United States, California and West Coast

Long-term recovery is in many ways the invisible portion of disaster relief. Following any disaster, there is always a goal of returning the community back to normal as soon as possible. This includes restoration of power, repairing critical infrastructure, and opening up businesses. Once this is accomplished, individuals and government agencies return to their day-to-day lives and activities. However, recovery seldom take a few weeks to complete; long-term recovery from a disaster can last from a few months to years. However, despite this fact, long-term recovery is seldom a hot topic among emergency managers. In examining California's emergency management system, gaps were identified that point to a lack of focus on long-term recovery, which can lead to not enough attention being paid to the unmet ...