risk from hazards 

and increase resilience while remaining consistent with national laws and policies. Many Federal 

agencies may directly or indirectly contribute to meeting recovery needs of affected communities by 

delivering assistance provided under their normal authorities. The duration and extent of Federal 

support is determined in part by the scale and enduring impacts of the incident and on the ability of 

the community to sustain recovery efforts on its own. The Federal Government’s disaster recovery 

management and support systems must be scalable and adaptable so changes can be made quickly 

and effectively to meet the needs of each specific incident. Progress towards recovery objectives is 

continually evaluated and support efforts adjusted as needed to meet the needs of affected

communities, states, tribes, and territories. 

The Federal Government also plays an important role in providing accessible information to the 

public and all stakeholders involved in recovery, including information about Federal grants and 

loans with potential applications to recovery. In coordination with local, regional/metropolitan, state, 

tribal, territorial, and insular area communicators, the Federal Government is responsible for ensuring 

that information is distributed in an accessible manner and is well understood, so that the public, 

Congress, the private sector, and all stakeholders are informed and aware of the process and have 

realistic expectations for recovery. The Federal Government also requires that all recipients of 

Federal assistance comply with civil rights obligations under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act 
National Disaster Recovery Framework

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and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Federal agencies may also facilitate provision of 

geospatial and data analysis support to augment local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, 

and insular area data collection and analysis efforts. 

Incidents and localities vary so widely that most recovery planning must be done at and focus on the 

local level. Nonetheless, some regional planning, coupled with Federal guidance or standards, can 

ensure the most effective application of outside resources and assistance. Major disasters and 

catastrophic incidents often cross municipal, county, state, and tribal jurisdictions. State or national 

coordination encourages unity of effort among government agencies and NGOs to achieve the 

optimal benefit for those affected. 

Federal Disaster Recovery Coordinator

As needed, an FDRC is activated and deployed to implement a recovery operational coordination 

structure in close collaboration with local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, and insular 

area recovery leadership. The FDRC is a focal point for incorporating whole community inclusive 

recovery and mitigation considerations into the early decision-making processes, monitoring the 

impacts and results of such decisions, and evaluating the need for additional assistance and 

adjustments where necessary and feasible throughout the recovery. In accordance with national 

doctrine, the Federal agency or department that leads the recovery effort of the incident type appoints 

an FDRC. Depending on the situation, an FDRC may be appointed to support one state or tribe, or 

multiple states or tribes, to facilitate regional, or even national coordination.

The responsibilities of the FDRC are best met if the individual has an understanding of pre-disaster 

recovery planning as well as post-disaster recovery leadership and coordination. For example, FEMA 

maintains a cadre of credentialed FDRCs supporting the 10 FEMA Regions. These standing FDRCs 

have pre-established relationships with partners at the local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, 

territorial, insular area, and Federal levels in their region, including the private and nonprofit sectors. 

These standing FDRCs participate in and contribute to recovery training and exercises in their 

respective Regions to educate recovery partners and stakeholders about recovery planning and to 

ensure recovery management capacity is developed and maintained. 

For emergencies and major disaster declarations under the Stafford Act, a Federal Coordinating 

Officer (FCO) is appointed. The FCO has primary responsibility for coordinating Federal response 

and recovery support to the whole community in accordance with the National Response Framework

and NDRF. An FDRC may be appointed following a disaster in which enhanced recovery 

coordination support is needed. Once the FDRC is deployed, they work as a deputy to the FCO for 

all matters concerning disaster recovery. The FCO is responsible for the overall management of the 

Federal response to the incident. The FDRC is responsible for facilitating recovery coordination and 

collaboration between the Federal interagency and local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, 

territorial, and insular area governments; the private sector; and voluntary, faith-based, and 

community organizations. The FDRC partners with and supports the LDRM, SDRC, and TDRC to 

facilitate recovery. The FDRC works with Federal recovery partners to develop a strategic approach 

for coordinating Federal assistance and policies based on input from local, regional/metropolitan, 

state, tribal, territorial, and insular area government recovery partners. Throughout the recovery 

support process, the FDRC will ensure that progress towards strategic objectives is tracked in order 

to ensure Federal resources are being applied efficiently and effectively. The FDRC will collaborate 

with the SDRC/TDRC to communicate a clear, consistent message in multiple formats to ensure an 

accessible, comprehensive, and culturally and linguistically appropriate communication outreach 

strategy.
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The FDRC will ensure that recovery support involves the whole community, promotes inclusiveness 

and includes recovery communications and outreach to engage all stakeholders including individuals 

with disabilities, people with limited English proficiency, and others with access and functional 

needs. In most cases when an FDRC is appointed, he or she will engage advisors to assist with 

coordination of key issues such as disability integration, mitigation, and Unified Federal Review. 

The FDRC is the lead for the operational core capability and actively coordinates Federal RSF (see 

Coordinating Structures) operations and activities to focus Federal resources on the most pertinent 

recovery needs and to promote partnerships between the Federal Government and stakeholders at the 

local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, and insular levels. The FDRC also actively seeks 

to incorporate mitigation measures into recovery support efforts through partnership with internal 

and external partners. 

FDRC Authority

FDRC authority to facilitate recovery coordination and collaboration is derived from the appropriate 

authorities that apply to the incident. Other Federal departments and agencies carry out their 

authorities and responsibilities within the overarching construct of the NDRF. Nothing in the NDRF 

is intended to impede the ability of any Federal department or agency to take an issue of concern 

directly to the President or any member of the President’s staff. 
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Core Capabilities

The core capabilities are distinct critical elements, necessary to achieve the National Preparedness 

Goal, which the whole community must be able to perform. They provide a common vocabulary 

describing the significant functions that must be developed and executed across the whole 

community to ensure national preparedness. 

Table 1: Core Capabilities by Mission Area8

Prevention Protection Mitigation Response Recovery

Planning

Public Information and Warning

Operational Coordination

Intelligence and Information Sharing Community 

Resilience

Long-term 

Vulnerability 

Reduction

Risk and Disaster 

Resilience 

Assessment

Threats and 

Hazards 

Identification

Infrastructure Systems

Interdiction and Disruption Critical Transportation

Environmental 

Response/Health and 

Safety

Fatality Management 

Services

Fire Management and 

Suppression

Logistics and Supply 

Chain Management

Mass Care Services

Mass Search and 

Rescue Operations

On-scene Security, 

Protection, and Law 

Enforcement

Operational 

Communications

Public Health, 

Healthcare, and 

Emergency Medical 

Services

Situational 

Assessment

Economic 

Recovery

Health and Social 

Services

Housing

Natural and 

Cultural 

Resources

Screening, Search, and Detection

Forensics and 

Attribution

Access Control and 

Identity Verification

Cybersecurity

Physical Protective 

Measures

Risk Management 

for Protection 

Programs and 

Activities

Supply Chain 

Integrity and 

Security

The Recovery core capabilities (see Table 2: Recovery Core Capabilities) are designed to address the 

risks identified in the SNRA, to include Economic Recovery, Health and Social Services, Housing, 

8 Planning, Public Information and Warning, and Operational Coordination are common to all mission areas.
 National Disaster Recovery Framework

25

Infrastructure Systems, and Natural and Cultural Resources. Planning, Public Information and 

Warning, and Operational Coordination are the core capabilities that cross all mission areas. 

Table 2: Recovery Core Capabilities

Planning

Conduct a systematic process engaging the whole community as appropriate in the development of 

executable strategic, operational, and/or tactical- level approaches to meet defined objectives.

Public Information and Warning

Deliver coordinated, prompt, reliable, and actionable information to the whole community through the use 

of clear, consistent, accessible, and culturally and linguistically appropriate methods to effectively relay 

information regarding any threat or hazard and, as appropriate, the actions being taken and the assistance 

being made available. 

Operational Coordination 

Establish and maintain a unified and coordinated operational structure and process that appropriately 

integrates all critical stakeholders and supports the execution of core capabilities. 

Economic Recovery

Return economic and business activities (including food and agriculture) to a healthy state and develop 

new business and employment opportunities that result in an economically viable community. 

Health and Social Services

Restore and improve health and social services capabilities and networks to promote the resilience, 

independence, health (including behavioral health), and well-being of the whole community. 

Housing

Implement housing solutions that effectively support the needs of the whole community and contribute to 

its sustainability and resilience. 

Infrastructure Systems

Stabilize critical infrastructure functions, minimize health and safety threats, and efficiently restore and 

revitalize systems and services to support a viable, resilient community. 

Natural and Cultural Resources

Protect natural and cultural resources and historic properties through appropriate planning, mitigation, 

response, and recovery actions to preserve, conserve, rehabilitate, and restore them consistent with postdisaster community priorities and best practices and in compliance with applicable environmental and 

historic preservation laws and executive orders. 

Developing and maintaining the Recovery core capabilities within a community requires a 

multiagency, interdisciplinary approach that engages the whole community, including a wide range 

of service and resource providers and stakeholders. Actionable efforts to build capabilities should be 

integrated across mission areas.

Planning

Pre- and post-disaster planning is a prerequisite for the implementation of a well-orchestrated, wellled, and inclusive recovery process at the local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, insular 

area, and Federal levels. Preparedness initiatives help set the foundation for a recovery process that is 

then applied post event to effectively and efficiently reach a community’s disaster recovery goals. 

Both pre- and post-disaster recovery planning are critical for communities to develop resilience and 
National Disaster Recovery Framework 

26

for successful and timely recovery. All governments have the responsibility to develop recovery 

strategies prior to and following an incident. 

Pre-Disaster Recovery Planning

Pre-disaster recovery planning enables local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, insular 

area, and Federal governments to effectively direct activities to identify roles and increase resilience. 

Pre-disaster plans provide a common platform to guide recovery decisions and activities and expedite 

a unified recovery effort. When done in conjunction with local and regional comprehensive 

community development and mitigation planning, pre-disaster recovery planning helps to establish 

roles, responsibilities, and partnerships; lay out recovery priorities and policies; incorporate hazard 

mitigation strategies in the wake of a disaster; and identify post-disaster processes and coordination. 

