Pre-Disaster Planning for Permanent Housing Recovery - VOLUME 1: Overview

Disaster preparedness planning is important to communities and local governments throughout the country, and particularly relevant to those communities located in regions prone to frequent natural disasters. As a result, it is important to develop strategic planning tools that can assist the local communities and governments to prepare before, during, and after a disaster.

The objective of this study is to provide communities and governments with strategic planning tools they can use before a disaster to prepare for rapid reconstruction. These tools are intended to aid with hastening reconstruction of housing during the recovery phase. The planning tools presented within this document are designed to be used by federal, state, or local officials that are responsible for disaster recovery planning. Nonetheless, the authors envision the planners and community working together to develop a permanent housing recovery plan based on the unique needs of the residents and the natural hazards they may experience.

This document serves as both a primer on the subject of permanent housing recovery and a guide to planning for the rebuilding of housing after a disaster. The step-by-step layout of this document allows the reader to progress through the planning process, which makes it ideal for the community participant who is not a disaster management professional. The planning tools have been designed to (1) identify critical planning issues, (2) identify various options available to the community, and (3) compare options in a straightforward manner. The reader is encouraged to use the House Capacity Calculator when considering multiple strategies for the long-term rebuilding of permanent housing. We also have included several worksheets and checklists to facilitate the planning process.