CollinsWoerman was contracted by the City of Seattle to create a framework for an all-hazards, post-disaster recovery plan aimed at increasing the community’s resilience to the impacts of major disasters. The framework addresses a broad range of short-term and long-term recovery issues, including major policy issues; core values, recovery plan issues, and strategies for recovery; roles for key stakeholders including government agencies, community-based organizations, and the private sector; decision-making structures and teams; and identification of best practices.

A goal of the framework is to identify strategies to engage the community at all levels, and leverage the social linkages that are crucial to helping Seattle communities adapt to the challenges faced during disaster recovery. Using these and other strategies, the framework illustrates a means for utilizing resilience science as a powerful tool for pre-disaster recovery planning and post-disaster implementation.