By integrating and coordinating planning initiatives among the other mission areas as well as across 

other local, regional/metropolitan, state, territorial, tribal, insular area, and Federal planning, 

resilience is built. 

Community-Based Planning 

The responsibility of preparing for recovery begins with the individual and integrates with the larger 

responsibility of the community and local government. Community planning efforts need to reflect 

and involve the whole community and be supported by voluntary, faith-based community 

organizations; businesses; and local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, insular area, and 

Federal Governments. To support inclusiveness of all community members in pre-disaster planning, 

local governments employ a whole community engagement strategy that builds local resilience and 

promotes joint ownership of the community’s recovery by all stakeholders. Local governments are 

required to ensure community public meetings and communications are accessible (accessibility 

requirements include physical accessibility, program accessibility, and effective communication 

access for all people); and that all information is adequate, effective, and accessible. 

Post-Disaster Recovery Planning

Post-disaster recovery planning supports a post event decision-making process to adapt and 

implement pre-disaster priorities and policies. Post-disaster community recovery planning allows 

local leaders and community stakeholders to make complex, community-wide decisions. The postdisaster planning process is intended, first and foremost, to guide decisions and may not 

automatically result in a formal plan document being produced. Planning results in establishment of 

community vision, goals, initiatives, programs, strategies, and/or projects. A post-disaster recovery 

plan document is often created when the complexity of the recovery and revitalization activities 

necessitates a more comprehensive process. The resulting document communicates the outcome of 

that complex process through an integrated plan. 

Whether a formal document is created or not, a post-disaster planning process forms the foundation 

for optimal integration of public, private, and nongovernmental efforts across the Recovery core 

capabilities; the setting of recovery goals and priorities at the community level; and local 

management of recovery and allocation of resources. The planning process aids community leaders 

in setting and communicating benchmarks to measure progress toward a community defined 

successful outcome. All affected communities can benefit by engaging in disaster recovery planning 

and developing inclusive strategies that are meaningful to multiple audiences, including members of 

the community, potential funders, NGOs, other whole community stakeholders, and local, 

regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, insular area, and Federal governments. 
 National Disaster Recovery Framework

27

Federal and state agencies providing support to communities will also plan post-disaster in order to 

organize support resources. When appointed, the FDRC and the RSFs work together to develop a 

federal Recovery Support Strategy to ensure a unified strategy or approach for agencies to support 

state, tribal, territorial, and local recovery efforts.

Critical Tasks

 Convene the core of an inclusive whole community planning team, identified pre-disaster, which 

will oversee disaster recovery planning process and activities to reduce recovery risk and increase 

resilience. 

 Develop a unified approach to making investments in resilient infrastructure to enable 

communities to withstand the effects of a disaster, respond effectively, recover quickly, adapt to 

changing conditions, and manage future disaster risk. 

 Complete an initial recovery planning process that provides an overall strategy for recovery, 

including operational and tactical level approaches. 

 Address all Recovery core capabilities and integrate socioeconomic, demographic, accessibility, 

and risk assessment considerations in recovery planning processes and strategies. 

 Identify achievable, tangible community based recovery actions and activities that support the 

community’s identified recovery goals. 

 Coordinate planning efforts across jurisdictional boundaries. 

Public Information and Warning

In a disaster recovery environment, local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, insular area, 

and Federal governments, the private sector, NGOs, and Federal agencies work together to provide 

coordinated, prompt, reliable, and actionable information to the whole community to support 

recovery. Public information messaging helps manage expectations throughout the recovery process 

and supports the development of local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, insular area, 

and Federal government communications plans. Public information/communications managers use

an inclusive process that ensures accessibility to all, including individuals with disabilities, those 

with limited English proficiency, and others with access and functional needs. Public warning about 

incidents and emergencies must be varied because people with similar or even the same disabilities 

do not always have similar capabilities to receive information. Information should be provided using 

American (or other) Sign Language, captioning, and computer assisted real-time translation. State 

and local governments should develop plans for immediate access to American Sign Language 

(ASL) interpreters for use as an incident is unfolding. This is especially critical in no-notice incidents

where emergency messaging is critical. When state or local officials go on the air for the first time 

following an incident, ASL (and possibly other language sign language interpreters) should be shown 

on television in a split-screen fashion so people who are deaf get real-time and same-time 

information with others in the community. Open Captioning should be included because not all 

people who are deaf use ASL. Printed material should be provided in alternative formats including 

Braille, electronic media, or a format requested by a person with a disability. People charged with 

communicating disaster messages to the public must remember the critical issue is not getting the 

message out but making sure the message that goes out is one all members of the whole community 

can take action on. 

Effective public information practices are two-way, that is, they will ensure affected residents, 

including those temporarily displaced due to the incident, have the opportunity to communicate with 
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community leaders and provide input into recovery management planning and decisions. This 

ensures stakeholders have a clear understanding of available assistance and their own roles and 

responsibilities, makes clear the requirements and time needed to achieve recovery, and includes 

information and referral help lines, websites, social media, smartphone applications, kiosks, and 

other media and websites for recovery resources. 

Critical Tasks

 Develop communications strategy to ensure stakeholders have a clear understanding of the 

available assistance and their own roles and responsibilities throughout the recovery process. 

 Manage expectations through clarity, accuracy, and transparency. 

 Ensure information is in accessible formats for the whole community, including individuals with 

disabilities and others with access and functional needs, and owners and their animals (including 

household pets and service and assistance animals). 

 Provide achievable, tangible recovery goals to local and other audiences; follow up with progress 

reports, as appropriate.

Operational Coordination

Pre- and post-disaster Operational Coordination crosses all mission areas and is critical to efficient 

and effective recovery activities. The effects of the incident will present unique challenges and 

require different approaches in which leadership will play a key role in building the confidence of the 

community and addressing impacts in an effective manner. Successful recovery requires informed 

and coordinated leadership throughout all levels of government, sectors of society, and phases of the 

recovery process through meaningful coalition building. 

Local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, and insular area governments have primary 

responsibility for the recovery of their communities and will need leadership and coordination 

mechanisms in place in order to effectively assess and evaluate recovery issues, determine priorities, 

engage partners, identify and coordinate key resources, and implement recovery strategies. Engaging 

all stakeholders under an appropriately scaled coordination structure will increase the capacity of any 

single agency to partner and facilitate recovery in support of local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, 

territorial, insular area, and Federal priorities. It will also enhance access to recovery resources, 

including information sharing, technical assistance, subject matter expertise, and potential funding 

opportunities. 

The Operational Coordination core capability leads cross-sector, cross-capability integration to 

ensure universal goals such as resilience, healthy communities, and inclusiveness are addressed 

across all functional areas. 

Operational Coordination enables operational functioning and promotes more effective use of 

resources, information sharing, and the collaboration of whole community partners, to include all 

levels of government, private sector, nonprofit organizations, business and faith-based communities, 

individuals, and households, including people with disabilities, others with access and functional 

needs, and owners and their animals (including household pets and service and assistance animals). 

This capability involves national, regional, and field-level operations to coordinate ongoing recovery 

operations. 
 National Disaster Recovery Framework

29

Critical Tasks

 Lead, coordinate, and drive the recovery process. 

 Coordinate and leverage Recovery core capability resources. 

 Integrate the interests of the whole community into ongoing recovery efforts and future 

initiatives. 

 Ensure cross-mission and cross-capability integration through information sharing and 

coordination. 

 Establish mechanisms to more effectively engage whole community partners. 

 Improve future operational coordination through continual process improvements. 

Economic Recovery

The Economic Recovery core capability integrates the expertise and resources of agencies and 

organizations, both governmental and private sector, to facilitate the pre- and post-disaster efforts of 

individuals; local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, insular area and Federal 

governments; and the private sector to sustain and/or rebuild businesses and employment and to 

develop economic opportunities that result in inclusive, economically viable communities.

Economic recovery is driven by a multitude of complex and interconnected components. The 

contributions of the public sector, nonprofits, and the private sector collectively absorb costs borne 

from the incident and take active steps to reestablish the local economy. The role of the private sector 

in economic recovery cannot be understated, as they not only serve critical rebuilding needs, but their 

active participation in recovery planning efforts enriches the community recovery, encouraging 

further inclusiveness and effectiveness. The capacity of the community, region, and state to address 

economic recovery challenges can be significantly enhanced by promoting pre-disaster recovery 

planning. The economic recovery needs of local businesses, individuals, nonprofits, and governments 

after an incident are often temporal in nature, and tend to shift as time progresses. Too often recovery 

efforts focus on providing assistance for issues that have since lapsed in criticality and priority, 

effectively becoming “too little, too late” to be consequential. Pre-disaster recovery planning can 

dramatically reduce the time needed to meet economic recovery challenges by thoroughly engaging

economic recovery stakeholders and their networks and leveraging existing resources. 

After an incident, the economic Recovery core capability is best characterized as promoting 

coordination, integration, and collaboration among the economic recovery stakeholders of the 

affected area to support individual decision-making and leverage existing resources. Common 

stakeholders in this effort include chambers of commerce, economic and workforce development 

organizations, local governments, and regional planning organizations. Each of these organizations 

has a day-to-day responsibility to support economic development, workforce development, or 

business well-being in their community. An incident necessitates a heightened focus of their efforts 

to ameliorate the direct and indirect effects of the incident, to include impacts to the health sector of 

the local economy. Common issues often center on capital access and uncertainty issues—capital 

access needed for rebuilding for household, business, and local government—uncertainty driven by 

unknown impacts, future market conditions, and outcome of rebuilding efforts, often stymies action. 

Local, regional, state, and tribal organizations and Federal agencies coordinate the delivery and 

application of available resources to support local and state economic recovery priorities. 
National Disaster Recovery Framework 

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Critical Tasks

 Share, aggregate, and integrate economic impact data to assess economic issues and identify 

potential inhibitors to fostering stabilization of the affected communities. 

 Implement economic recovery strategies that integrate the capabilities of the private sector, 

enable strong information sharing, and facilitate robust problem solving among economic 

recovery stakeholders. 

 Ensure the community recovery and mitigation plan(s) incorporate economic recovery and 

remove inhibitors to post-incident economic resilience, while maintaining the rights of all 

individuals. 

