Preventing Another Missed Opportunity: A Community Guide to Long-Term Disaster Recovery - Part 1

Dr. Frederick Echols provides resources and critical information needed to help people rebuild from tornadic events in May 2025

When a tornado tears through a neighborhood, it doesn’t just rip roofs off homes or snap trees in half—it unravels lives. In those first few hours and days, people are trying to find their footing: checking on loved ones, salvaging keepsakes, wondering what comes next. The urgency of those moments is real. But what often gets overlooked is what happens weeks, months, and even years later.

As someone who has worked at the local, state, and federal levels responding to disasters, I’ve seen this pattern far too often: initial support floods in, media attention peaks, and then—slowly—the help fades, but the need remains. Long after the debris is cleared, families are still struggling to rebuild homes, access food and health care, find stable housing, and deal with the trauma of what they’ve survived.

That’s why we can’t treat disaster recovery as a sprint. It’s a marathon—and every step matters. The way we respond and plan for long-term recovery shapes not just how quickly a community bounces back, but whether it bounces back stronger, safer, and more prepared for the future.

This article is meant to serve as both a call to action and a practical guide—for everyday people, community leaders, and government agencies alike. We’ll walk through what needs to happen in the critical months following a natural disaster: from documenting damage the right way, to mapping out community resources, to making sure everyone—especially our most vulnerable neighbors—can access the support they need.

If we’re serious about recovery, we have to do more than rebuild what was. We have to build what should be.

1. Accurate Damage Documentation: The Foundation for Recovery

Accurate and timely documentation of property damage is crucial for accessing federal aid. Here’s how to do it right:

Photograph Everything: Take clear photos of all damages, including structural issues, belongings, and utilities.

Keep Receipts: Save all receipts for repairs, temporary housing, and emergency purchases.

Report Promptly: Contact your insurance provider and register with FEMA at DisasterAssistance.gov or 800-621-3362.

This documentation supports Preliminary Damage Assessments (PDAs), which help determine if a Presidential disaster declaration is warranted. After the 2021 tornadoes in Kentucky, detailed damage records led to quick federal approval and millions in assistance.

2. Resource Mapping and Service Delivery Engagement

Knowing what resources exist locally is a game-changer. Communities that map assets and relationships before a crisis can deploy support faster and more effectively.

Catalog Resources: Identify local shelters, food banks, clinics, mental health providers, and transportation services.

Coordinate Early: Connect and collaborate with partners like the Red Cross, United Way, faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, Federally Qualified Health Centers and local health departments.

Use Federal Tools: FEMA’s Community Recovery Management Toolkit provides templates for resource mapping and coordination.

In Houston, post-Hurricane Harvey, coordinated service delivery through mapped assets allowed vulnerable populations to get help faster, reducing duplication and delays.

3. Mobilizing Resources: Swift and Strategic Action

Speed matters in recovery. Delays mean more suffering. Pre-established systems can help move resources quickly:

Form Local Recovery Committees: Engage and empower a diverse group to oversee strategy and implementation. Typically, this group will be lead by individuals with Emergency Management expertise.

Pre-Plan Partnerships: Establish mutual aid agreements and vendor contracts before disaster strikes.

Deploy Volunteers Thoughtfully: Use vetted lists and trained coordinators to ensure efforts meet actual needs.

Following the Joplin tornado in 2011, rapid mobilization of volunteer medical teams and housing services was possible because local leaders had pre-existing MOUs and strong agency networks.

4. Engaging the Community: Inclusive Recovery Planning

Recovery efforts should reflect the needs of the whole community, not just those who are the loudest or most visible.

Host Accessible Public Forums: Offer multiple formats, languages, and childcare so everyone can participate.

Leverage Local Media and Trusted Messengers: Engage barbershops, churches, and community centers to spread word on resources.

Build Feedback Loops: Create ways for residents to voice needs over time, not just during the initial response.

Review public health and housing data: Work with epidemiologists and data analysis specialists to review available data to ensure proper placement utilization of resources.

Inclusive engagement helped New Orleans neighborhoods like Gentilly design neighborhood recovery plans that addressed housing, safety, and health after Hurricane Katrina.

5. Leadership Accountability: Roles of Elected and Appointed Officials

Elected officials must be more than spokespeople after a disaster—they must be champions of long-term, equitable recovery.

Communicate Transparently: Provide honest updates and timelines.

Align Budgets with True Community Needs: Using available data, prioritize funding for housing, infrastructure, and wraparound services.

Institutionalize Equity: Use data to ensure marginalized populations are not overlooked.

