Pre-Event Planning for Recovery Through the Lens of Building Back Better

The Sendai Framework for DRR is helping to inform the modernisation process to update and redesign the current Emergency Program Act in British Columbia (BC). By integrating Building Back Better (BBB) methods in all aspects and sectors when preplanning for recovery in the community, though there will be challenges in equity and accessibility to overcome, the overall effect can lead to much more positive and resilient outcomes.   

The challenges encountered by emergency management professionals when designing response and preparedness plans before disaster strikes are plentiful. The challenges when pre-planning for recovery are equally challenging but are also much broader in scope and timing with many more considerations included in the planning challenge.

Added to this, many small, rural and/or remote communities in British Columbia (and elsewhere) have limited capacity in local government. As hard as they all work to keep daily government services running smoothly when more layers of work and effort are added in times of disaster and recovery, it becomes even more challenging for them. To prepare ahead of time for the usually longer recovery period following a disaster may seem like a waste of time, but as more and more agencies have recently realised: “…Strong evidence, and common sense, indicates that much can be done before a disaster to alleviate recovery planning demands after the disaster.” (International Recovery Platform – UNISDR, “Guidance Note on Recovery – Pre-Disaster Recovery Planning”). By integrating Building Back Better (BBB) methods in all aspects and sectors when pre-planning for recovery in the community, though there will be challenges in equity and accessibility to overcome, the overall effect can lead to much more positive and resilient outcomes.

The Sendai Framework is helping to inform the modernisation process to update and redesign the current Emergency Program Act in British Columbia (BC).

In October 2018, BC became the first province in Canada to adopt it. This framework is focused on four main priorities.

The fourth priority, “Building Back Better”, involves enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and to build back better in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction” (UNDRR – What is the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction?). The four pillars of recovery as outlined by the Emergency Management BC in their Interim Provincial Disaster Recovery Framework include environmental, economic, infrastructure and social groupings. Additionally, in community recovery, various overarching themes are found such as communications, funding, emotional support, insurance, unmet needs, debris removal, cultural awareness, equity and accessibility for vulnerable populations, etc., — the list is extensive.

The following few examples highlight how the lens of building back better could be considered when creating a pre-event recovery plan (PERP) to bring about a faster, more inclusive, and more sustainable community recovery once efforts begin.

The Environmental Pillar can include anything from the need to reroute a waterway across private land to save hay fields from being inundated by flooding each year, to mapping culturally sensitive areas on indigenous lands to protect them from damage in future events. For example, if a burial area in a remote part of an indigenous community is identified as a high-risk area for wildfire damage, raising awareness of this location to the BC Wildfire Service and other responders ahead of time can serve to help protect it as a cultural asset of enormous significance to the community. When looking at how to build back better within this scenario, reducing fuel load around such areas can help to mitigate future risks.

Often after a wildfire, morel mushrooms, a highly soughtafter food source, will spring up in the wildfire-affected areas. This environmental offering can be a boon to local communities in recovery as a food source and can be identified in a PERP as positive economic support as well as an environmental value.

BBB in future recovery planning may mean investigating how to enhance safety for pickers, protection of picking areas for residents or considerations to make sure those pickings get fair compensation for their harvesting efforts.

The “pillars” of recovery often overlap with each other. Aspointed out above in the Environmental Pillar, mushroom harvesting, as an after-effect from wildfire, can be a positive step in the economic recovery.

Developing an economic policy before an event on buying locally can help both before and after a disaster. In addition, by supporting local businesses first, a community will be building social capital – another valuable asset that will help sustain and rebuild the whole of the community.

The Infrastructure Pillar perhaps most often conjures up a vision of the literal version of building back better. The materials now used for reconstruction and building of key venues and infrastructure offer many more options than in the past that make systems for water, septic, power, etc., far more efficient and may leave lesser damage, environmentally.

On occasions, new building materials may appear that previously had not been considered.

In 2019, when the Taal volcano in the Philippines erupted spewing ash for many miles, the government collected it, mixed it with sand, cement and waste plastic to form building bricks for rebuilding homes and schools. This is a creative example of building back better in terms of infrastructure. When updating a PERP (for instance), this method of rebuilding could be included for future reference or to share with others who are developing their PERPs to encourage thinking outside the box when seeking things such as new, possibly locally sourced, materials for rebuilding.

One project, which began in Gibsons, BC, has been adopted far more broadly as communities recognise the benefits of working with natural features – instead of trying to improve on them with man-made solutions in terms of community infrastructure.