Health and Social Services

Timely restoration of health systems (i.e., hospitals, dialysis centers, etc.) and social services (i.e., 

child care, Head Start providers, etc.) is critical to a community’s recovery and requires a unified 

effort from all partners and stakeholders in the affected region. These partners and stakeholders 

include government agencies; aging, disability, nonprofit, voluntary, faith-based, and community 

organizations; for-profit businesses; service providers; and individuals and families accessing 

services—the whole community. By working together in an inclusive planning process, recovery 

stakeholders can identify pre-disaster deficits, assess incident-related impacts, target appropriate 

resources for pre-and post-disaster activities, and develop strategies to promote the health and wellbeing of affected individuals and communities to foster community resilience. 

The Health and Social Services core capability includes anticipated incident impacts to health care 

services, social services, behavioral health services, and environmental and public health, as well as 

food and medical supply safety, children in disasters, and long-term health issues specific to 

responders. 

Critical Tasks

 Identify affected populations, groups and key partners in recovery. 

 Complete an assessment of community health and social service needs; prioritize these needs 

based on the whole community’s input and participation in the recovery planning process; and 

develop a comprehensive recovery timeline that includes consideration of available human and 

budgetary resources. 

 Restore health care (including behavioral health), public health, and social services functions. 

 Restore and improve the resilience and sustainability of the health care system and social service

capabilities and networks to promote the independence and well-being of community members in 

accordance with the specified recovery timeline.

 Implement strategies to protect the health and safety of the public and recovery workers from the 

effects of a post-disaster environment. 

Housing

The Housing core capability develops realistic accessible and affordable temporary and permanent 

housing options consistent with principles that are in line with and linked to existing long-term 

community plans and processes. Across all incidents, the Housing core capability will actively 

support development of permanent housing options within existing resources and statutory and 
 National Disaster Recovery Framework

31

regulatory authorities. 

The core capability for housing is the ability to implement safe and healthy housing solutions that 

effectively support the needs of the whole community and contribute to its sustainability and 

resilience by ensuring community leadership and planners focus on adequate, affordable, and 

universally accessible housing. Housing is a critical and often challenging component of disaster 

recovery. It is critical because local economies cannot recover from disasters without adequate 

housing, especially affordable and accessible housing. It is challenging because many years’ worth of 

housing repair, rehabilitation, reconstruction, and new construction often need to occur at an 

accelerated pace as a result of an incident, and funding may not be available to fully support a 

community’s housing needs, especially affordable and accessible housing. The immediate need to 

rebuild and the lack of resources readily available create design, construction, labor, materials, 

logistics, inspection, and financing issues. 

Critical Tasks

 Assess preliminary housing impacts and pre- and post-disaster needs, identify available options 

for temporary housing, and support the local development of the plan for permanent housing. 

 Address affordable, accessible, and workforce housing needs in community planning efforts. 

 Address interim housing needs, assess options for permanent housing, and define an achievable 

timeline for achieving a resilient, accessible, and sustainable housing market in community 

recovery plans. 

 Meet the resilient and sustainable permanent housing needs of the community, including the need 

for accessible housing and housing options for owners and their household pets within a specified 

timeframe.

Infrastructure Systems 

The Infrastructure Systems core capability integrates the efforts of the owners and operators of public 

and private infrastructure. It is the extension of steady state operations and maintenance that, in some 

situations, defines new construction and system upgrade projects. 

The goal of the recovery process is to match the post-disaster infrastructure to the community’s 

projected demand on its built and virtual environment. Such a goal should be developed using 

existing public-private collaborative structures such as those outlined in the National Infrastructure 

Protection Plan. Resource owners play the primary role in including resilience pre- and post-disaster

activities and identifying the greatest vulnerabilities in terms of their systems and the people and 

businesses they serve. Those processes ensure that options for protection have been explored and 

implemented to the maximum extent possible. Infrastructure Systems core capability partners 

promote planning through their networks. Communities that engage in highly inclusive, publicprivate planning efforts are generally able to function better before, during, and after an incident. 

Additionally, mitigation efforts help to minimize disaster consequences and put structures in position 

to recover more effectively. 

The Infrastructure Systems recovery effort is first and foremost about maintaining continuous 

customer service. This necessitates workarounds and patches that must be engineered in conjunction 

with the permanent work. The principal driver for this complex effort is the empowerment of the 

whole community. The Infrastructure Systems partners focus on this by sharing information, 

identifying/leveraging resources, and promoting common objectives. The mission of infrastructure 
National Disaster Recovery Framework 

32

support begins during the initial response and continues by providing support to the recovery as longterm activities increase. The public and private entities involved provide technical assistance and 

regulatory easements as well as funded programs. 

Critical Tasks 

 Facilitate the restoration of and sustain essential services (public and private) to maintain 

community functionality. 

 Coordinate planning for infrastructure redevelopment at the regional, system-wide level.

 Develop a plan with a specified timeline for developing, redeveloping, and enhancing community 

infrastructures to contribute to resilience, accessibility, and sustainability. 

 Provide systems that meet the community needs while minimizing service disruption during 

restoration within the specified timeline in the recovery plan. 

Natural and Cultural Resources

The Natural and Cultural Resources (NCR) core capability integrates the expertise and resources of 

all individuals; local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, insular area, and Federal 

governments; other natural and cultural resource stakeholders such as nongovernmental, nonprofit, 

and voluntary organizations; and private sector entities to preserve, protect, and restore the affected

community’s natural and cultural resources and historic properties in a way that is inclusive, 

sustainable, and resilient. 

Resource caretakers play the primary role identifying each community’s natural and cultural 

treasures and ensuring that options for their protection have been explored and implemented to the 

maximum extent possible. It is critical to prioritize these efforts when resources are limited. NCR 

core capability partners can promote pre-disaster planning through their networks. Communities that 

engage in highly inclusive, public-private planning and preparedness efforts are generally able to 

function better before, during, and after an incident. Additionally, mitigation efforts, such as 

identifying vulnerabilities and reducing risks by considering environmentally friendly measures, help 

to minimize disaster consequences and expedite recovery. 

The NCR recovery effort is first and foremost a preservation operation. By definition, natural and 

cultural resources are unique and often fragile and must be protected/conserved, since restoring or 

replacing them may be impossible. The principal driver for any preservation and/or restoration effort 

is the empowerment of the whole community. NCR partners focus on this by engaging the whole 

community and improving information sharing, identifying/leveraging resources, and promoting 

common objectives. 

The delivery of the NCR core capability builds from the pre-disaster activities of individuals and 

groups dedicated to natural and cultural resource well-being. These include those who earn a living 

from them to those who enjoy them for what they are. When incidents are imminent or occur, the 

NCR core capability partners concentrate on protection, then minimization and/or mitigation of 

impacts to NCR, then restoration, and finally realizing opportunities to rebuild a more sustainable 

and resilient community. 
 National Disaster Recovery Framework

33

Critical Tasks

 Implement measures to protect and stabilize records and culturally significant documents, 

objects, and structures. 

 Mitigate the impacts to and stabilize the natural and cultural resources and conduct a preliminary 

assessment of the impacts that identifies protections that need to be in place during stabilization 

through recovery. 

 Complete an assessment of affected natural and cultural resources and develop a timeline that 

includes consideration of available human and budgetary resources for addressing these impacts 

in a sustainable and resilient manner. 

 Preserve natural and cultural resources as part of an overall community recovery that is achieved 

through the coordinated efforts of natural and cultural resource experts and the recovery team in 

accordance with the specified timeline in the recovery plan.

Coordinating Structures and Integration

Recovery leadership will need an effective coordination structure in place to assess and evaluate 

recovery issues, determine priorities, engage partners, and identify and coordinate key resources. 

Engaging all stakeholders under an appropriately scaled coordination structure will increase the 

capacity of any single agency to partner and facilitate recovery in support of local, regional, state, 

tribal, and territorial priorities. It will also enhance access to recovery resources, including 

information sharing, technical assistance, subject matter expertise, and potential funding 

opportunities. 

Various options for a recovery coordination structure exist—what works in one place may not work 

in another. Different models exist for developing coordination structures and mechanisms, but they

are not mutually exclusive; concepts can be integrated and used in a variety of ways, depending on 

what works best for the local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, or insular area 

government. 

The Federal Government and many state and local governments use RSF to coordinate key 

functional areas of recovery support. RSFs bring together departments and agencies and many other 

supporting organizations—including stakeholders not traditionally associated with emergency 

management—to focus on the recovery needs. The Federal Emergency Support Functions (ESF) are 

the primary, but not exclusive, Federal coordinating structures for building, sustaining, and 

delivering the response core capabilities. The ESFs are vital structures for responding to Stafford Act 

disasters; however, they may also be used for other incidents. State and Federal coordinating 

structures should ensure that planning includes efforts to coordinate ESF and RSF activities and 

highlight linkages between them. 

Identifying a recovery coordination structure is a critical milestone in managing an effective, 

efficient, and equitable recovery process. The earlier these milestones are reached in the recovery 

coordination process, the more time stakeholders will have to collaborate and leverage resources, 

rather than duplicate efforts.9

 

9 For more information on recovery coordination, FEMA’s Effective Coordination for State, Tribal, Territorial, and 

Local Incidents guide can be found at https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/101940. 
National Disaster Recovery Framework 

34

NGOs’ Coordinating Structures 

NGOs may work as standalone entities or convene in a variety of different forums to strengthen 

partnerships, coordinate on activities, collaborate on plans, and ensure that communication is 

occurring internally and externally to their partners. These coordinating structures may be active 

during steady state and/or during disaster operations and be engaged in the different mission areas of 

preparedness: response, recovery, and mitigation. The following are a few examples of NGO 

coordinating structures: 

 Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster. VOADs are present at national, state, and substate levels. The National VOAD member agencies provide skilled direct services along the 

continuum of preparedness mission areas, from pre-disaster through the longest-term recovery. 

