After a disaster, many different individuals, agencies, and organizations, (and often multiple jurisdictions) must work together to be able to restore the affected areas to as near pre-disaster condition as possible. Coordination and communication are vital to successful emergency management, beginning with planning efforts and continuing through recovery actions.

In this lesson, you will learn about effective communication and coordination practices during the recovery period.

Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:

• List methods for coordinating the recovery efforts of the public works agency with those of the community.
• Describe the information that should be communicated with other agencies during recovery.
• Describe the information that should be communicated to the public during recovery.
• Explain how to involve the public in the recovery process.

The following resources were referenced in this lesson:

Resources

• National Incident Management System (NIMS) Resource Center
• NIMS Communications and Information Management
• IS-552 The Public Works Role in Emergency Management Close

The public works agency is a critical participant in the coordination of local emergency management activity and, in particular, recovery efforts.

Public works officials must coordinate the public works recovery effort with the community-wide recovery effort, including planning efforts as well as implementation of the recovery plan after a disaster. It is prudent to assign the coordination responsibility to one or more persons within the public works agency. Since some projects may require public and private financial support, public-private partnerships should be considered for the coordination of those projects.

The recovery plan should be coordinated with other local plans from several sources, such as the following:

• Public Works
• Emergency Management
• Financing Authority
• Other

Public works’ local recovery plans can include:

• Floodplain Management Plan
• Stormwater Management Plan
• Debris Management Plan
• Capital Improvements Plan
• Subdivision Ordinances
• Land Development Code
• Building Codes

Emergency management’s local recovery plans may be “stand alone” plans or may be a consortium of plans that include:

• Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) or Emergency Operations Plan (EOP)
• Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP)
• Continuity of Government Plan (COG)
• Local or Regional Evacuation Plan
• Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan (NHMP)
• Flood Response Plan
• Temporary Disaster Housing Plan
• National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)
• NFIP Community Rating System
• Functional Needs Populations Plan

Local recovery plans need to be coordinated with the plans of the local government budget agency or department because of the financial support required for the recovery efforts in your community.

Other local recovery plans can include:

• Open Space Management Plan
• Natural Resource Protection Plan
• Comprehensive Land Use Plan
• Economic Development Plan
• Historic Preservation Plan
• Zoning Ordinances
• Fire Code

Public Works

Public works’ local recovery plans can include:

• Floodplain Management Plan
• Stormwater Management Plan
• Debris Management Plan
• Capital Improvements Plan
• Subdivision Ordinances
• Land Development Code
• Building Codes

Emergency Management

Emergency management’s local recovery plans may be “stand alone” plans or may be a consortium of plans that include:

• Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) or Emergency Operations Plan (EOP)
• Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP)
• Continuity of Government Plan (COG)
• Local or Regional Evacuation Plan
• Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan (NHMP)
• Flood Response Plan
• Temporary Disaster Housing Plan
• National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)
• NFIP Community Rating System
• Functional Needs Populations Plan

Financing Authority

Local recovery plans need to be coordinated with the plans of the local government budget agency or department because of the financial support required for the recovery efforts in your community. Other

Other

Other local recovery plans can include:

• Open Space Management Plan
• Natural Resource Protection Plan
• Comprehensive Land Use Plan
• Economic Development Plan
• Historic Preservation Plan
• Zoning Ordinances
• Fire Code

To effectively coordinate recovery efforts of the public works agency with those of the community, consider using the following methods:

• Assign dedicated personnel and/or liaisons to the recovery function.
• Ensure that public works is “subscribed” to all recovery function email lists.
• Proactively reach out via phone and email to critical recovery partners. Introduce yourself as the liaison for public works.
• Personally inquire and attend all recovery-like meetings, even at times when public works is not normally included. Do not be afraid to insert yourself and public works into the process.
• Ensure that existing Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) and mutual aid agreements that involve public works are recognized and adhered to.

Communication following an event or disaster is important to the recovery effort. Depending on the nature of the event, communication and public information related to the event will potentially need to continue for months or years. The communications mission is to deliver accurate information in a timely manner, with an emphasis on saving or protecting lives and property.

The community should utilize all communication strategies as defined by the National Incident Management System (NIMS). As you may recall, these strategies were reviewed in the IS-552 course, The Public Works Role in Emergency Management.

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The National Incident Management System (NIMS) provides a systematic, proactive approach to guide departments and agencies at all levels of government, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to work seamlessly to prevent, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of incidents, regardless of cause, size, location, or complexity, in order to reduce the loss of life and property and harm to the environment.

NIMS works hand in hand with the National Response Framework (NRF). NIMS provides the template for the management of incidents, while the NRF provides the structure and mechanisms for national-level policy for incident management.

Additional information about NIMS communication strategies is available on the Resources page included in the Toolkit.

Communication, as it relates to the community and the public works agency in recovery, is far reaching. In many cases, public works may very well be the lead agency in recovery efforts such as utility restoration or debris management. In one way or another, public works is a player in nearly all aspects of recovery.

As a result, communication of issues such as the recovery work itself, schedules, timelines, warnings, etc. are critical. The lack of this type of communication is likely to delay the recovery effort and frustrate other agencies and the public.

Public works, in cooperation with the Public Information Officer (PIO), must keep local, state, and federal agencies, as well as the public, informed regarding all agency recovery efforts, including debris management, rebuilding of infrastructure, implementation of mitigation projects, and other actions.

Communications with other agencies such as other local public works entities, state or federal liaisons should, at a minimum, include:

• Updates to current disaster information
• Updates to damage assessment
• Strategies or plans for recovery
• Specific resource needs
• Financial impacts
• Environmental concerns
• Changes to service levels

During recovery, public works’ information is often the most important information an emergency manager (EM) or Public Information Officer (PIO) can receive. Public works should not wait to be asked for an update. The public works official should automatically update the PIO or EM when there is information that needs to be pushed out.

Throughout the recovery process, the public should continue to be informed regarding activities or plans for the community. Information that should be conveyed to the public during recovery includes warnings or potential life safety issues the public may face. Recovery plans that exist within the community should also be shared.

The public should also be informed about how the community has been or is expected to be impacted due to changes in services or infrastructure reconstruction during recovery. The public should also be aware of where and how to gather additional information about the recovery process and programs such as Individual Assistance. Some of the outlets for dissemination of information include news releases, Public Service Announcements (PSA), and social media.

During some recovery efforts, it is critical to have a public works liaison appointed to the ESF-15 Public Information Function in order to ensure that the public is informed.

The planning process and valid plans should incorporate community input. As a result, there will more likely be an inclusive plan with community support; yielding positive results.

Keep in mind that public communication should not only be one-way. Consider holding town hall meetings and conducting surveys to get the public's input on recovery and mitigation projects, including utilization of online forums and social media. Be sure to communicate instructions for community participation in these recovery activities, and why these activities are important to the process.

Public involvement can reach beyond traditional jurisdictional boundaries to include regional collaboration as well. Remember, effective communication and coordination go hand-in-hand. Your public information efforts must be coordinated with other agencies, organizations, and jurisdictions involved, to ensure that a clear, consistent message is conveyed.