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As indicated by the title, this book describes strategies and tactics to improve the management of disaster response and recovery operations. This decision is not meant to deny the value of functions relating to mitigation, preparedness, prevention and protection. It is instead based on the assumption that there is a need for a comprehensive textbook about post‐disaster activities. Although there are great works on this subject already, it is necessary to have more current information and not just approach the material from a pure academic or practical standpoint only. For instance, it is important to note that response and recovery operations have changed significantly over the past few decades and even substantially in recent years. The informative research generated by disaster scholars over the past several decades likewise must also be integrated with the lessons gained from the extensive experience of professional emergency managers. Furthermore, there is a dire need to further educate government leaders and public servants in order to avert the repetition of mistakes made after many disasters. Nevertheless, this book may also be of use to corporate leaders or humanitarian workers who are also involved in response and recovery operations.

In order to meet these goals, Disaster Response and Recovery: Strategies and Tactics for Resilience will provide a comprehensive discussion about post‐disaster management issues and recommendations for their improvement. Chapter 2 will help you as an emergency manager identify the actors involved in response and recovery operations. This includes government officials and agencies as well as corporations, nonprofit organizations, and even everyday people and the victims themselves. Chapter 3 discusses human behavior in time of disaster. It dispels widely held myths and illustrates typical social reactions to collective stress. Chapter 4 compares alternative theoretical stances regarding the management of disasters. It acknowledges the strengths and weaknesses of traditional and professional approaches. Chapter 5 covers initial response measures, and it provides ideas on how to protect people through hazard detection, warning, evacuation, and sheltering. Chapter 6 lists steps that can be taken to care for those who have been adversely affected by a disaster. This chapter shares information about search and rescue, emergency medical care, fatality management and psychological stress. Chapter 7 shares recommendations on how to manage public relations and community resources. In particular, it discusses how you can effectively manage the media, donations and volunteers after a disaster. The transition from response to recovery is the subject of Chapter 8. It reviews functions such as damage assessment, disaster declarations and debris removal. In Chapter 9, disaster assistance programs are discussed along with ways to reduce vulnerability. This chapter provides information on recovery and how this post‐disaster activity must be linked to mitigation. The challenges of response and recovery are exposed in Chapter 10. This section will help you understand difficulties associated with communications, decision making, transportation, politics, special populations, legal issues and record keeping. Chapter 11 points out tools that can be utilized and employed during response and recovery operations. These include technological equipment as well as organizational arrangements (e.g., incident command, emergency operation centers) that will improve coordination. Chapter 12 covers lessons from prior disasters along with new threats and reasons for rising vulnerability. It attempts to help you think critically about how to deal with the disasters that will confront you and likewise consider the changes that must take place to improve the future of emergency management. Chapter 13 illustrates ways to foster disaster resilience. This final chapter of the book discusses various aspects of disaster preparedness in addition to the importance of improvisation, spontaneous planning, leadership, and professionalism among emergency managers.

Before proceeding with the outlined direction of the book, the remainder of this initial chapter will provide additional information about the types of hazards and how they interact one with another. It also describes the impact of disasters and what you as an emergency manager can expect in their aftermath.