These member agencies provide their services through comprehensive, coordinated volunteer 

resources in partnership with emergency managers. This cooperative effort has proven to be the 

most effective way for a wide variety of volunteers and organizations to work together in a crisis. 

o State VOADs work pre-disaster to promote training and preparedness. They work postdisaster to facilitate coordination of response and recovery efforts to assist in immediate 

coordination of voluntary agency response. At the state level, the VOAD may include 

local member agencies that do not have a national program. The state VOAD often serves 

as advocate and liaison between member agencies and the state government agencies.

 Long-Term Recovery Groups/Interfaith Roundtable. After a disaster occurs and with the 

assistance of FEMA Voluntary Agency Liaisons or members of National VOAD, the local faith 

community, government, voluntary organizations, individuals, and many other community 

members form a committee to help address items that arise as a direct result of a disaster. 

Examples include donations management, volunteer management, media communications, case 

management, and other issues. 

No matter how a group is structured or what it calls itself—unmet needs committee, interfaith, 

organization, coalition, roundtable, partnership, coordinating council, etc.—the goal is the same: 

to unite recovery resources with community needs to ensure that even the most vulnerable in the 

community recover from disaster. The Unmet Needs Committee may also be a subset of these 

local groups, and in coordination with organizations providing case management services to 

disaster survivors, may extend years into recovery. 

o Unmet Needs Committee. Disaster survivors may have recovery needs that cannot be 

fully met by traditional government programs due to eligibility or program limitations. 

The Unmet Needs Committee is comprised of organizations that bring monetary, in-kind, 

or support and service resources and may be able to fill an unmet need of individuals, 

families, and households. Community needs may arise in this forum, but are better 

addressed and coordinated through the planning capabilities of community planners. 

Private sector, local, voluntary, community, and faith-based organizations may identify 

and coordinate resources among each other to meet the identified needs. Early 

identification of issues and establishment of long-term case management is critical to 

addressing unmet needs. Case managers perform due diligence on each disaster 

survivor’s case to avoid duplication of benefits and services, and the case is then 

presented to the Unmet Needs Committee. The organizations then collaborate on if and 

how they will fill the need for assistance. This funding committee is coordinated to 

support whatever disaster case management program, be it Federal or local community 

based, is determined.
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35

Typical areas of enduring need after a disaster include long-term mental and behavioral 

health concerns for children and adults in relation to traumatic events induced or 

exacerbated by the incident; transportation for and during relocation; long-term housing, 

including housing that recognizes the need for accessibility and affordability; children’s 

stability within schools and child care settings; investigation of underinsured properties; 

affordability of home repairs or insurance deductibles; legal services; middle-class 

families who are outside the purview of traditional poverty relief or may be either 

ineligible or unaware of programs offered through agencies that assist the poor; and 

accessible financial assistance, including low-interest loans and nonmedical supportive 

services, including respite and other family caregiver assistance. 

 Community Organizations Active in Disaster. Some communities develop COADs, which are

coalitions of organizations based within a community or geographic area and composed of

representatives from public, private, and not-for-profit agencies. A COAD will enhance the

community’s ability to mitigate, prepare, respond, and recover from disasters, helping to evaluate

and address the human needs inherent in an incident.

o COADs may be considered the successors to Unmet Needs Committees because they

represent many human services providers and a concern for the relief and recovery of

survivors of disasters. The similarity, however, ends there—COADs have a much broader

mission to strengthen area-wide disaster coordination by sharing programs, policies,

information, joint planning and training. COADs will be active in all areas of emergency

management.

Local Coordinating Structures

Local jurisdictions implement a variety of coordination structures pre- and post-disaster to help 

identify risks, establish relationships, and organize and build capabilities to effectively manage 

recovery. Due to the unique partnerships, geographic conditions, and threats each jurisdiction faces, 

as well as the capabilities of each jurisdiction, the coordinating structures at the local level will vary. 

Local communities have specific cultures, values, norms, and laws that reflect their history, residents, 

and geography. Coordination structures will build upon, rather than replace, the existing local 

organizations and entities within the community. Examples of possible local recovery coordination 

structures include establishing a task force(s) or setting up a recovery committee. These structures 

organize and integrate their capabilities and resources with neighboring jurisdictions, the state, tribes, 

the private sector, and NGOs. Ideally, the local coordination structure should be coordinated by an 

LDRM where possible, to best integrate with state, tribal, territorial and Federal structures (see Local 

Disaster Recovery Managers). 

State/Territorial Coordinating Structures

States and territories leverage the capabilities and resources of partners across the state when 

identifying needs and building capabilities for recovery. Much like the local coordination structures, 

the state and territorial structures will also vary greatly depending on factors such as geography, 

population, industry, and culture. State and territorial statutes will also be a consideration in defining 

a structure that meets the needs of the state, specifically in determining interaction with local 

jurisdictions throughout recovery. The capacity of local jurisdictions within a state or territory to 

lead, manage, and plan for recovery will be a factor in the state structure that works most effectively. 

One size will not fit all states, and what works in one state may not work for another. State and 

territorial structures are designed to leverage appropriate representatives from across the whole 

community, some of whom may also participate in local or regional coordinating structures. 
National Disaster Recovery Framework 

36

Examples of possible state coordination structures include adopting RSFs, Governor’s Commission, 

state agency task force, and a state office (legislatively appointed). Previous experience of states 

integrating with the Federal recovery structure suggests that they often find it beneficial to place 

recovery leadership in a different agency from the one that is leading the response. A state or 

territorial structure, however it is organized, is coordinated by an SDRC/TDRC or similar senior 

official (see State, Tribal, and Territorial Disaster Recovery Coordinators). 

Tribal Coordinating Structures 

Tribal nations10 work internally, as well as with local, regional/metropolitan, state, other tribal, 

territorial, insular area and Federal counterparts in recovery. Each tribe is unique in many aspects 

including native language, population size, reservations that cross multiple state lines, (e.g., the 

Navajo Nation spans Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona), cultural norms, political and legal 

structures, available resources, and relationships with surrounding jurisdictions. All of these factors 

influence the tribal coordination structure that will be most effective. Tribes will interact directly 

with the Federal Government, but will also need to interact with the local and state governments 

surrounding tribal lands, and may engage with other private-sector and nongovernmental partners as 

well. A TDRC or similar senior official is responsible for coordinating whatever structure is 

established (see State, Tribal, and Territorial Disaster Recovery Coordinators). 

Federal Coordinating Structures

The Federal RSFs comprise the NDRF coordinating structure for key functional areas of assistance. 

Their purpose is to support local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, and insular area 

governments by facilitating problem solving, improving access to resources, integrating principles of 

resilience, sustainability, and mitigation, and fostering coordination among state, tribal, territorial, 

and Federal agencies, nongovernmental partners, and other stakeholders. 

Under the direction of the FDRC, the principal official responsible for integration of expertise across 

Federal programs, the RSFs bring together the knowledge, experience, skills, and resources of Federal 

departments and agencies and other supporting organizations to focus on recovery issues and needs. The 

RSFs are organized into six functional components by core capability and are brought together through 

coordination with relevant stakeholders and experts during pre-disaster planning and when activated postdisaster to identify and resolve recovery challenges. The six RSFs include Community Planning and 

Capacity Building; Economic Recovery; Health and Social Services; Housing; Infrastructure Systems; and 

Natural and Cultural Resources and are described in Table 3: Recovery Support Functions. Each RSF is 

headed by a coordinating agency, under which supporting agencies and entities provide subject matter 

expertise for a particular sector or issue. Supporting agencies appear across multiple RSFs. RSFs and 

stakeholders organize and request assistance and/or contribute resources and solutions. Together, these 

RSFs help facilitate stakeholder participation and promote intergovernmental and public-private 

partnerships. 

This Framework is not intended to impose new, additional, or unfunded net resource requirements on 

Federal agencies. Instead, the NDRF aims to leverage and concentrate the effects of existing Federal 

resources, programs, projects, and activities through an organization of RSFs to promote effective 

recovery for affected areas pre- and post-disaster. FEMA facilitates inter-RSF coordination at the 

national level. And the FDRC facilitates the inter-RSF coordination at the Regional and field levels. 

 

10 See Tribal Government https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/32279
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Each of the RSF member agencies brings subject matter expertise, authorities, and resources to the 

table. The Recovery Federal Interagency Operational Plan (FIOP) includes Annexes for each core 

capability and can be found at www.fema.gov. The Annexes include how agencies collaborate 

through the RSF coordinating structures to help increase community resilience by ensuring costeffective and efficient delivery of core capabilities and assistance. The Annexes also define how risk 

information and risk reduction technical expertise will be integrated into core capability delivery 

efforts in support of recovery, including promotion of the use of the most appropriate and costeffective practices during recovery. 

Each RSF has a designated coordinating agency along with primary agencies and supporting 

organizations with programs relevant to the functional area. Each RSF Coordinating Agency 

designates a senior-level principal to serve as the RSF National Coordinator, provides significant 

engagement and management for the RSF, and encourages ongoing communication and coordination 

between the primary agencies and support organizations for the RSFs and between the Federal 

agencies. Primary agencies are designated on the basis of their authorities, resources, and capabilities

as well as supporting agencies which may bring relevant subject matter expertise and technical 

assistance as needed.

11

The Federal Government and many state governments organize their response resources and 

capabilities under the ESF construct. ESFs have proven to be an effective way to coordinate and 

manage resources to deliver the Response core capabilities. The Federal ESFs are the primary, but 

not exclusive, Federal coordinating structures for building, sustaining, and delivering the response 

core capabilities. The ESFs are vital structures for responding to incidents of varying sizes and scope. 

Similar to the RSFs, the Federal ESFs bring together the capabilities of Federal departments and 

agencies and other assets. ESFs are not based on the capabilities of a single department or agency, 

and the functions for which they are responsible cannot be accomplished by any single department or 

agency. Instead, Federal ESFs are groups of organizations that work together to deliver core 

capabilities and support an effective response. 

