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Disaster Recovery Operations

Drug Markets and Supply
commentary
What Will the Opioid Crisis Look Like in Five Years?
Jirka Taylor, Peter Reuter
Nov 18, 2019
Concord Monitor in New Hampshire
Despite variations in European opioid markets, there is an overarching commonality too: Once a synthetic opioid like fentanyl becomes dominant, it stays that way. The United States should prepare for fentanyl and other synthetic opioids as a lasting phenomenon. Learning from other countries' experiences is an important part of that effort.
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The Internet
blog
Disinformation, Drug Policy, Artificial Intelligence: RAND Weekly Recap
Nov 15, 2019
This weekly recap focuses on tools to fight disinformation online, the negative consequences of punishing pregnant women for drug use, how to ensure public trust in artificial intelligence, and more
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Disaster Recovery Operations
commentary
Hurricane Recovery in the Bahamas: Turning Good Intentions into Good Decisions
Melissa L. Finucane @MelissaFinucane, Joie D. Acosta
Sep 6, 2019
The RAND Blog
Recovery in the Bahamas will have to be a balancing act. Plans will need to allow for transition toward long-term strategic goals for the nation, but also be mindful of not perpetuating inequities.
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Environmental Science and Technology
essay
How Citizen Scientists Are Protecting Their Communities
Aug 29, 2019
After Superstorm Sandy, residents of Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood cleaned up debris, pumped out basements, and teamed up with researchers to find out what was in the floodwater. They established safety protocols to help local businesses prevent their chemicals from escaping and wrote a guide to help other communities.
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Disaster Recovery Operations
commentary
Overlapping Environmental Disasters Put a Strain on Gulf Communities
Melissa L. Finucane @MelissaFinucane
Nov 29, 2018
NOLA.com
For Gulf Coast residents, dealing with the impact of the Deepwater Horizon disaster is challenging enough. With the Taylor Energy spill, they may face an even more daunting recovery, one that could take decades. Acknowledging the extent and complexity of recovery is the first step toward supporting coastal communities to build their resilience in the face of overlapping disasters.
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Emergency Preparedness
commentary
FEMA's Transformation
Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein
Jun 8, 2018
CNN
The Federal Emergency Management Agency's strategic plan shows several shifts in U.S. disaster relief policy. Redirecting longer-term recovery operations to state and local authorities would allow FEMA to concentrate its assets on the catastrophic disasters it is uniquely designed to handle.
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Emergency Services and Response
blog
RAND Researchers Visit Puerto Rico After Hurricane Maria
Dec 19, 2017
A small team of RAND researchers went to Puerto Rico two weeks after the island was struck by Hurricane Maria. They are compiling their observations into a series of studies for the Army, with recommendations to smooth its response to future disasters.
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Community Resilience
commentary
How to Rebuild After This Year's Hurricane Season? Invest in Resilience
Melissa L. Finucane @MelissaFinucane
Nov 6, 2017
The RAND Blog
Investing in resilience in an informed and systematic way can help a wide range of high-risk communities be better prepared for any future disasters.
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Public Health
commentary
Anticipating Harvey's Toll on Health and Health Care
Mahshid Abir, Richard Serino
Sep 5, 2017
U.S. News & World Report
After Hurricane Harvey, challenges to the health of affected communities and the health care systems that serve them are expected to grow. Among the problems are closures of hospitals, pharmacies, and dialysis centers. Lessons from Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy could help relief efforts.
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Emergency Responders
commentary
Lessons for First Responders on the Front Lines of Terrorism
Mahshid Abir, Christopher Nelson
Jul 10, 2017
The Conversation
Given the persistent risk of terrorist attacks, it is critical to learn from past incidents to prepare for future ones. Medical and nonmedical first responders need more training in basic lifesaving skills. Open communication lines such as a dedicated radio frequency could help responders better coordinate. Disaster drills are also essential.
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Haiti
commentary
Cholera in Haiti: No Surprise This Time Around
Melinda Moore
Oct 27, 2016
Inside Sources
When Hurricane Matthew swept across Haiti, it left a resurgence of cholera in its wake. Tackling cholera head-on should be on the short list of health priorities for disaster relief in the island nation.
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Emergency Preparedness
commentary
Rather Than Fearing 'Cyber 9/11,' Prepare for 'Cyber Katrina'
Andrew Lauland
Mar 30, 2016
U.S. News & World Report
The United States needs a smooth, well-functioning mutual aid system for cybersecurity that provides all of the hard-won benefits of the nation's system for hurricanes and other emergencies.
