So far, the media has used the term “recovery” rather lightly and incorrectly. For those of us in the disaster business the long-term recovery process has yet to begin for most of the communities affected by H. Sandy.
I think the upcoming recovery process from the wide-ranging outcomes of H. Sandy is going to be extremely difficult, and I predict it will attract the kind of attention to the existing National Disaster Recovery Framework that H. Sandy did for the National Response Plan. (The later led to the Post Katrna Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006.)
Perhaps now is finally the time for some national recovery legislation, regulations, mandates, technical assistance, and programs. The research and practitioner communities in emergency management have been trying for years to call attention to these needs.
Bill Cumming commented as follows:
Because of HAZMATS and destruction of water and sewer systems and large scale hospital evac I have analogized Hurricane Sandy to Fukishima and think that not just FEMA will be stressed but also EPA and HHS!
Related articles
- The Red Guide to Recovery Provides Free Disaster Recovery Mobile App for Hurricane Sandy Victims (FireFighterNation.com)
- Fed recovery aid decisions await Sandy’s departure (republicanherald.com)
- How a Small Business Can Recover from Hurricane Sandy and Other Natural Disasters (forbes.com)
- Long Recovery Ahead for Battered Region (WSJ)
- FEMA and H. Sandy (recoverydiva.com)
Recovery Diva 
It might be useful to brand long-term recovery as redevelopment – for one reason: the communities affected will have to take control just as they do for community development. If they don’t, they won’t fully recover (and some won’t at all!).
Interesting point. Recovery is the term long used for one of the basic element of EM and FEMA has developed programs, guidance, and policies. But redevelopment is the term for activities more familiar to local officials.