Because of the natural relationship between response and recovery efforts and the fact that response 

and recovery activities often occur simultaneously, the responsibilities of some ESFs correspond and 

integrate with the responsibilities of RSFs. The RSFs frequently build on the ESF resources and the 

short-term recovery efforts applied by the ESFs to meet basic human needs to integrate short-term 

recovery efforts with recovery needs. Recovery cannot wait until those occupied with response and 

short-term recovery activities have time and space to start thinking about recovery. A discrete and 

well-resourced recovery focus, operating at the same time as response activities, is established to 

ensure that communities wrapping up response activities are positioned to find themselves ahead of 

the curve in organizing and planning for major reconstruction and redevelopment necessary for 

recovery. Early in recovery, the FDRC, SDRC, TDRC, LDRMs, and the RSF coordinators are 

working closely with ESF leads to share information about impacts, assistance provided, and 

working relationships at all levels. The shift from response to recovery activities depends on the 

nature of the activity, and may vary considerably between RSFs. In light of this fact, while there is a 

gradual ramping down of ESF activity as operations transition from response to recovery, there will 

often be a continuing presence of select ESF activity once RSFs are fully engaged in the recovery 

 

11 Note that the primary mission of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and its components is national defense. 

DoD resources are committed only after a request from a federal agency and approval by the Secretary of Defense, 

or at the direction of the President. When DoD military and civilian personnel and resources are authorized to 

support civil authorities, command of those forces remains with the Secretary of Defense.
National Disaster Recovery Framework

38

mission. 

It is essential to the success of the NDRF that all partners address responsibilities across the recovery 

continuum, including preparedness, mitigation, and development activities as well as post-disaster

stabilization and recovery actions. The relationships and integration between the RSFs and the 

coordinating structures of other mission areas at the Federal level are detailed in the FIOPs.

Table 3: Recovery Support Functions

Community Planning and Capacity Building

The Community Planning and Capacity Building RSF unifies and coordinates expertise and assistance 

programs from across the Federal Government as well as nongovernment partners to aid local and 

tribal governments in building their local capabilities to effectively plan for and manage recovery and 

engage the whole community in the recovery planning process.

Coordinating Agency: Department of Homeland Security/FEMA 

Primary Agencies: FEMA; Department of Housing and Urban Development

Supporting Organizations: American Red Cross; Corporation for National and Community Service; 

Delta Regional Authority; Department of Agriculture; Department of Commerce; Department of 

Education; Department of Health and Human Services; Department of Homeland Security; Department 

of Housing and Urban Development; Department of the Interior; Department of Justice; Department of 

Transportation; Environmental Protection Agency; General Services Administration; National Voluntary 

Organizations Active in Disaster; Small Business Administration; U.S. Access Board; U.S. Army Corps 

of Engineers

Economic Recovery

Economic Recovery is the ability to return economic and business activities (including agricultural) to a 

state of health and develop new economic opportunities that result in a sustainable and economically 

viable community. The Economic Recovery RSF integrates the expertise of the Federal Government to 

help local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, and insular area governments and the private 

sector sustain and/or rebuild businesses and employment and develop economic opportunities that 

result in sustainable and economically resilient communities after an incident.

Coordinating Agency: Department of Commerce

Primary Agencies: Department of Agriculture; Department of Commerce; Department of Homeland 

Security; Department of Labor; Department of the Treasury; Federal Emergency Management Agency; 

Small Business Administration 

Supporting Organizations: Corporation for National and Community Service; Delta Regional 

Authority; Department of Health and Human Services; Department of Housing and Urban 

Development; Department of the Interior; Environmental Protection Agency; General Services 

Administration; Department of State
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Health and Social Services

Healthcare is an economic driver in many communities, which if damaged make this sector critical to

most communities’ disaster recovery. Social Services have a major impact on the ability of a 

community to recover. The support of social services programs for at-risk and vulnerable children, 

individuals, and families affected by a disaster can promote a more effective and rapid recovery. The 

Health and Social Services RSF outlines the Federal framework to support locally led recovery efforts 

to address public health, health care facilities and coalitions, and essential social services needs. 

Displaced individuals in need of housing will also need health and social services support. 

Coordinating Agency: Department of Health and Human Services

Primary Agencies: Corporation for National and Community Service; Department of Agriculture; 

Department of Commerce; Department of Homeland Security/National Protection and Programs 

Directorate; Department of Homeland Security/Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties; Department of 

Housing and Urban Development; Department of the Interior; Department of Justice; Department of 

Labor; Environmental Protection Agency; Federal Emergency Management Agency

Supporting Organizations: American Red Cross; Department of Education; Department of 

Transportation; Department of the Treasury; Department of Veterans Affairs; National Voluntary 

Organizations Active in Disaster; Small Business Administration

Housing

The Housing RSF coordinates and facilitates the delivery of Federal resources to implement housing 

solutions that effectively support the needs of the whole community and contribute to its sustainability 

and resilience. Housing is a critical and often challenging component of disaster recovery, but must be 

adequate, affordable, and accessible to make a difference for the whole community.

Coordinating Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development

Primary Agencies: Department of Agriculture; Department of Justice; Department of Housing and 

Urban Development; Federal Emergency Management Agency 

Supporting Organizations: American Red Cross; Corporation for National and Community Service; 

Department of Commerce; Department of Energy; Department of Health and Human Services; 

Department of Veterans Affairs; Environmental Protection Agency; General Services Administration; 

National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster; Small Business Administration; U.S. Access Board 
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Infrastructure Systems

The Infrastructure Systems RSF works to efficiently facilitate the restoration of infrastructure systems 

and services to support a viable, sustainable community and improves resilience to and protection from 

future hazards. 

Coordinating Agency: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Primary Agencies: Department of Energy; Department of Homeland Security; Department of 

Transportation; Federal Emergency Management Agency; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

Supporting Organizations: Delta Regional Authority; Department of Agriculture; Department of 

Commerce; Department of Defense; Department of Education; Department of Health and Human 

Services; Department of Homeland Security; Department of Housing and Urban Development; 

Department of the Interior; Department of the Treasury; Environmental Protection Agency; Federal 

Communications Commission; General Services Administration; Nuclear Regulatory Commission; 

Tennessee Valley Authority

Natural and Cultural Resources

The NCR RSF facilitates the integration of capabilities of the Federal Government to support the 

protection of natural and cultural resources and historic properties through appropriate response and 

recovery actions to preserve, conserve, rehabilitate, and restore them consistent with post-disaster 

community priorities and in compliance with applicable environmental and historical preservation laws 

and Executive orders. 

Coordinating Agency: Department of the Interior

Primary Agencies: Department of the Interior; Environmental Protection Agency; Federal Emergency 

Management Agency

Supporting Organizations: Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; Corporation for National and 

Community Service; Council on Environmental Quality; Delta Regional Authority; Department of 

Agriculture; Department of Commerce; Department of Homeland Security/National Protection and 

Programs Directorate; General Services Administration; Heritage Emergency National Task Force; 

Institute of Museum and Library Services; Library of Congress; National Archives and Records 

Administration; National Endowment for the Arts; National Endowment for the Humanities; U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers

Pre -Disaster and Steady State Roles

Federal RSFs provide a forum for interagency coordination, information sharing, exchange of 

efficient and effective practices, or support of improved recovery outcomes for communities. RSFs 

develop guidance and standard operating procedures for rapid activation of their capabilities to 

support community recovery. Each RSF identifies relevant statutory and/or regulatory programs, 

potential capabilities, and/or limiting factors pertaining to recovery support for their functional area 

of assistance. RSFs may also support capability-specific planning, preparedness, education, training, 

and outreach efforts to enhance capabilities for recovery. Each RSF works with partners to identify 

critical facilities and ensure considerations are made to reduce risk and increase resilience pre- and 

post-disaster. 

FEMA, in close collaboration with the RSF agencies, coordinates Federal guidance and training to assist 

local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial and insular area governments with inclusive disaster 

recovery preparedness. This includes planning, organizational development and management capacity 
National Disaster Recovery Framework

41

building, support of community resilience-building, training, exercise, evaluation, and improvement. 

FEMA is charged with convening RSF coordination meetings as necessary, to discuss Federal readiness 

for recovery, ongoing recovery operations and agency efforts to promulgate resilience into steady-state 

programs and policies. 

During steady state, RSF coordinating agencies will oversee the preparedness activities and 

coordinate with their primary and support agencies; to include: 

 Maintaining contact with RSF primary and support agencies through conference calls, meetings,

training activities, and exercises;

 Monitoring and coordinating assessment of the RSF’s progress in meeting the targets of the

Recovery core capabilities it supports;

 Coordinating efforts with corresponding private sector, NGO, and Federal partners; and

 Ensuring the RSF is engaged in appropriate planning, readiness, and preparedness activities.

RS F Leadership Group 

The RSF Leadership Group (RSFLG) is a Federal interagency body designed to identify and 

facilitate resolution of operational and policy issues related to the NDRF and recovery-related

elements of Presidential directives for National Preparedness and Critical Infrastructure Security and 

Resilience. The RSFLG engages the interagency leadership in a forum to improve the effectiveness

and unity of effort in coordinating the Federal recovery support of the eight Recovery core 

capabilities. RSFLG meetings support information exchange and updates on programs that directly 

affect the roles and responsibilities of the RSFs as described in the NDRF and delivery of federal

support for the Recovery core capabilities. RSFLG membership consists of senior officials who can 

speak authoritatively and represent each NDRF coordinating, primary, and supporting Federal 

agency; FEMA Headquarters and Regional offices (Regional Administrators and FDRCs); and 

selected other Federal departments and agencies and other organizations as designated by the 

RSFLG Chair. In addition, the RSFLG provides national-level support to recovery operations related 

to incidents with significant RSF-related impacts

Post- Disaster Role s 

FEMA will serve as a focal point for all federal interagency coordination for disaster recovery issues 

at the department or agency headquarters level. FEMA will coordinate all RSF activities at the 

national level through the designated RSF coordinating and primary agencies for most incidents. 

After an incident, FEMA may provide technical assistance to the FCO (for Stafford Act incidents) or 

other responsible response leadership to determine if an FDRC activation is appropriate. During 

disaster recovery operations, FEMA provides consultation support and facilitates coordination with 

executive-level leadership for the FDRC and deployed RSFs. It also coordinates the efforts of the 

RSF Coordinating Agencies at the national level to support their field components. In major disasters 

and catastrophic incidents, FEMA supports the deployed FDRC to coordinate recovery efforts and 

the deployed RSFs. 