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Community Resilience
commentary
Community Resilience Is Key in the Aftermath of Flint's Lead Water Crisis
Mahshid Abir, Rebecca Cunningham, Marc Zimmerman
Mar 9, 2016
U.S. News & World Report
For Flint to recover from this latest disaster, it will be critical for the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to invest in and implement strategies to build on existing community resilience and strengthen Flint's ability to bounce back.
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Emergency Preparedness
commentary
Saving Lives After Tragedy
Mahshid Abir, Christopher Nelson
Dec 14, 2015
U.S. News & World Report
Natural and man-made mass-casualty incidents are a growing threat. Evaluating successes and shortcomings after each crisis can contribute to the design and implementation of robust and resilient response systems and ensure the best possible outcomes for individuals and impacted communities.
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Community Resilience
commentary
What Hurricane Katrina Taught Us About Community Resilience
Alonzo L. Plough, Anita Chandra
Sep 8, 2015
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Culture of Health blog
Hurricane Katrina left a path of destruction, death, and suffering in its wake. Its recovery, halting and incomplete as it has been, has taught us valuable lessons about resiliency.
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Hurricanes
blog
Hurricane Katrina: 10 Years After the Storm
Aug 27, 2015
This weekend marks 10 years since Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast. As the region struggled to cope and rebuild after the storm, RAND experts worked on solutions to the region's long-term challenges.
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Emergency Preparedness
commentary
Ebola and Syria's Chemical Weapons Show U.S. Can Leave Nothing to Chance
Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein
Jul 9, 2015
U.S. News & World Report
There are key takeaways from the Ebola outbreak, Syria's chemical weapons, and the Fukushima nuclear disaster. The U.S. and its international partners should view these events as learning opportunities that could help improve preparedness and response capabilities before the next crisis strikes.
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Emergency Preparedness
commentary
Another Nepal Earthquake Makes Disaster Relief Planning Even More Important
Mahshid Abir, Melinda Moore
May 13, 2015
U.S. News & World Report
Leadership, coordination, communication, and involvement of local stakeholders are critical in order to mount an informed response to natural disasters. Improved disaster management in Nepal could help limit the suffering of impacted communities and help secure a more successful recovery in the long run.
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Disaster Recovery Operations
commentary
Nepal Earthquake Response Shows Need for Better International Planning
Jennifer D. P. Moroney @jdpmoroney
May 7, 2015
U.S. News & World Report
The U.S. provided supplies after the earthquake in Nepal, but they piled up at points of delivery because Nepalese customs authorities insisted that standard inspections be followed, even in an emergency situation. These kinds of bureaucratic challenges can be more easily overcome if they are identified and addressed before crises arise.
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Community Resilience
announcement
New Research Consortium to Tackle Community Resilience in the Gulf Region
Feb 17, 2015
A new research group, the Consortium for Resilient Gulf Communities, will assess and address the public health, social, and economic impacts of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico region.
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Disaster Recovery Operations
blog
In the Wake of Disaster: Practical and Philosophical Challenges of Victim Compensation
Nov 20, 2014
When tragedy strikes, Kenneth Feinberg is often the person companies and governments turn to for help to determine appropriate monetary compensation. At RAND's Politics Aside event last week, he shared some of his thoughts on what goes into making those decisions, and why it's so important to meet with victims.
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Community Resilience
blog
Investing in Resilient Cities
Nov 15, 2014
It's time to change the paradigm from disaster response and recovery to building resilient communities, said Judith Rodin, president of The Rockefeller Foundation, at RAND's Politics Aside event.
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Emergency Services and Response
commentary
An Enduring Need for Better Measures of Emergency Preparedness
Brian A. Jackson
Jun 25, 2014
The RAND Blog
In an era of fiscal austerity, the need for measurement and assessment becomes manifold. Tied to good government goals and responsible stewardship of public funds, measurements are also necessary to educate the public about what it should—and should not—reasonably expect when disaster strikes.
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Terrorism Risk Insurance
blog
RAND Research Influences Debate on Terrorism Insurance
Jun 19, 2014
To inform the debate on whether the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) should be continued or allowed to expire, RAND prepared policy briefs on three topics of central concern to policymakers: national security perspectives, the impact on federal spending, and the impact on workers' compensation markets.
