Overlapping environmental disasters put a strain on Gulf communities.

Recovery planning requires substantial analysis and public debate of difficult tradeoffs as decisions are made about how to encourage economic stabilization and development, how to sustain cleanup and restoration of natural systems, what cost-effective hazard mitigation strategies to implement, and how to ensure equitable and just solutions for even the most vulnerable members of affected communities. Recovery efforts need to be carefully sequenced to avoid bottlenecks, enhance efficiency, minimize frustration, and build communities more able to withstand future disasters.