How Localities Continually Adapt Enterprise Strategies to Manage Natural Disasters

A pair of brown work boots stands on a dirt surface, viewed from above. The words 'NATURAL DISASTERS' are clearly visible in large, bold white letters on the ground. The image evokes a sense of preparedness or response to emergency situations. The earthy tones and rugged footwear suggest outdoor or disaster-related activity.

By

Katherine Willoughby

Professor

University of Georgia kwilloughby@uga.edu

Komla D. Dzigbede

Assistant Professor. Department of Public Administration, College of Community & Public Affairs

State University of New York at Binghamton dzigbede@binghamton.edu

Sarah Beth Gehl

Research Director, Southern Economic Advancement Project

sgehl@rooseveltinstitute.org

The authors of this report delve into city-level surveys of hundreds of communities, conducted by the International City/County Managers Association, to learn firsthand what challenges face local leaders and how they prepare in advance to blunt the effects of natural disasters.  They interview dozens of local leaders for their advice and insights and then used these insights to develop a framework that can guide local leaders as they strategize ways to minimize the effects of natural disasters on their communities and economies in the future.

This framework includes two key strategic steps for local governments to adopt: (1) create a long-term, enterprise-wide approach to building resiliency in advance of any disaster in order to mitigate damage and speed recovery, and (2) grow a steady network of partners, horizontally and vertically, to manage as successfully as possible through disaster.  Horizontal partners include community groups, private businesses, nonprofits, neighboring jurisdictions, and regional pacts. Vertical partners include their state and its agencies, and the federal government.

Read the blog post, "Disasters Are Inevitable; Government’s Inadequate Response Is Not" in Route Fifty about the report.

 

How Localities Continually Adapt Enterprise Strategies to Manage Natural Disasters