Private Sector, Role in Recovery

Populations are growing at an increasing rate around the world, and becoming denser in urban and suburban population centers within known hazard zones. This results in each disaster impacting ever-larger populations, while local emergency management (EM) and first responders are becoming responsible for increasing numbers of people in their jurisdictions. The desire to limit taxes and local government costs makes a partnership between the public and private sectors inevitable, but opens the question of the role of the private sector in recovery.

The private sector plays a vital role in both response and recovery for disasters, and must be partners with local EM in all planning processes so they can act in unison for the protection of the community, of which they are both members.