Economic Development Recovery and Resiliency Playbook - Flipbook - Page 73
Stakeholder Preparedness Review (SPR). This assessment lays the
foundation for determining a community’s ability to respond to and recover
from the identified hazards. A key step for improving resilience to disasters, it
addresses not only the risks, but also the community’s current capability to
respond to and recover from the impact of those risks. The capability level
of the community is determined through an SPR, where a community uses
the targets outlined in its THIRA to identify its current capability, and how
that capability may or may not have changed over the past year.89 If gaps are
identified, this planning process provides a roadmap for the community’s
work to improve community resilience through hazard mitigation planning,
which is briefly discussed later in this section along with other national
planning eforts to increase capability and resiliency at the local, state, and
federal levels.
Vulnerable Population Clusters. As an assessment of the community is
conducted, it is important is to identify any clusters of vulnerable populations.
This helps identify strategies to increase their access to community resources
that improve their resilience to disasters and supports their ability to recover
from a disaster.
As discussed in the City of Santa Rosa’s Community Wildfire Protection
Plan,90 vulnerable populations are typically less able to respond to, cope
with, and recover from a wildfire and are less likely to become involved in
wildfire mitigation activities. Groups of people who are generally considered
vulnerable can include:
• Elderly individuals or individuals with any physical and mental
impairments that restrict mobility or access;
• Racial clusters in communities that can lead to a disproportionate
distribution of wealth, resources, and opportunity;
• Populations with limited financial resources that can hinder their ability
to invest in emergency preparedness or recover from disaster-related
losses; and
• Groupings of diverse languages, which can result in communication
barriers to understanding the vulnerabilities in the community or how
to access post-disaster services to aid in recovery.
These vulnerable groups are ofen found in clusters throughout the
community, and it is important to not only identify where they are located
but also to factor their unique vulnerabilities into planning for economic
recovery. Resources that can assist in identifying these groupings can include
agencies such as the local health and human services agency or its equivalent.
This aids in economic recovery by ensuring there is equitable distribution of
support and resources and increasing the resiliency of the most vulnerable
populations in the community.
Identifying Geographic
Vulnerabilities: A Summary
Threat and Hazard Identification and
Risk Assessment (THIRA): This threestep risk assessment process identifies the
existing geographic hazards.
Stakeholder Preparedness Review (SPR):
This process addresses not only the risks,
but also the community’s current capability
to respond to and recover from the impact of
those risks.
Vulnerable Population Clusters: Identify
ing any clusters of vulnerable populations
helps identify strategies to increase their
access to community resources that improve
their resilience to disasters and supports
their ability to recover from a disaster.
Utilities/Transportation Availability: The
ability to quickly restore critical services to a
community can have a lasting impact on its
economic recovery. Assess the infrastructure
from multiple perspectives.
Economic Vitality: A community’s natural
geography and land use planning can have
an impact on economic recovery. The CEDS
planning process can be a helpful tool.
Natural Disasters: It is important to
understand a community’s past experiences
with disasters as well as the potential risk
from future disasters.
Climate Change: Climate-based risks and
vulnerabilities cannot be assessed without
factoring in the impact of climate change.
As an assessment of the community is conducted, it is important is to identify any clusters of
vulnerable populations.
89
90
https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/risk-management/risk-capability-assessment
https://srcity.org/3114/Community-Wildfire-Protection-Plan
65
