RESISTANCE AND RESILIENCE Some basic postulates Walter G

DISASTER RESISTANCE o Implies the ability to: n Resist the onset and impact of a disaster n Continue to function at close to normal capacity and capability n Resume normal operations with minimal disruption n Defeat the impact of the event

DISASTER RESILIENCE o Implies the ability to: n Absorb the impact of a disaster n Gracefully degrade under the impact n In such a way that we can return to normal operations with the least possible delay and the least possible dysfunction n Limit the impact of the event

PRACTICAL EXAMPLES o Resistance measures: n Levees to deal with river flooding n Building codes to protect against fire, high winds, etc. n Well developed emergency services n Cleared ground around homes to protect against wildfires

PRACTICAL EXAMPLES o Resilience measures: n Shelters and evacuation planning n Community volunteer teams such as CERT, ARES, RACES n Community disaster recovery task forces n Backup generators

POSTULATE 1 o Resistance and resilience are complimentary o Impact – resist vs. absorb o Function – continue vs. gracefully degrade o Resume operations – minimal delay vs. least possible o Defeat vs. limit

POSTULATE 2 o No community can be resistant or resilient to all hazards o May be resistant to some hazards o May be resilient when faced with other hazards o May be vulnerable to still others

POSTULATE 2 continued o The classic example – even with the best civil defence measures in the world, few communities would even meet minimal resilience criteria if they were targeted by multiple 1 -5 megaton nuclear weapons

POSTULATE 3 o Cost increases as you move from resilience to resistance o At the same time specificity may well also increase so that a specific resistance measure may have limited utility against other threats

POSTULATE 4 o There is a reasonable compromise: n plan to achieve resistance where possible against high value threats, and n achieve resilience for those we cannot reasonably resist

POSTULATE 5 o Resistance and resilience are achieved in differing programmatic phases o For a community with no recent disasters: n Resistance – mitigation and preparedness n Resilience – preparedness, response, recovery

POSTULATE 5 continued o For a community with a recent disaster: n Resistance – mitigation, preparedness, recovery n Resilience – preparedness, response, recovery

POSTULATE 6 o Effective resistance and resilience requires: n Coordinated integrated effort n Long term commitment n Partnership between government, business and industry, voluntary agencies, and the citizenry

POSTULATE 7 o The more resistant and resilient a community is: n The less the damage from a bad event. n The cheaper the disaster costs (balanced against increased emergency management costs). n The more rapid the return to normal. n The lower the rate of dysfunction in the community post disaster.