Regional Resilience & Recovery
Over the past five years, North Carolina has experienced several major natural disasters, including several overlapping events, which are becoming more and more prevalent. As we face both natural and manmade disruptions, our communities’ health, safety and economic stability are at risk, and our residents are impacted in deeply personal ways. To move our communities forward and take advantage of the strengths of government and non-government partners, Centralina created a two-phase approach to support the region in bolstering disaster recovery and resiliency.
The Road to Resilience & Recovery
The Centralina Economic Development District (EDD) recognized the need for a whole-of-government approach and applied for a U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) Disaster Relief Coordinator Grant. The Centralina EDD was awarded funding in March 2020, initiating phase I of Centralina’s regional resilience and recovery efforts.
As a supplement to phase I’s EDA Disaster Relief Coordinator funds, phase II was initiated in July 2022 when the North Carolina Association of Regional Councils of Governments (NCARCOG) received a state appropriation to support local governments in effectively managing and building capacity for local and regional disaster recovery, mitigation and resiliency efforts. NCARCOG administered these funds to all 16 regional councils / council of governments across the state to develop and deliver a comprehensive financial administration training program for local governments to bolster successful and efficient administration of recovery funding.
In summary, the two components are as follows:
- Implementation of specific disaster recovery and resiliency capacity building and planning activities in each region as proposed by each regional council based on local needs. (see more information below about Centralina’s Regional Resilience Collaborative)
- Development of disaster recovery financial administration training and deployment of said training in each council of government region.
Regional Resilience Collaborative
The Centralina EDD partnered with Centralina Regional Council and our nine-county emergency management directors to launch the Regional Resilience Collaborative (RRC), a project that assesses the viability and resiliency of emergency management plans and coordinate resources so the region can pursue greater efficiency in responding to current and future natural and man-made disasters. The Centralina team works directly with county emergency management managers across our nine-county region to build upon existing county and city-level emergency plans through a series of plan evaluations, assessments, focus groups and workshops.
Objectives
- Investigate the landscape of local resources and capabilities
- Document local strengths and opportunities
- Support coordination for regional recovery strategies
- Bolster the capacity of community economic resilience
- Create a tangible and relevant recovery
Project Outcomes
As part of the RRC program, Centralina supports the development of pre-disaster recovery plans and recovery function/committee annexes. Tools, such as the Disaster Plan Development Guide, Pre-Disaster Recovery Plan Templates and the Centralina Regional Resilience GIS web app, which maps hazards and conditions throughout the region, are available below to support in facilitation. During this process, local leaders are encouraged to prioritize recovery planning, encourage all departments to support, identify additional stakeholders and understand legal authorities.
Deliverables
- Resilience and Equity Hazards Assessment Tool
- Pre-Disaster Recovery Plan Template
- Pre-Disaster Recovery Plan Development Guide
- Local Leader Disaster Recovery Coordination Guide
Resilience and Equity Hazards Assessment Tool
This tool can be used to support pre-disaster and post-disaster planning and customized for your community.
Pre-Disaster Planning
- Establish an overall approach to whole community recovery
- Determine vulnerable assets and population areas
- Clarify community recovery planning needs and approaches
Post-Disaster Planning
- Identify specific recovery projects and mitigation strategies
- Assess impacts from disasters and economic shocks
- Evaluate whole community recovery needs
Resilience and Equity Hazards Assessment Tool Tutorial
This video provides an overview of the Resilience and Equity Hazards Assessment Tool and its special features. Specifically, it:
- Offers a quick start for using the app to identify long-term recovery resilience and equity planning features.
- Describes how information can be exported to assist with local long-term recovery planning documentation.
- Provides helpful hints for navigating throughout the tool’s features and exporting components.
Templates and Guides
Pre-Disaster Recovery Plan Template
The template serves as a customizable document that assists Centralina jurisdictions in developing a pre-disaster recovery plan to address regional resilience and support community and business economic recovery from future disaster events and economic shocks.
Pre-Disaster Recovery Plan Development Guide
This document helps jurisdictions customize the Pre-Disaster Recovery Plan Template and serves as a “how-to” manual that accompanies the plan template.
Local Leader Disaster Recovery Guide
In the initial days of a disaster, recovery efforts start immediately with emergency managers focusing on ensuring people’s safety. The planning process for a successful recovery should be led by county or city managers, or their designated staff. Our Local Leader Disaster Recovery Coordination Guide offers essential guidance for county managers and elected officials on key planning considerations. This guide serves as a touchstone for the recovery planning team, engaging local government, elected officials, recovery support committees and community stakeholders in developing a local recovery plan.
Workshop I: Regional Recovery Summit
The Regional Recovery Summit was the first Regional Resilience Collaborative workshop. The Summit featured discussions with representatives from state and local government and nonprofit organizations. Disaster recovery experts shared their experiences, addressing the many challenges of rebuilding sustainable and equitable communities following large-scale disasters.
The workshop was centered around four recovery themes:
- Whole Community Collaboration – utilizing trusted resources, knowing who to contact and working with community organizations.
- Infrastructure Recovery – mapping out recovery and who to engage.
- Disaster Housing and Land Use/ Development – best practices and experiences from other areas of North Carolina that have experienced recent catastrophic disasters.
- Economic and Small Business Recovery – how local government can support resilient economies and bounce forward.
Several key themes emerged from the discussions at the Summit. Attendees agreed that planning and building relationships in advance is crucial, and that equity is directly linked to recovery efforts. To be successful, recovery must involve community partners, the public, and local businesses, in addition to government and federal partners. Communication was identified as a critical factor, and attendees emphasized the importance of looking to other communities for examples of successful recovery efforts.
Workshop ll: Recovery Planning
The goal of this event was to collaborate with the emergency management leads and the planning teams of the nine counties in the Centralina region to create a comprehensive operational and all-hazards recovery plan. The materials included key recovery concepts, planning tools and recommended next steps for plan implementation. Additionally, Centralina unveiled a plan development template and coordinating guide to enhance our region’s recovery planning by bolstering a coordinated approach. It is important to note that emergency management owns the recovery plan and county/city management owns the recovery process.
Workshop III: Recovery As An Opportunity
This workshop centered on guiding local leaders in leveraging disaster recovery efforts to advance equity and strengthen economic resilience. Centralina presented a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) interface that can aid local governments in pre-disaster planning and post-disaster decision-making that prioritizes equity and resilience. The workshop featured insights from various stakeholders, including local government leaders, elected officials, emergency managers, social service providers, urban planners, economic development entities, nonprofit organizations and community-based organizations in the central North Carolina region. Additionally, the workshop explored the Regional Resilience Collaborative’s next steps and funding opportunities.