Disaster Management: Mitigation and Recovery Strategies
Mitigation Strategies
Mitigation strategies in disaster management include prevention strategies, effective communication, evaluation and improving structure, and staff training—all four options listed are correct components of mitigation. 1
The four phases of disaster management (mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery) form a continuous cycle, with mitigation occurring during the "pre-impact" or normal state of communities. 1
Core Mitigation Components:
Prevention strategies and structural modifications: Retrofitting building structures is a mitigation activity that occurs before disasters to reduce future risk and impact. 1
Staff training requirements: Training health professionals and support staff is essential for disaster preparedness, though it faces challenges including competing training mandates and knowledge attrition from disuse of skills. 1 Staff must demonstrate previous experience with disaster victims and/or training in disaster research conduct, with protocols detailing plans for training staff who may be exposed to challenging situations. 1
Communication systems: Effective communication infrastructure must be established during mitigation to ensure coordination between emergency managers, researchers, and responders during actual events. 1
Evaluation and structural improvement: Continuous evaluation and improvement of strategies, physical structures, and response capabilities are fundamental mitigation activities that reduce vulnerability before disasters occur. 1
Recovery Phase Definition
Resuming normal operations is the defining characteristic of the recovery phase during a disaster. 1
Recovery Phase Activities:
Return to normalcy: The recovery phase focuses on restoring normal operations and returning the community to its pre-disaster state or better. 1
Infrastructure restoration: Informing water districts of facility needs is a recovery activity that addresses ongoing infrastructure requirements as systems are restored. 1
Activities That Belong to Other Phases:
Retrofitting building structures: This is a mitigation strategy, not a recovery activity, as it occurs during the preparedness phase to prevent future damage. 1
Evaluating and improving strategies: While evaluation occurs throughout all phases, the systematic evaluation and improvement of structures and strategies is primarily a mitigation activity conducted during the preparedness phase. 1
Critical Distinction:
The disaster management cycle has no clear boundaries between phases, and communities can occupy multiple phases simultaneously. 1 However, recovery is distinguished by its focus on restoration and return to normal operations, while mitigation focuses on prevention and risk reduction before the next event. 1
Common Pitfall:
Do not confuse post-disaster evaluation (which informs future mitigation) with recovery activities—recovery prioritizes operational restoration, while evaluation for improvement is a mitigation function that prepares for future events. 1