Recovery in the aftermath of natural or man-made disasters is directly related to the availability of local resources and the infrastructure and operational ability to deliver assistance from outside the affected region. RAND researchers have helped governments, militaries, and private organizations organize recovery operations during disasters, learn from past experience, and prepare for future disasters.
COMMENTARY
Across the country, electronic medical records, designed first and foremost to make health care delivery safer and more efficient, are proving valuable when disaster strikes, write Mahshid Abir and Art Kellermann.
PROJECT
FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program writes the vast majority of flood insurance on residential properties in the United States; current legislation includes a number of reforms that could strengthen the program. RAND has completed studies in four key areas that offer insight into the issues under consideration.
PERIODICAL
In the spring 2012 issue of RAND Review, RAND president Michael Rich writes, "Since its founding in 1970, PRGS has trained generations of policy leaders. ... The school exhorts students and faculty to 'be the answer' in addressing policy challenges in our communities and around the world."
COMMENTARY
RAND President and CEO Michael Rich writes about how RAND computer models and empirical analyses are helping protect and restore the Louisiana coast.
REPORT
The Cities Readiness Initiative (CRI) aims to improve communities' ability to rapidly provide life-saving medications during public health emergencies. The authors examine (1) the status of communities' operational capability to meet the goal of delivering medical countermeasures within 48 hours of a federal decision to deploy assets and (2) whether there is evidence that CRI has improved communities' capability to meet that goal.
MULTIMEDIA
In this Resilient Communities podcast, Jordan R. Fischbach discusses recent research that has helped the city of New Orleans address the challenge of reducing flood risk and is relevant to many other coastal communities that are concerned with water resources, infrastructure planning, rising sea levels, and flooding.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Describes the importance of a Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP), and identifies common strengths and potential vulnerabilities of laboratory-specific COOPs.
MULTIMEDIA
In this Resilient Communities podcast, Admiral Thad Allen discusses the critical questions confronting the field of community resilience as well as a new toolkit developed by RAND researchers to support community disaster planning.
TOOL
The Promising Practices Network has developed an emergency planning guide that presents high-priority preparedness activities and documents to help child-serving organizations customize their emergency plans.
PROJECT
Recent proposed reforms to the Stafford Act (improving disaster recovery capability) and the National Disaster Recovery Framework (a guide to cooperation between federal agencies) cluster around five key areas where RAND has relevant studies offering additional insight and context.
COMMENTARY
Fortunately for the nation's capitol, Hurricane Irene and the East Coast earthquake proved to be relatively minor events, as far as disasters go. But before everyone breathes a sigh of relief, it would be wise to reflect on how people responded to what were essentially dress rehearsals for much bigger events, write Lynn E. Davis and Arthur L. Kellermann.
COMMENTARY
The U.S. response to the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami showcased its lasting commitment to Japan, as well as the unique logistical and material capabilities that the U.S. military forces stationed in the Pacific can provide, write Eric Heginbotham, Ely Ratner, and Richard J. Samuels.
COMMENTARY
If the U.S. does not improve its ability to track federal spending and develop reliable measures of effectiveness, precious federal disaster aid will continue to be at risk of being squandered, writes Agnes Gereben Schaefer.
NEWS RELEASE
The composition of households in New Orleans made the city's families more vulnerable to breakup during the chaos that followed Hurricane Katrina.
RESEARCH BRIEF
The composition of households in New Orleans made the city's families more vulnerable to breakup during the chaos that followed Hurricane Katrina. Two-thirds of the city's households at that time saw at least one family member move away, an unusually high number even given the tremendous destruction of the hurricane.
PROJECT
The sustained ability of a community to withstand and recover from adversity, at both the infrastructure and human levels, is a key policy issue. This project asks, what are the key levers for building and strengthening community resilience and what specific activities can communities undertake?
RESEARCH BRIEF
Examines ways in which communities can improve their ability to withstand and recover from adversity.
REPORT
The Louisiana Disaster Case Management Pilot was funded to help people still affected by the 2005 hurricanes access needed services and more permanent housing. This report describes the challenges that hindered implementation. In light of these challenges, researchers recommend that future efforts establish better ways to identify and locate affected residents, consider needs and vulnerabilities in planning, and ensure continuity of…
COMMENTARY
Previous efforts by the international community to stabilize Haiti have met with little or only short-term success. This time, following the earthquake, the U.S. response could actually leverage the response and recovery opportunities into a broader international plan, write Agnes Gereben Schaefer and Anita Chandra.
COMMENTARY
The latest disaster to befall Haiti creates the opportunity to combine bipartisan accord on Haiti in Washington with keen and perhaps sustained American public interest, writes James Dobbins.
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