RSF federal agencies provide assistance when requested by the FDRC or the designated RSF 

coordinator, consistent with their own authority and resources. 

The agencies participating in each RSF collaboratively develop operational guidance for use in 

recovery coordination operations. RSFs operate under the leadership of the FDRC, who utilizes 

overarching coordinating constructs to effectively manage and consolidate the RSF support. 
National Disaster Recovery Framework

42

The Federal Government uses an inclusive process to ensure coordination with local and state elected 

officials and sovereign tribal nations to identify priorities for the application of Federal resources. In 

engaging with affected communities, the RSFs seek to specifically include and address the needs of 

individuals with disabilities, those with access and functional needs, children, older adults, 

individuals with limited English proficiency, and members of underserved populations. 

The RSFs work closely with state, tribal, and territorial governments to identify underserved 

populations at the local level. The RSFs also coordinate with Federal Tribal Liaisons, Voluntary 

Agency Liaisons, Disability Integration Advisors, and other Federal offices, bureaus, and programs 

when necessary. Local NGOs and community groups often have strong relationships with the 

underserved populations. The FDRCs, through the RSFs, collaborate with these organizations to 

ensure that programs are culturally appropriate and that at-risk populations and their needs are 

identified. 

In all actions, FDRCs and RSFs strive for affected residents to have a voice; for services to reach 

those who need them most; for equitable distribution of resources; and for recovery programs 

appropriate for the socioeconomic and cultural makeup of the community. 

Integration

Effective recovery requires the integration of coordinating structures across the whole community. 

Integration must happen within and across mission areas for recovery efforts to be successful. At the 

Federal level, the RSFs must work internally to coordinate the efforts of the coordinating, primary, 

and supporting agencies. Additionally, because many recovery issues and challenges involve 

multiple RSFs, coordination among the RSFs is equally important. Coordinated and integrated 

Federal support is ideal to support communities as they work to achieve their established recovery 

goals. 

The established Federal coordinating structures must also integrate with those established at the 

local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial and insular area levels, as well as with private 

sector and NGO coordinating structures that may be established. Integration of these coordination 

structures occurs at the leadership level through the FDRC, SDRC and/or TDRC, and the LDRM; 

and at the function level through RSFs, task forces, committees, and other organizational structures. 

Science and Technology

Science and technology capabilities and investments are essential for enabling the delivery and 

continuous improvement of National Preparedness. The whole community should design, 

conduct and improve operations based on the best, most rigorous scientific data, methods and 

science-based understandings available. Commitments and investments that ensure global 

leadership in science and technology will yield leading-edge technology and scientific 

understanding to guide National Preparedness actions. In addition, coordination across the whole 

community, including scientific researchers, will ensure that scientific efforts are relevant to 

National Preparedness.

The NDRF differs from its counterpart Response Framework in the duration of activities before 

and after a disaster. Actions and capabilities supporting recovery are established from the years 

before an event to the months and years after a disaster takes place. Effective recovery decisions, 

including making sound decisions about when to transition activities from a response posture to a 

recovery focus, are informed by science-based assessment of threats, hazards, vulnerabilities, 

and capabilities. For example, the scientific community can provide guidance to community 
 National Disaster Recovery Framework

43

decision makers on ongoing recovery phase risk for hazards with potentially long timelines, such 

as earthquakes.

Additionally, rebuilding and recovery efforts can be stymied by issues or concerns about the 

potential environmental impacts of the incident. These can become particularly complex when 

addressing the recovery issues to hazardous material releases or other technological accidents. 

The science and technology community can leverage its capabilities for scientifically-sound 

assessment and evaluation to bring certainty to any human health concerns. Innovations in the 

deployment of new and existing technologies can provide solutions to these challenges and 

scientific expertise allows communities to seize opportunities to reduce hazard risk and enable a 

more effective and timely recovery process.

Long-term S&T investments advance the ability to recover from disasters, and sustaining a 

healthy science and technology workforce, supports the recovery area core capabilities for years 

into the future. Coordination between those with recovery mission responsibilities and U.S. 

science and technology communities and institutions will be necessary to ensure that scientific 

efforts, education, and investments are relevant to recovery.

Relationship to Other Mission Areas

Effective recovery requires the ability for the recovery coordinating structures to link to and share 

information with the coordinating structures in other mission areas. For example, effective mitigation 

efforts directly impact recovery. Establishing close working relationships, lines of communication, 

and coordination protocols between Protection, Prevention, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery

mission areas is critical to achieving successful recovery. 

The five mission areas integrate with each other through interdependencies, shared assets, and 

overlapping objectives. These overlapping areas are identified through comprehensive planning with 

the whole community to ensure that they are addressed during recovery efforts following an incident. 

In pre-disaster efforts to enhance the community’s ability to recover from a disaster, and during 

recovery planning and implementation post-disaster, all five mission areas must work together to 

avoid unnecessary conflicts that can negatively affect resources, timeframes, and another’s 

objectives. More importantly, the mission areas must work together to better coordinate, leverage, 

and maximize one another’s focus, expertise, and authorities to help build, sustain, and improve our 

Nation’s ability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards and 

disasters. The following examples highlight how the Recovery integrates with the other four mission 

areas. 

Prevention

After a terrorist incident, public information and security related to law enforcement activities will 

impact recovery. Through the management of the release of public information following an incident, 

follow-on attacks can be prevented while initiating psychological and social recovery efforts. 

Additionally, proper recovery planning can ensure that all available resources and response assets are 

identified and trained to fill relevant vulnerability gaps to meet evolving threats that may prolong 

recovery efforts. Finally, proper crisis response plans can aid in the prevention of significant 

economic loss resulting from an incident and damage to vital infrastructure. 
National Disaster Recovery Framework 

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Protection 

Previous protection activities may reduce recovery requirements. Implementation of plans for the 

rapid restoration of critical infrastructure and key resource operations enhance recovery efforts. 

Recovery efforts, such as a comprehensive land use policy that can protect existing community 

functions, promote innovative approaches and solutions to address preparedness, mitigation, and 

resilience issues before a disaster strikes. Recovery plans developed post-disaster can incorporate 

protection measures to harden potential targets and make communities more resilient to future 

incidents. 

Mitigation

Previous mitigation activities may reduce recovery requirements. Opportunities for mitigation occur 

during recovery. Following an incident, recovery efforts can capitalize on the critical post-disaster 

window of opportunity to influence public opinion to take steps toward mitigation. These mitigation 

concepts can be communicated to community officials, homeowners, NGOs, and private sector 

owners, operators, and managers to minimize risks resulting from future incidents. Application of 

mitigation initiatives and investments pre-disaster can aid in reducing recovery resource requirements 

post-disaster. Proper recovery planning can ensure that all levels of government work to implement 

disaster resistant building codes and incentivize private sector and individual pre-disaster 

preparedness activities and mitigation. Finally, recovery plans should work to incorporate health 

considerations and resilience and sustainability measures into identified infrastructure systems and 

housing recovery strategies. 

Response

The National Response Framework and ESF activities will be the foundation for early recovery 

processes and decision-making. The NDRF does not speak to short-term activities such as life 

sustaining, property protection, and other measures intended to neutralize the immediate threat to 

life, environment, and property and to stabilize the community. However, these activities influence 

recovery activities, necessitating the need for a structure to consider and advise on recovery 

implications during the early phases of incident management. The recovery organizational constructs 

introduced in the NDRF coexist with ESFs and build upon the response organizational structure and 

resources to more effectively address inclusive recovery needs. These constructs incorporate and 

adopt the central tenets of the National Incident Management System and support the primacy of 

local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal territorial and insular area governments in preparing for and 

managing the response and recovery from natural and human-caused incidents. 

The NDRF also provides the tools to encourage early integration of recovery considerations into 

planning the response operations. The Response and Recovery mission areas include some of the 

same people and organizations; therefore, each coordinating agency ensures ongoing communication 

and coordination between primary agencies and support organizations, and between the Federal 

agencies, corresponding local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial and insular area 

authorities, and nonprofit and private sector organizations. 

Operational Planning 

The National Planning Frameworks explain the role of each mission area in national preparedness 

and provide the overarching strategy and doctrine for how the whole community builds, sustains and 

coordinates the delivery of the core capabilities. The concepts in the Frameworks are used to guide 

planning at all levels, which provides further information regarding roles and responsibilities, 
 National Disaster Recovery Framework

45

identifies the critical tasks an entity will take in executing core capabilities, and identifies resourcing, 

personnel, and sourcing requirements. 

At the Federal level, each Framework is supported by a mission-area-specific FIOP (see Supporting 

Resources). The Comprehensive Preparedness Guide 10112 is a guide for local, 

regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial and insular area governments to develop a disaster 

planning process. The following section elaborates basic guidance for planning as applied within the 

Recovery mission area.13

Planning Assumptions

Assumptions are made as part of every strategy development process. Recovery planning 

assumptions are typically broad and help to frame the objective of the planning effort. They require 

acknowledgement that planning objectives are complex and apply to the whole community. Some 

overarching recovery planning assumptions include: 

 Future risk is evolving and presents new challenges. 

 Incidents are typically managed at the lowest possible geographic, organizational, and 

jurisdictional level.

 Resilience, both physical and social, is a desired outcome—the state of being able to adapt to 

changing conditions and then withstand and effectively rebound from the impacts of disasters and 

incidents.

 Resilience can be acquired through a process of pre- and post-disaster planning, leadership 

development, and partnership building. 

Planning Activities

The following table outlines the unique aspects of the recovery mission that apply to pre- and postdisaster for strategic, operational, and tactical planning. 

Table 4: Strategic, Operational, and Tactical Recovery Planning Activities

Strategic - Driven by policy, establishes planning priorities

Pre-Disaster Post-Disaster

• Develop a mitigation plan that establishes 

long-term risk reduction priorities and 

policies to guide post-disaster recovery and 

redevelopment.

• Establish pre-disaster priorities and policies 

to guide recovery and reinvestment across 

the other Recovery core capabilities.

