The Homeland Security Wire has an article on The contribution of social bonds to resilience in the Wake of Superstorm Sandy, published onJune 25th, that highlights the results of a recent major survey on the importance of social and community bonds in recovery from Superstorm Sandy. The survey data illustrate how important the help of friends, family, and neighbors can be in getting people back on their feet after natural disasters. These crucial social bonds are often overlooked as policy discussions tend to focus on the role that official institutions have in fostering resilience.

For the full text of this new report (17 pp), titled Resilience in the Wake of Superstorm Sandy,  go to the Assoc. Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research site. There are some very interesting findings in the report – I especially like what I consider new information presented on pages 7-14.  Among the findings was the relatively low level of appreciation for federal and state assistance.  Local responders were much more appreciated.

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Update:  This report and the account of a federal level conference on resilience, as reported by Eric Holdeman in his blog today, provide an interesting contrast in perspectives.