Healthy, resilient, and sustainable communities after disasters: strategies, opportunities, and planning for recovery

This book identifies and recommends recovery practices and novel programs most likely to impact overall community public health and contribute to resiliency for future incidents. It makes the case that disaster recovery should be guided by a healthy community vision, where health considerations are integrated into all aspects of recovery planning before and after a disaster, and funding streams are leveraged in a coordinated manner and applied to health improvement priorities.

The conceptual framework presented in this book lays the groundwork to achieve this goal and provides operational guidance for multiple sectors involved in community planning and disaster recovery. It calls for actions at multiple levels to facilitate recovery strategies that optimize community health. With a shared healthy community vision, strategic planning that prioritizes health, and coordinated implementation, disaster recovery can result in a communities that are healthier, more livable places for current and future generations to grow and thrive-communities that are better prepared for future adversities.