Review and Reform Harmful Legislation: Assess current policies and regulations that may perpetuate stigma, inequity, or barriers to recovery. Implement a structured review process that evaluates the social impact of both existing and newly proposed legislation, especially on historically underserved communities.

Elected officials have both the authority and responsibility to uplift community voices and ensure legislative decisions support equitable recovery. For example, policies that require burdensome documentation for aid or overlook the needs of undocumented residents or individuals with disabilities must be re-examined and reformed. By embedding equity assessments into legislative reviews, leaders can prevent the reproduction of harm and promote lasting recovery.

One real-world example of successful legislative reform came after Hurricane Sandy in 2012. In response to widespread displacement and insurance disputes, New York State passed legislation to streamline the claims process for homeowners, prohibit unfair policy cancellations, and require more transparent communication from insurers. These laws were complemented by investments in affordable housing and rental assistance for displaced families—demonstrating how responsive legislative action can help stabilize communities and promote a just recovery.

Appointed officials, such as emergency managers, public health directors, and housing administrators, must coordinate their efforts and break silos. They hold the technical expertise to ensure plans are effective and sustainable.

6. Consequences of Inaction: The Cost of Failing to Plan

Failing to plan and implement a long-term recovery strategy can leave communities in a cycle of hardship, making them more vulnerable to future disasters.

Delayed Recovery: Without coordination, rebuilding efforts are slowed, prolonging displacement and disrupting local economies.

Resource Inequities: Communities without a plan often see uneven resource distribution, with marginalized groups bearing the brunt of service gaps.

Re-Traumatization: When support systems fall apart, survivors are left to navigate complex systems alone, exacerbating mental health impacts.

Lost Opportunities: Without forward-looking plans, communities miss chances to rebuild with resilience, leaving outdated infrastructure and weakened emergency systems in place.

After Hurricane Maria, many areas in Puerto Rico lacked comprehensive long-term strategies. As a result, years later, some communities still face power instability and limited access to medical care.

Planning is more than a bureaucratic requirement—it is a moral obligation to protect and uplift every member of the community.

7. Building Resilience: Preparing for the Future

Recovery shouldn’t aim to recreate the past. It should build a safer, healthier future.

Strengthen Infrastructure: Build or retrofit homes to withstand future storms.

Invest in Mental Health Services: Trauma lingers. Support must be ongoing.

Create Local Emergency Plans: Involve residents in crafting neighborhood-specific response protocols.

After the 2022 tornado in Mayfield, Kentucky, new zoning and storm shelter incentives helped reduce vulnerability for future storms. Communities that embrace these measures show fewer casualties and faster recoveries.

Remember, long-term recovery isn’t just about rebuilding houses, roads and other infrastructure. It’s about restoring dignity, reconnecting neighbors, and creating systems that work better the next time. It takes all of us—residents, nonprofits, businesses, faith leaders, and every level of government.

Let this moment be more than just a reaction. Use this opportunity to reset and create a stronger and more resilient community.

References:

Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2023). Community Recovery Management Toolkit. https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/recovery-resources/community-toolkit

Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2023). Community Engagement Toolkit. https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/recovery-resilience-resource-library/community-engagement-toolkit

Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2023). Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide (PAPPG). https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_pa_pappg-v5.0_012025.pdf

National Institute of Standards and Technology. (2022). Community Resilience Planning Guide for Buildings and Infrastructure Systems.

Dr. Frederick Echols, MD, is available as a subject matter expert on public health for press interviews and speaking engagements.

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About Dr. Fredrick Echols, MD

Dr. Fredrick L. Echols, MD is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Population Health and Social Justice Consulting, LLC, an Obama Foundation Global Leader, sought-after public speaker, black men’s health advocate, and accomplished physician with over 15 years of experience in public health. He has worked extensively with public and private sectors to address complex health issues through evidence-informed approaches. Dr. Echols is a graduate of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Population Health Training in Place program and the ASTHO-Morehouse School of Medicine’s Diverse Executives Leading in Public Health program.

Passionate about health and justice, Dr . Echols’ notable roles include serving as Chief Executive Officer for Cure Violence Global, Health Commissioner for the City of St. Louis, and Director of Communicable Disease and Emergency Preparedness for the St. Louis County Department of Public Health. In these roles, he oversaw public health regulations, led COVID-19 response efforts, managed daily operations, and developed strategic partnerships. Dr. Echols also served as Chief of Communicable Diseases for the Illinois Department of Public Health and as a physician in the U.S. Navy. He continues to contribute to public health research and guides health organizations globally.