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| Photo by Patsy Lynch, courtesy FEMA |
Being able to bounce back quickly and in a healthy way after something bad happens is known as resilience. It’s something U.S. communities are working toward, especially as weather disasters have gotten worse in recent years.
Communities are resilient when they prepare and plan for emergencies. A resilient community is also one that can recover and adapt after a disaster. That’s something we all want in our communities, right?
In March, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine released a new report that can help community leaders find out how well they’re doing at building resilience.
Most of the report is probably not of interest to the average community resident. But it has some really good takeaways for leaders, including:
- Getting community residents involved in resilience is key. Community participation can help set goals and find leaders. (Who knew that neighbor of yours was secretly waiting to set up an emergency phone tree?)
- Planners should take all parts of a community into account, including social, economic and natural structures. Are there areas of your community that are isolated, poorer or where people are less connected? What would happen to people there during a disaster?
- Communities should collect data that can help them make decisions about resiliency. That way they can make decisions at budget planning time and share successes with residents.
If your community has a preparedness office or official, you may want to drop them a line and make sure they’ve seen the report. Tell them you want your community to be resilient and offer to help.
You can make yourself more resilient in case of an emergency too. For starters, learn what disasters your community is most at risk for. Our Get Ready fact sheets can also help you prepare. You can share them with friends, family and community leaders.
But don’t wait for a disaster to strike. Help yourself and your community become more resilient today!
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