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Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002
commentary
3 Terrorism Risk Insurance Act Facts for Congress to Consider
Lloyd Dixon, Michael Dworsky, Tom LaTourrette, Henry H. Willis @HenryHWillis
Jun 12, 2014
U.S. News & World Report
With the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act set to expire this year, Congress is currently revisiting a crucial question: What is the appropriate government role in terrorism insurance markets? As the debate unfolds on Capitol Hill, policymakers should consider three key research findings.
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Community Resilience
commentary
One Year Later: Hurricane Sandy's Lessons in Resilience and Recovery
Mahshid Abir
Nov 15, 2013
The RAND Blog
The recovery from Sandy shows once again that how well communities bounce back from disasters depends not just on how they react after a crisis, but on how resilient they have made themselves beforehand. Building community resilience should be part and parcel of disaster preparedness.
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International Humanitarian Assistance
commentary
How Philippines Typhoon Aid Helps USA
Jonah Blank
Nov 12, 2013
USA Today
In the wake of Haiyan there is no substitute for the capabilities of the U.S. military. At the level of national interest, however, does the case for tasking the U.S. military to international natural disasters hold up — particularly in a time when the Pentagon has seen its budget slashed?
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Disaster Recovery Operations
commentary
Responding in Typhoon Haiyan's Wake
Jennifer D. P. Moroney @jdpmoroney, Stephanie Pezard @StephaniePezard
Nov 12, 2013
U.S. News & World Report
Prior responses to other recent disasters offer important lessons. Improved preparedness and efficient coordination mechanisms can help ensure that, when time is of the essence, the United States provides the most effective response.
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Homeland Security Legislation
commentary
Challenges and Opportunities Ahead for New Homeland Security Secretary
Henry H. Willis @HenryHWillis
Oct 24, 2013
The RAND Blog
To ensure the Department of Homeland Security makes progress in the current constrained budget environment, its new secretary must put in place a strategic perspective to guide priorities for how to address the country's most pressing problems in disaster management, immigration reform, cybersecurity, violent extremism, and nuclear terrorism.
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Community Resilience
commentary
Translating Policy Into Action to Build Community Resilience
Anita Chandra, Joie D. Acosta
Sep 4, 2013
The RAND Blog
The philosophy and motivation surrounding community resilience has strongly resonated with community leaders but there remains a divide between how experts articulate resilience policy and how that policy translates to on-the-ground implementation. Building Community Resilience: An Online Training addresses that tension.
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Community Resilience
commentary
Moore Must Be Ready for Psychological Aftermath
Mahshid Abir
May 31, 2013
CNN
Ensuring the availability of needed mental health resources was critical in the immediate aftermath and recovery phase of the 2011 Joplin, Missouri tornado. Authorities in Oklahoma must ensure that such services are in place early so that Moore's residents can begin the long journey to recovery.
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Community Resilience
blog
Resources for Schools and Parents Following the Deadly Oklahoma Tornado
May 29, 2013
The toll of the tornado on school students in Moore, Oklahoma, cannot be overstated. To assist with recovery, RAND's CBITS program offers resources on psychological first aid for schools, as well as additional materials for educators and parents.
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Emergency Medical Services
commentary
From Boston to Oklahoma—Lessons for the Regional Trauma Response System
Mahshid Abir, Stewart D. Wang
May 23, 2013
The Health Care Blog
Three mass-casualty events occurring in three very different settings show that disaster preparedness should not be limited to large cities or “target” areas in the United States. One trait that is common to all such events is the need for coordinated, responsive trauma care for victims.
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Emergency Preparedness
commentary
Lessons from Boston
Arthur L. Kellermann, Kobi Peleg
Apr 25, 2013
New England Journal of Medicine
Boston's health care providers reacted the way they did because they knew what they were supposed to do. Those who did not were smart enough to follow the lead of those who did. That's how a “ritualized” disaster plan works.
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Community Resilience
commentary
Planning for Superstorms, Wildfires, and Deep Uncertainty
Robert J. Lempert @RobertLempert, Anita Chandra
Apr 18, 2013
The RAND Blog
The path to climate change preparedness should start at the intersection of resilience and robustness — that is, building resilient communities with the individuals and organizations within those communities making robust decisions, ones designed to work well over a wide range of ever-changing conditions.
