Recent events remind us that every community must make a continued investment in preparing for the next emergency or disaster. Empirical evidence has shown a direct correlation between the level of preparedness and the level of resiliency in a community. Specifically, the more prepared communities are, the greater their ability to effectively respond to and recover from a disaster and minimize the impact of a disaster. However, the most resilient communities go beyond simply developing a response plan that “checks the box” and supports it with periodic training and scenario-based exercises.
The stark reality is that our communities are becoming increasingly complex with intricate relationships and interdependencies between our social, built, and natural environments. These community conditions often intersect with our hazard risks, impacting a community for years to come.