• Develop an inclusive and accessible whole 

community public engagement strategy. 

• Evaluate current conditions; assess risk, 

vulnerability, and potential community-wide 

consequences.

• Assess community conditions, re-assess risk, 

evaluate needs, and forecast future needs 

and trends.

• Set goals and objectives—short, intermediate 

and long term—engaging the public in the 

process.

• Identify opportunities to build in future 

resilience through mitigation and other 

methods.

 

12 Developing and Maintaining Emergency Operations Plans: Comprehensive Preparedness Guide 101 can be 

found at https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/25975. 13 Recovery specific planning guidance for local, state, tribal, and territorial governments is under development. It 

will be posted on https://www.fema.gov when published.
National Disaster Recovery Framework 

46

Strategic (continued) - Driven by policy, establishes planning priorities

Pre-Disaster Post-Disaster

• Integrate recovery and mitigation goals and 

policies into other local, regional, state, and 

Federal plans.

• Establish priorities and identify opportunities 

to build resilience, to include sustainable 

development, equity, community capacity, 

and mitigation measures.

• Consider standards for sustainable, 

universally accessible, healthy community 

design and construction that also integrates 

mitigation and long-term resilience-building 

activities.

• Ensure policies are inclusive of the whole 

community, including people with disabilities 

and others with access and functional needs.

• Re-assess community priorities, values and 

vision for future development.

Operational - Describes roles and responsibilities, focuses on coordinating and integrating the 

activities of the whole community

Pre-Disaster Post-Disaster

• Establish clear leadership, operational 

coordination, and decision-making structures 

at the local, regional/metropolitan, state, 

tribal, territorial, insular area, and Federal 

levels. 

• Develop pre-disaster partnerships to ensure

engagement of all potential resources.

• Identify and engage whole community 

stakeholders including the general public, 

community leaders, faith-based 

organizations, nonprofit organizations, 

private sector entities, and health providers 

(including behavioral health).

• Identify limitations in community recovery 

management capacity and the means to 

supplement this capacity, such as training 

and education, and make that capacity 

available to all stakeholders.

• Determine roles, responsibilities, and 

resources of whole community partners.

• Establish continuity of operations plans to 

ensure essential recovery services can be 

delivered during all circumstances.

• Organize, build on, and adapt (as necessary) 

preexisting plans and priorities, including predisaster recovery and mitigation plans.

• Use a community-driven and locally managed 

process designed to promote local decision 

making and ownership of the recovery 

planning and implementation effort.

• Work collaboratively with all groups of people 

affected by the incident to promote inclusive 

and accessible outreach to their communities 

and to address issues relevant to them. 

• Ensure inclusion and encourage participation 

of individuals and communities that may 

require alternative and/or additional outreach 

support. 

• Keep the public informed on all aspects of 

recovery and encourage collaboration across 

partners.

• Implement a coordination structure and build 

partnerships among local agencies and 

jurisdictions and state, tribal, and Federal 

governments.

• Develop tools and metrics for evaluating 

progress against set goals, objectives, and 

milestones. Conduct community or state-wide 

recovery issues identification and impact 

evaluation.

Tactical - Identifying specific projects and managing resources

Pre-Disaster Post-Disaster

• Establish specific local procedures, 

requirements, regulations, or ordinances to 

address specific, expected post-event 

recovery actions.

• Identify, adapt, implement, and manage 

actions, procedures, programs, requirements, 

organizations, regulations, ordinances, and 

policies to address specific needs. 
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Tactical (continued)- Identifying specific projects and managing resources

Pre-Disaster Post-Disaster

• Establish specific plans, contracts, and 

resources for tactical activities expected 

post-event (e.g., debris management, 

recovery management, temporary housing, 

building permitting).

• Identify specific projects in areas of critical 

importance to the community, region, or 

state’s overall recovery.

• Provide well-defined activities and 

outcomes—including schedules and 

milestones—aimed at achieving recovery.

Additional Considerations

The following considerations identify unique aspects of recovery that apply to pre- and post-disaster 

planning: 

 Leadership. Recovery leadership identified pre-disaster may change in the post-disaster 

environment. 

 Coordination. The organizational structure used for recovery coordination may be adapted from 

an existing structure or new structure may be created. The recovery process may also present an 

opportunity for regional collaboration and coordination. 

 Timeframe. Timelines for recovery progress established in pre-disaster recovery plans will 

likely need to be modified depending on the specific impacts of an incident. 

 Resources. Resources identified pre-disaster may be degraded or unavailable. Limited resources 

may impact the cost, speed, effectiveness, and timeliness of recovery. 

 Engagement. Whole community engagement is a critical part of pre- and post-disaster recovery 

planning that must be carefully managed. Successful whole community engagement may present 

challenges, to include: 

o Stakeholders may be displaced and/or unable to access the community. Communication 

methods identified pre-disaster may need to be modified to reach all community members 

and to provide ongoing support and information. 

o Normal mechanisms/social networks for community engagement may be fractured; 

including the loss of structure from schools, housing facilities, community centers, 

libraries, health (including behavioral health) and social service programs, or other 

community institutions.

o Recovery leaders will need to ensure actionable, effective, and accessible 

communications for all individuals, including individuals with disabilities and others with 

access and functional needs, such as limited English proficiency.

 Resilience. Pre- and post-disaster planning are opportunities to build resilience by continually 

evaluating threats, hazards, and impacts and implementing new policies and requirements to 

reduce risk regarding issues such as floodplain management, coastal zones, seismic areas, and 

historic and cultural properties. Resilience is also built by strengthening community leadership and 

collaboration during the planning process, integrating key considerations into planning such as 

community health (including behavioral health), long-term needs of the community, social and 

economic resilience of all members of the community, and unique needs of rural or high-density urban 

communities and other culturally diverse communities. 

Additional planning considerations unique to each level of government include: 
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48

 Local. Recovery planning within a community is dependent on an active local government. The 

local community provides leadership in recovery planning and management. It is uniquely 

positioned to coordinate and manage the recovery activities through the LDRM. Partnerships and 

coordination developed during the pre- and post-disaster planning process, with the whole 

community, are critical to successful local planning and recovery. 

 State/Territory. States play an important role in supporting and, where necessary, leading 

overwhelmed local governments to address complex governmental, regulatory, and financial 

challenges during short- and long-term recovery. Operational planning enables states to be better 

organized and positioned to effectively manage new issues and challenges that they will likely 

confront in their recovery process. The state will also provide an important leadership role and 

serve as the interface between state agencies and the Federal Government to streamline recovery 

funding at the local level.

 Tribal. Tribal lands may cross multiple state lines. Coordination with those jurisdictions plays a 

key role in planning for a tribe’s recovery from an incident. Tribes may seek assistance, 

independent from states, from the Federal Government to clarify and streamline recovery 

funding. The Federal Government recognizes that the tribal right of self-government flows from 

the inherent sovereignty of American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes as nations and that 

federally recognized tribes have a unique and direct relationship with the Federal Government. 

 Federal. The types of post-disaster planning assistance and level of technical support available 

through the Federal Government vary by community needs and depend on the impacts and the 

recovery capacities of local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial and insular area 

governments. The Federal Government can help to address broader national and regional 

recovery issues and to coordinate federal support activities and resources. Integral in this process 

is the need to conduct operational planning that will support the internal organization, day-to-day 

management, and resource coordinating structure that enables the delivery of Federal support. 

 Private Sector and NGOs. Private sector and nongovernmental partners also provide significant 

resources to governments and communities in widely varied ways to support an inclusive, 

coordinated, well planned and well-led local recovery. Resources from these organizations are 

coordinated and involved at all levels of government and nongovernment activity.

Planning for the complex needs of the whole community, and bringing all stakeholders to the table 

with a commitment to physical, programmatic, and communications accessibility, helps create a 

successful post-disaster recovery process. The post-disaster planning process operates on a much 

faster timeline than traditional community planning or pre-disaster planning processes. A significant 

challenge of post-disaster recovery planning is developing a plan quickly enough to meet the needs 

of residents and businesses, while ensuring sound decisions are based on facts, analysis, and input 

from the whole community. However, one of the basic goals of the process is to build and develop

resilience through relationships and interagency cooperation that serve the recovery process long 

beyond the planning phase. 

Framework Application

The NDRF is the National Framework to promote effective recovery and does not impose new, 

additional, or unfunded net resource requirements on local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, 

territorial, insular area, or Federal agencies. This Framework is not intended to, and does not, create 

any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity, by any party against 

the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any 
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other person. 

This Framework is intended to inform all levels of governments, NGOs, and the private sector on 

managing, coordinating, and planning a community’s recovery following an incident of any size or 

scale. Local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, and insular area governments who use this 

Framework to guide their pre- and post-disaster planning processes and activities are positioned to 

look beyond static planning to a more holistic view of recovery strategies and outcomes. The 

planning process also presents an opportunity to develop metrics to measure and monitor a 

community’s recovery progress. Linking recovery metrics to a community’s plans will provide 

decision makers with information to guide recovery policies and priorities and identify opportunities 

to build resilience. 

Achieving Successful Recovery

Each community defines recovery outcomes differently based on its circumstances, challenges, 

recovery vision, and priorities. One community may characterize recovery success as the return of its 

economy to pre-disaster conditions, while another may see it as the opening of new economic 

opportunities. 

Recovery is more than the community’s return to pre-disaster circumstances; because of the time 

recovery takes, simple restoration may result in lost opportunities. This is especially true when the 

community determines that pre-disaster conditions are no longer sustainable, competitive, or 

functional. That conclusion may result from pre-disaster circumstances or stem from the post-disaster 

evaluation of damage or other change. Some communities, for example, may conclude that success

requires relocating all or some portion of the community assets and restoring vacated areas to a more 

natural, predevelopment environment. In all cases, the community recovery decision-making is best 

informed by evaluating all alternatives and avoiding simple rebuilding or reconstructing of an area 

that continues to be at risk. In other communities, reestablishing an economic and social base that 

instills confidence in the community members and businesses regarding its viability can be critical to 

recovery success. 

