Interagency Recovery Coordination Case Studies

Mountains over a week, in an area that typically receives 14 inches of precipitation annually. That rain landed on the tens of thousands of mountainous acres that drain into the St. Vrain watershed, at the base of which sits the town of Lyons (population 2,035).

On September 9, 2013, a major storm front stalled over Colorado, dumping a record-breaking 18 inches of rain across the Rocky Mountains over a week, in an area that typically receives 14 inches of precipitation annually. That rain landed on the tens of thousands of mountainous acres that drain into the St. Vrain watershed, at the base of which sits the town of Lyons (population 2,035).

On September 9, 2013, a major storm front stalled over Colorado, dumping a record-breaking 18 inches of rain across the Rocky Mountains over a week, in an area that typically receives 14 inches of precipitation annually. That rain landed on the tens of thousands of mountainous acres that drain into the St. Vrain watershed, at the base of which sits the town of Lyons (population 2,035).

Examine the outcomes of leveraging data-driven assessments and technical assistance from the Community Planning and Capacity Building (CPCB) Recovery Support Function (RSF) to empower underserved communities in Puerto Rico to recover.

The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA) was facing possibly the biggest challenge of its 25-year existence in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan in September 2004.

In 2017, Santa Rosa was ravaged by the Tubbs Fire, part of a series of fast-moving wildfires that spread across Northern California. To better plan for and reduce the risk of future wildfires, the city decided to integrate its community wildfire protection plan and local hazard mitigation plan. The community wildfire protection plan annex builds on the local mitigation plan by providing more detailed, site-specific wildfire assessments and an action plan for mitigating wildfire risk. The city developed the plan through collaborating with local and state officials, private stakeholders and federal agencies.

The city of Nashua used the hazard mitigation planning process to launch a larger effort focused on long-term community resilience. The Resilient Nashua Initiative used city staff across all aspects of government, from public works to public health to the conservation commission. The city also partnered with other organizations.

Learning Objective: Analyze how a tribe used creativity, perseverance, and a long-term mindset to manage and build resilience through a challenging wildfire and flood recovery.

Learning Objective: Examine how a tribal government with limited prior disaster management experience embraced a collaborative approach after a devastating fire and subsequent floods to successfully build back better.

Coalition Building Through Natural Boundaries

Learning Objective: Examine the cross-agency partnerships, projects, and innovative financial management strategies employed in Colorado to rebuild and restore the natural flood mitigation benefits of regional watersheds

Illinois 2012 Tornadoes

Learning Objective: Examine how the State of Illinois was able to re-prioritize existing funding and resources to meet the recovery needs of communities following a string of severe tornadoes in 2012 that did not meet Presidential disaster dec

Hurricane Sandy, 2012

Learning Objective: Examine a regional approach used to improve infrastructure resilience following a major hurricane and analyze its impacts on regional recovery and FEMA’s steady-state interagency coordination practices. 

Galena, Alaska - Flood Recovery

Learning Objective: Share the steps taken and lessons learned by a rural community in central Alaska to integrate resilience into rebuilding efforts and be better prepared for future flood events.

Glaena, Alaska - Flood Recovery

Learning Objective: Discuss the benefits of a non-traditional recovery project in a rural, remote location and analyze how this community-building project contributed to overall resilience for the Galena community.

Galena, Alaska - Flood Recovery

Learning Objective: Analyze the decision-making process utilized in Galena post-disaster to institute a sustainable and efficient energy generation project during the community’s recovery period from a devastating flood.

Hurricane Irma Recovery in Florida

Learning Objective: Review and analyze the community-focused coordination approach the state of Florida utilized to improve collaboration and expedite recovery efforts following Hurricane Irma.

Ellicott City, 2016 - Flash Flooding Recovery

Learning Objective: Evaluate the impact that pre-disaster planning and community participation had on shaping economic recovery after a dangerous flood in a historic city.

Coordinating Federal Resources for a Non-Stafford Act Event

Learning Objective: Examine the collaborative federal interagency assistance initiative in Connecticut to address a non-declared emergency event: crumbling concrete foundations in thousands of residential ho

Learning Objective: Analyze the methods used by the State of Colorado to manage disaster recovery and unite local leaders after the 2013 flood event.

Examine how Arizona applied its Disaster Recovery Framework to leverage federal and philanthropic resources to recover from a complex, non-declared wildfire disaster that devastated a small community in 2013.