Recovery, International

International disaster recovery is a long-term process that frequently involves local communities, local and national governments, the private sector, donor governments, and international agencies in a planned and collaborative effort to restore the health, well-being, and livelihoods of affected people.

Recovery from disaster is a specific type of disaster management activity, although it shares linkages with relief and humanitarian aid, disaster response and mitigation, and development. It also encompasses reconstruction and rehabilitation. Recovery applies to human losses, which include bereavement, injury, and psychological trauma, as well as destruction of or damage to physical assets and infrastructure, livelihoods, the built and natural environments, and intangibles such as community networks.

In recent years, the concept of phases of disaster, where mitigation is followed by preparedness, which in turn is ...