Success Factors

Although no single definition fits all situations, successful recoveries do share commonalities. 

Generally speaking, a community that can demonstrate a capability to be prepared, responsive and 

resilient in the face of future disasters is poised for success. Specifically, experience has shown that 

the presence of the following factors can help ensure a more effective recovery process: 

 Comprehensive Scope, which includes the need to plan and operate recovery programs and 

organizations with the understanding that efforts serve people, their culture, and their place. 

Recovery efforts must address a continuum that includes individual survivor needs as well as the 

needs of the community and surrounding environment. 

 Effective Decision-Making and Coordination, which includes characteristics such as defining 

stakeholder roles and responsibilities; coordinating response activities with corresponding 

recovery functions; examining recovery alternatives, addressing conflicts, and making informed 

and timely decisions; and establishing ways to measure and track progress, ensure accountability, 

make adjustments, and reinforce realistic expectations. 

 Integration of Community Recovery Planning Processes, which include characteristics such 

as linking recovery planning to other planning efforts and developing processes and criteria for 

identifying and prioritizing key recovery actions and projects. 
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50

 Well-Managed Recovery, which includes characteristics such as developing pre-disaster 

partnerships at all levels of government, with the private sector, and with NGOs; effectively 

leveraging resources; seeking out and successfully using outside resources; establishing guidance 

for the transition from response to recovery; and planning for surging personnel demands postdisaster.

 Proactive Community Engagement, Public Participation, and Public Awareness, which 

includes characteristics such as stakeholders working together to maximize the use of available 

resources; creating post-disaster recovery plans that can be implemented quickly; and making 

sure public information is actionable, effective, and accessible to keep everyone informed 

throughout the recovery process. 

 Effective Financial and Program Management, which includes characteristics such as 

understanding which funding sources could finance recovery; knowing how to administer 

external funding programs; having a system of internal financial and procurement controls and 

external audits; and maximizing the use of local businesses to aid recovery of the local economy. 

 Organizational Flexibility, which includes characteristics such as having recovery structures at 

all government levels that evolve, adapt, and develop new skills and capacities to address 

changing recovery needs; facilitating compliance with laws, regulations, and policies; and 

ensuring flexible staffing and management structures. 

 Resilient Rebuilding, which includes characteristics such as taking into account ecological, 

environmental, and local capacity; adopting sustainable and inclusive building techniques, 

building codes, and land use ordinances; and incorporating risk reduction strategies into local 

governance and decision making. 

 Health Integration, which includes characteristics such as including health considerations and 

implications in recovery decision making. 

Measuring Recovery Progress

All partners involved in recovery have an interest in looking at how their actions impact the overall 

progress of the recovery effort. Each entity must identify their strategies and benchmarks for how 

they will measure their efforts both qualitatively and quantitatively. The most clear-cut means of 

looking at recovery progress overall is by and through the community itself. The following section 

addresses the most local approach to measuring recovery progress. 

Measuring and communicating the progress of recovery increases public confidence in the recovery 

process by promoting transparency, accountability, and efficiency. It enables local leadership to 

identify ongoing recovery needs and engages partners in providing assistance and problem 

resolution. Recovery progress measurement serves as a tracking mechanism for improving and 

adjusting recovery strategies and activities and ensuring continuing improvement. Communities 

determine how to qualify and quantify their progress. They measure progress toward recovery 

holistically, recognizing that recovery outcomes and impacts are measured beyond a single criterion 

such as dollars spent or assistance delivered on a program-by-program basis. The following are 

factors for consideration for measuring progress: 

 Recognize that recovery progress has variables not attributable to any one program or 

government agency. Overall recovery success depends upon the interaction of a wide range of 

public, nonprofit, and private programs and initiatives, as well as good planning, local capacity, 

leadership, effective decision making, and the building of public confidence. 
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51

 Establish systems and leverage available data that track pre-disaster conditions, overall recovery 

of individuals, and the reconstruction and redevelopment of infrastructure, economy, health

(including behavioral health), social and community services, and government functions. 

 Integrate disaster preparedness and recovery planning with community-wide comprehensive and 

hazard mitigation planning to capitalize on opportunities that minimize the risk to all hazards and 

strengthen the ability to withstand and recover from future disasters. 

 Set realistic expectations and milestones for community members, stakeholders, and supporting 

agencies using indicators for applicable recovery priorities and resource needs. 

 Ensure whole community participation in developing metrics in coordination with local, 

regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, insular area, and Federal government partners and 

nongovernmental and private sector partners. Include persons with disabilities and others with 

access and functional needs, older adults, members of underserved populations, and advocates 

representing the unique needs of children. 

 Leverage technology and systems innovations to achieve goals that result in greater information 

sharing, accountability, and transparency. 

 Assure that recovery activities respect the civil rights and civil liberties of all populations and do 

not result in discrimination based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin (including limited 

English proficiency), religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or disability. 

 Ensure continuous improvement by evaluating the effectiveness of recovery activities.

Governments and organizations that provide assistance are encouraged to have a system of tracking 

their coordination and assistance efforts, ensuring accountability and enabling prompt adjustments to 

meet ongoing and changing needs. Considerations applicable for developing metrics include:

 Baseline Impact Assessment. Helps illustrate and clarify the extent and dimensions of the 

impacts in order to chart a path to a realistic recovery end state. 

 Desired Outcome Analysis. Focuses on recovery impact and overall results, not just a target 

number (e.g., number of families in permanent housing versus number of housing units 

constructed). The overall goals that the community, state, or jurisdiction is looking to achieve 

should drive the metric for success. 

 Cross-Cutting Sector Issue Assessment. Tracks progress across all sectors, including but not 

limited to housing, environmental, business, employment, infrastructure, access to essential 

health (including behavioral health) and social services, and overall community accessibility. 

Supporting Resources

The NDRF is supported by the ongoing development of detailed operational, management, field 

guidance, and training tools, to include the Recovery FIOP. The Recovery FIOP provides further 

detail regarding roles and responsibilities, specifies the critical tasks, and identifies resourcing and 

sourcing requirements for delivering the Recovery core capabilities. The Response and Recovery 

mission areas are developing joint incident Annexes; the final plans will be attachments to both the 

Response and Recovery FIOPs. The incident Annexes identify authorities, capabilities, and roles and 

responsibilities that are unique to responding to and recovering from identified incidents. 

FEMA maintains an online repository at www.fema.gov that contains electronic versions of the 

current NDRF document, Recovery FIOP, additional recovery resources, training materials, and 
National Disaster Recovery Framework 

52

other tools. The repository also includes other mission area Frameworks and FIOPs. Resources will 

be regularly evaluated and updated based on lessons learned and best practices from real-world 

incidents and preparedness efforts. Additional content may be added or modified at the request of 

Recovery mission area partners and other users. 

Conclusion

Recovery refers to those capabilities necessary to assist communities affected by an incident to 

recover effectively and efficiently, including coordinated, prompt, reliable, and actionable 

information to the whole community to support recovery; ensuring informed and coordinated 

leadership throughout all levels of government; ensuring pre-, post-, and community-based recovery 

planning; rebuilding infrastructure systems; providing adequate interim and long-term accessible and 

affordable housing for survivors; restoring health (including behavioral health), social, and 

community services; promoting economic development; and preserving and restoring natural and 

cultural resources. Incidents on any scale will impact the entire community on many levels. It is vital 

that communities not only can recover to pre-disaster conditions, but that they are also provided the 

resources and support that can help them build sustainable and resilient processes, capabilities, and 

systems to effectively move forward. 

Recovery is not an isolated mission to be engaged only during post-disaster conditions. Complete 

recovery post-disaster involves the coordination and concurrent efforts of all mission areas. Through 

proper preparedness and activities pre-disaster, post-disaster recovery needs can be reduced, and 

recovery efforts can be accelerated, streamlined, and applied nationwide so that all communities, 

regardless of location and magnitude of incident, can recover post-disaster as efficiently as possible.

In implementing the NDRF, partners are encouraged to develop a shared understanding of broadlevel strategic implications among the other mission areas (Mitigation, Prevention, Protection, and 

Response) as they make critical decisions in building future capacity and capability. The whole 

community should be engaged in examining and implementing the strategy unifying principles and 

doctrine contained in this Framework, considering both current and future requirements in the 

process. The NDRF must also be a living document. This means that it must be regularly reviewed to 

evaluate consistency with evolving conditions, existing and new policies, and the experience gained 

from its use. 

Working with all our partners, FEMA will coordinate and oversee the review and maintenance 

process for the NDRF. The revision process includes developing or updating any documents 

necessary to carry out capabilities. Significant updates to this Framework will be vetted through a 

Federal senior-level interagency review process. This Framework will be reviewed in order to 

accomplish the following: 

 Assess and update information on the core capabilities in support of Recovery goals and 

objectives;

 Ensure that it adequately reflects the organization of responsible entities; 

 Ensure that it is consistent with the other four mission areas;

 Update processes based on changes in the national threat/hazard environment; 

 Incorporate lessons learned and effective practices from day-to-day operations, exercises, and 

actual incidents and alerts;
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 Reflect progress in the Nation’s Recovery mission activities and the need to execute new laws, 

Executive orders, and Presidential directives, as well as strategic changes to national priorities 

and guidance, critical tasks, or national capabilities; and

 Ensure overt emphasis on action steps to include the whole community, inclusive of individuals

with disabilities, those with access and functional needs, children, older adults, individuals with 

limited English proficiency, and members of underserved populations.

The implementation and review of this Framework will consider effective practices and lessons 

learned from exercises and operations, as well as pertinent new processes and technologies. Effective 

practices include continuity planning, which ensures that the capabilities contained in this 

Framework can continue to be executed regardless of the threat or hazard. Pertinent new processes 

and technologies should enable the Nation to adapt efficiently to the evolving risk environment and 

use data relating to location, context, and interdependencies that allow for effective integration across 

all missions using a standards-based approach. 

America’s security and resilience work is never finished. While the Nation is safer, stronger, and 

better prepared than a decade ago, the whole community remains resolute in its commitment to 

safeguard the Nation against the greatest risks it faces, now and for decades to come.