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Emergency Preparedness
commentary
Responding to Newtown
Arthur L. Kellermann
Dec 26, 2012
Health Affairs Blog
Art Kellermann reviews what is known from broad outlines of the Newtown attack and past research on gun violence to offer some preliminary thoughts to the Obama Administration's task force and the public.
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Mental Health Treatment
commentary
In Connecticut, Recovery and Healing Will Take Time
Lisa H. Jaycox
Dec 20, 2012
The RAND Blog
With an event like this, With an event like this, 'recovery' doesn't mean a return to normal, because lives have been permanently altered. Recovery can only mean finding a new normal, a new path forward. And schools, those places of safety and healthy development, can help with that process, by providing a structure and community to support healing, writes Lisa Jaycox.
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Hurricanes
commentary
'New Normal' Requires New Ways to Support Social and 'Human' Recovery
Anita Chandra, Joie D. Acosta
Nov 26, 2012
The RAND Blog
Recent global disasters vividly illustrate that recovery entails more than simply restoring physical infrastructure such as roads and buildings; it is also a long process of restoring the social infrastructure—the daily routines and networks that support the physical and mental health and well-being of the population, write Anita Chandra and Joie Acosta.
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Emergency Preparedness
commentary
Generation Ex
Arthur L. Kellermann
Nov 15, 2012
The RAND Blog
The problem is that on any given day, disaster preparedness takes a back seat to ongoing operations. The tyranny of the urgent prevents hospital administrators from making investments in preparedness, writes Art Kellermann.
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Flooding
commentary
In Wake of Hurricane Sandy, Look to Louisiana for Lessons
Gary Cecchine @GaryCecchine, David G. Groves, Jordan R. Fischbach @fischinwater
Nov 1, 2012
The RAND Blog
Just as public agencies across the country conducted terrorism risk assessments in the wake of 9/11, a comprehensive infrastructure assessment may be in order to understand natural hazard risks and the potential exacerbating effects of climate change, write Gary Cecchine, David Groves, and Jordan Fischbach.
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Community Resilience
commentary
Medical Records Immune to Tornado in Joplin, Mo.
Mahshid Abir, Arthur L. Kellermann
May 23, 2012
USA Today
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.
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Louisiana
commentary
A Flood of Innovation: Louisiana's Coastal Master Plan
Michael D. Rich @michaeldrich
May 11, 2012
RAND Review
RAND President and CEO Michael Rich writes about how RAND computer models and empirical analyses are helping protect and restore the Louisiana coast.
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Terrorism
commentary
Quake a Disaster 'Drill' D.C. Flunked
Lynn E. Davis, Arthur L. Kellermann
Aug 29, 2011
CNN
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.
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commentary
Tokyo's Transformation
Eric Heginbotham, Ely Ratner, Richard J Samuels
Aug 25, 2011
Foreign Affairs, Sept/Oct 2011
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.
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Infrastructure Finance
commentary
Follow the Money
Agnes Gereben Schaefer
Jul 14, 2011
The Montgomery Advertiser
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.
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Nation Building
commentary
A Month After the Earthquake: Opportunities Slipping Away
Agnes Gereben Schaefer, Anita Chandra
Feb 24, 2010
RAND.org and GlobalSecurity.org
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.
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Gulf Coast States
commentary
Human Side of Katrina Recovery Still Needs Work
Anita Chandra
Oct 17, 2009
Montgomery Advertiser
Four years after Hurricane Katrina, many people in the Gulf Coast region are still "just surviving," write Anita Chandra and Joie Acosta.
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Disaster Recovery Operations
commentary
Five Questions President Obama Should Ask in His Visit to New Orleans
Melissa Flournoy
Oct 14, 2009
The Times-Picayune
The federal government has spent about $140 billion responding to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and the Gulf Coast now needs more money for hurricane and flood protection and for coastal restoration. But we still haven't properly evaluated whether our money was spent wisely.
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Economic Development
commentary
Obama, Congress Can Improve FEMA, Homeland Security
Melissa Flournoy
Dec 21, 2008
The Press-Register
In his campaign, President-elect Barack Obama pledged to rebuild the Gulf Coast — one of the country's most wounded, yet economically strategic, regions.To keep this laudable promise, he will need to make a sustained commitment not only to a national disaster recovery plan, but also a comprehensive economic development strategy for the Gulf Coast, writes Melissa Flournoy.
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