I want to call your attention to the website of the American Planning Association, which is working on a recovery handbook to replace the excellent edition done in 1998. Recently, the APA held some planning workshops in NY and NJ, to help those recovering from Superstorm Sandy. I suggest you browse their website for more information.

One product that will go in the new handbook is a Model Pre-Disaster Recovery Ordinance.  A draft version, open for comments, is now on the APA website. This 24 page model ordinance is the work of Ken Topping and others; April 2013.

NOTE:  If anyone who participated in the APA planning workshops would like to describe the agenda and summarize the session, I would welcome that information.  I was not able to get much detail from the APA website.