The Municipal Natural Assets Initiative (MNAI) offers multiple ways to support the sustainability of small communities and can be a resource of enormous benefit in recovery activities, should a disaster affect them. By having this initiative in place already, the Gibsons community is much better placed to remain sustainable after a disaster as they work through their recovery process.

Though infrastructure is commonly thought of as the physical systems and equipment that keep communities functioning effectively, it also includes processes and programmes that need to be available in some form for a community’s health and economic recovery to succeed.

A daycare programme – whether for young children or for adults needing care during the day while their family work – can be considered as social infrastructure. Before a disaster happens, recognising and prioritising the needs of families as a whole has to be examined and solutions, or backup solutions, discussed and designed for the community members to continue functioning while they are rebuilding their lives.

In looking at this example of social infrastructure with a BBB lens on, individual families along with those responsible for recovery coordination can discuss or design a backup plan for daycare and how it can be strengthened to remain sustainable throughout recovery and beyond. Perhaps it involves a discussion ahead of time with a friend or family member in another neighbourhood or nearby community who may be willing to care for a family’s matriarch temporarily (or longer), enabling the regular caregivers to maintain their employment, or a local non-profit society may already have a mandate that would allow them to offer daycare services in the area with some adjustments to their venue and schedule.

Through discussion between the local government, daycare operators and families in the community ahead of time, temporary solutions to this topic may be something to include as an option in the PERP. It may also turn out to be a better and more sustainable way to support this type of social infrastructure as part of BBB.

The Social Pillar includes, along with health and education, most of those intangible values that serve to support the community emotionally; to re-identify or reimagine who they are as a community and in other ways.

The cultural aspects that support and inform a community’s identity after a disaster cannot be emphasised strongly enough as to their importance. Though the performance arts have been particularly affected by this pandemic, they have pivoted in endless ways to remain operating and to provide support to all by connecting people via projects online, including events such as choirs, dance troupes, and authors doing readings. The visual arts have also found ways to interact to support the community as well as a record for history during this extraordinary worldwide event. All of these reflect the BBB strategy, and in future, disasters communities will be more prepared to recognise the arts and cultural sectors for the many valuable support they bring to a community.

When building a Pre-Event Recovery Plan (which is a living document created by a variety of stakeholders in the community and meant as guidance for communities when a future disaster hits), there needs to be understanding and coordination of how everyone directly involved with supporting the recovery effort will be communicating. This includes collaborating in discussing various aspects of the Plan, the methods of sharing ongoing information to the larger community, the best methods to share information (i.e., computer, phone, hard copies), etc. A well thought- through communication plan appropriate to each community with the BBB strategy in mind will be the cornerstone to the ongoing collaborative efforts.

Another important process regarding pre-planning should be both the work and trust relationships amongst those who will be collectively supporting the community in their recovery. By looking at this with a BBB perspective, if there are opportunities before and throughout the planning process for the recovery team to engage with each other to become more comfortable working together, this will be valuable when the whole team needs to work together after a disaster, possibly for a lengthy amount of time.

Further Considerations Needed to Pre-Plan with BBB in Mind

Many call upon spiritual and religious leaders for support and guidance to get through difficult situations, such as recovering from a disaster. Some NGOs that offer support through volunteering or other resources have a background based on religious beliefs. This could be a help or a hindrance in BBB terms and in building a better future after recovery. Though some NGOs never use their belief systems to engage with those affected to offer resources or services, there will still be people who would not wish to receive help from these agencies. Faith and spiritual beliefs can carry people through devastating effects on their lives, but it can also be a trigger to those who have had past negative experiences with organised religions, individually or as a culture. Pre-planning for these occurrences is another important consideration for smooth project management during recovery efforts. Identifying potential conflicts or blocks to proceeding due to the above-noted issues ahead of time – perhaps through engagement and discussion with the groups in question – could be of help.

When building back better, engaging at a deeper level in the community with sensitivity and informed consideration to find a good balance will offer a greater comfort level amongst all parties.

Another aspect to be aware of includes lack of access to information, which is far more prevalent than we know. This can include lower literacy rates in various forms, such as the capacity to read or comprehend the forms needed to access help. Lack of a computer, smartphone, or easy access to the internet to receive notices regarding opportunities to affected residents are also challenges for many. Physical challenges that prevent certain individuals from reaching an office (for instance) to fill in an application form could keep them from building back better.

BBB will always be made easier after an event if planning is done beforehand with BBB in mind – particularly given the varied mix of the people, groups, businesses and infrastructure a community includes. Also, equity and accessibility to resources for all – over the long term – as part of the BBB strategy is a goal to strive for moving forward.   

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