Executive Summary

And

Introduction

Presenter: Therese McAllister

Community Resilience Group, NIST
Envisioning a Better Outcome 

• The situation:

– Communities are overwhelmed with issues, policies, and 

regulations that need to be addressed. 

– Each demands time and investment to resolve. 

– Dealing with low probability-high consequence hazard events is 

often a low priority unless recent events focus community 

interests. 

• The way forward: 

– Resilience planning allows community recovery to be rapid and 

even improve the built environment.

– It should be part of normal planning and operations.
Envisioning a Better Outcome:

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

• The city has multiple hazards, 

including floods and tornadoes.

• The city is downstream from a 

nuclear power plant, so evacuation 

plans were developing in case 

there was ever an event at the 

plant.

• A flood crested at 31 Feet in 2008, 

well above the 500-yr flood level.

• The evacuation plan was used to 

move all residents to safety during 

the flood of 2008 – no lives were 

lost.

• Following the flood, the community 

developed a Recovery and 

Reinvestment Plan, with 3 focus 

areas:

• - Improve (mitigate) flood 

protection - with an interim and 

long term plans

• - Reinvest – improve housing, 

neighborhoods, businesses to 

make area highly attractive

• - Rebuild – rebuild better with 

construction that is flood resistant 

and sustainable

• http://www.cedar-rapids.org/city-news/flood-recoveryprogress/floodrecoveryplans/Pages/default.aspx 
The Resilient Community

• Community resilience requires a governance structure that sets 

direction and provides services, and a built environment that 

supports the community’s social institutions. 

• Short term plans for emergency and interim solutions can be 

implemented if the event occurs tomorrow. 

• Long term plans provide the roadmap for achieving community

resilience. 

• Resilience begins by envisioning a better outcome, understanding 

your community, developing a resilience plan, and initiating 

implementation.
Community Capitals Framework

Based on: Flora et al, 2008

Built Capital

Financial Capital

Natural Capital

Cultural Capital

Human Capital Social Capital

Political Capital
Community Resilience 

of the Built Environment

• Built environment includes 

– Buildings and facilities

– Physical infrastructure for power, 

communication, transportation, 

water, wastewater systems

• Framework addresses the performance of all physical 

systems at the community level and how they support 

social functions, especially during recovery

– Prior - planning, preparedness, mitigation, design, construction

– Post - response, reconstruction, relocation, recovery of function
Community Resilience and Other 

National Programs

• FEMA Mitigation Planning

– Plans prepared for FEMA by emergency management office for 

mitigation grant requests. 

• DHS National Preparedness – Roles and 

Responsibilities of local, state, federal programs

– Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response, Recovery

• NIST Disaster Resilience Framework 

– Transformative process for the community

– Prioritized development and recovery plan for built environment

– Supports social needs during recovery
Residual 

Adapted from Bruneau, 2003 and McDaniels, 2008

Functionality

Time

Time to Full Recovery

Modifications before disruptive events 

that improve system performance

Repairs after 

disruptive event to 

restore system 

functionality

Lost

Aging

System

Event

• Maintain acceptable levels of functionality during and after 

disruptive events

• Recover full functionality within a specified period of time

Resilience Concept
Developing a 

Community 

Resilience Plan

• Striving for community 

disaster resilience need 

not be expensive, but the 

process is unique for each 

community and will take 

time both to implement 

and to accrue benefits. 
Framework - Overview Chapters

• Executive Summary

• Ch. 1: Introduction 

• Ch. 2: The Social Context for Community Resilience

– Social Community and Links to the Built Environment

• Ch. 3: Community Disaster Resilience for the Built 

Environment

– Performance Goals

– Mitigation and Recovery Strategies

• Ch. 4: Dependencies and Cascading Effects

– Internal, External, Time, Space, Source

• Ch. 10: Community Resilience Metrics
Framework - Infrastructure Chapters

• Ch. 5: Buildings 

– Systems (Schools, Healthcare, Governance...)

– Performance Goals

– Regulatory Environment, Codes and Standards

– Strategies for Implementation

• Ch. 6: Transportation Systems

• Ch. 7: Energy Systems

• Ch. 8: Communications and Information Systems 

• Ch. 9: Water and Wastewater Systems 

Typical
Breakout Topics

• Executive Summary

– Clear understanding of Framework goals and benefits

– Actions required

– What is needed to encourage your community to use 

the Framework