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Recovery

The restoring or improving of livelihoods and health, as well as economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental assets, systems and activities, of a disaster-affected community or society, aligning with the principles of sustainable development and “build back better”, to avoid or reduce future disaster risk.

Latest Recovery additions in the Knowledge Base

Exploring risk tolerance under uncertainty: workshop on a participatory risk-tolerance methodology for recovery decisions in Grindavík, Iceland thumbnail
Documents and publications

This report presents a participatory risk-tolerance methodology developed to support recovery decision-making in Grindavík, Iceland, following prolonged volcanic and seismic activity that began in 2023.

Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, the (GFDRR)
Community-led disaster recovery: A new tool to support community recovery committees thumbnail
Documents and publications

This paper presents a self-assessment tool for Community Recovery Committees in disaster-affected Australia, highlighting its usefulness in identifying governance, roles, and priorities, and recommends further testing and flexible government support.

Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience (AIDR)
Meetings and conferences
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Online
The conference aims to discuss how memories and knowledge of past disasters inform governance and policy and whether reconstruction reduces vulnerability, reproduces inequalities, or creates new risks in the context of climate change.
Understanding interestbased conflict in disaster recovery collaborations thumbnail
Documents and publications

This study examines conflict in disaster recovery collaborations in Australia, identifying psychological, procedural, and substantive interests as key drivers, and suggests reframing conflict as an opportunity to improve decision-making.

Australian Journal of Emergency Management (AIDR)
Update
Shock-Responsive Inclusive Market Systems initiative in Malawi, Zambia

An initiative by World Vision and VisionFund with catalytic support from The Coca-Cola Foundation, SIMS responds to growing climate pressures by helping protect local enterprises, markets and economic opportunity in Malawi and Zambia.

World Vision International
Vision Fund
Case study
This case study explore the 2005 Kashmir earthquake claimed the lives of over 79,000 people across Pakistan.
  • Disasters avoided
Meetings and conferences
Geneva
Online
The event will bring together operational experience and research evidence to identify practical solutions and develop recommendations for strengthening NCD preparedness and continuity of care.
An aerial view shows the Rasuwagadhi flood affecting the lower part of the riverbank, hydropower substation, and many houses in Rasuwa, Nepal, on July 08, 2025.
Kshitiz Pokharel
Repeated floods in Nepal’s mountain and hill regions made the author raise a fundamental question: should reconstruction simply restore what was lost, or should it address the changing risks that made those communities vulnerable in the first place? 
Update
Resilience starts at home in LAC

For this year’s International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, UNDP describes how risk-informed housing and land-use planning is taking shape in Cuba, Jamaica and Venezuela, in a region where 81.2 per cent of the population lives in cities.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Severely damaged by hurricane Ian mobile homes in Florida residential area
Update
Madagascar: Rapid financing helped recovery after cyclone

After Cyclone Gezani devastated Madagascar, pre-arranged financing programme, REPAIR, helped mobilize over US$15 million within seven days, supporting emergency assistance, cash-for-work activities and community-led recovery for more than 400,000 people.

Financial Protection Forum (World Bank)
Meetings and conferences
Adana
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In person
Adana, Türkiye, 3–7 May 2027. The 12th International i-Rec Conference examines how disaster memory shapes post-disaster reconstruction and vulnerability reduction, with a graduate workshop, field visits in Adana and Hatay, and student competitions.
Madagascar view of the countryside from the sky - cloudy
Update
Madagascar's rapid recovery financing

Within seven days of the government's request, the REPAIR programme mobilized more than US$15 million for Madagascar's recovery from Cyclone Gezani, funding cash-for-work for 40,000 households and assistance for more than 400,000 people.

Global Shield Financing Facility
Update
Colombia: Two lists: community censuses and the official register

Along Colombia’s San Juan River, Afro Colombian community councils documented earthquake losses house by house – but only municipal authorities can enter those households into the national register that unlocks state assistance.

The Politic
Case study
Location: Belize Dominican Republic Grenada Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Case study on the development of a replicable digital monitoring and evaluation system to track post-disaster recovery across Caribbean countries.
  • Intra Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Disaster Risk Reduction Programme (DRRP)
Case study
Location: Somalia
This case study examines Somalia’s nationally led response to the 2023 Deyr floods, including a Rapid Post-Disaster Needs Assessment, recovery planning, housing policy reform and integration of recovery priorities into national development planning.
  • Intra Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Disaster Risk Reduction Programme (DRRP)
Meetings and conferences
Kobe
Online
A high-level policy dialogue convening governments, international organizations, and partners to advance implementation of the Priority Actions to Enhance Readiness for Resilient Recovery
A vintage water pump amidst picturesque fields at sunset, capturing rural tranquility.
Research briefs
Can groundwater systems be resilient to droughts?

Team at Utrecht University developed a method to classify groundwater systems based on their ability to recover from long drought to better determine how groundwater systems recover after a drought and which groundwater reserves are most vulnerable.

Utrecht University
Children in uniforms raising hands outdoors, enjoying a fun educational activity in a park setting.
Update
Viet Nam: Helping schools prepare for future disasters

In late 2025, typhoons damaged thousands of schools in Viet Nam, disrupting learning for millions. UNESCO and the Ministry of Education and Training helped communities in Cao Bang and Lang Son restore schools and prepare for future emergencies.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Adaptive reuse of temporary community facilities in post-disaster recovery: The Kumamoto Home-for-All program thumbnail
Documents and publications

This paper examines how temporary community facilities can instead operate as longer-term recovery assets by analyzing the Kumamoto Home-for-All Reutilization Project in Japan.

Kyushu University
Buddhist monks conducting death rituals in the Trishuli Valley
Update
Nepal could show how to recover sustainably from a major disaster

After devastating floods at the Nepal-Tibet border, researchers urge recovery plans that prioritize livelihoods, local governance and Indigenous communities, while reducing future risk through equitable reconstruction, relocation and development planning.

Conversation Media Group, the
Children in Colombia colouring in COPE Disaster Champion books
Update
Kids can help after a disaster

Peek says getting involved in age-appropriate ways can help kids process the disaster they experienced or witnessed, and it shows them the power they have to make a difference.

Yale Climate Connections
Meetings and conferences
Online
A panel discussion exploring the power of lived experience in disaster recovery and how AI will be used to amplify community voices.
Update
USA: Flooded manufactured home residents face rebuilding barriers

Zoning restrictions can prevent new manufactured home parks from opening in safer locations, forcing disaster survivors to return to flood-prone areas.

Yale Climate Connections
Assessing disaster preparedness and recovery from tropical cyclones in Zimbabwe: Insights from Cyclone Ana in Nyanga thumbnail
Documents and publications

This study assesses preparedness, response and recovery following Cyclone Ana in Zimbabwe. It finds gaps in preparedness, warning communication and coordination, and calls for community-centred DRM, stronger capacity, financing and contingency planning.

International Journal of Disaster Risk Science
Volunteers work together to clean up debris after a disaster, showcasing community effort and teamwork.
Update
Nepal‑Tibet: Despite huge losses, communities are helping each other

Along the Nepal-Tibet border, the long road to recovery has only just begun. Amidst profound grief and loss, local communities are already providing support to their most vulnerable. Governments and international organisations should follow their lead.

Conversation Media Group, the
The view of yurts nomad village in Tash-Rabat in Kyrgyzstan
Salavat Baktybek
Case study of 15 households affected by Kyrgyzstan’s 2024 mudflow reveals how poverty, low insurance coverage and infrastructure gaps prolonged recovery. Residents want stronger drainage, risk reduction investments and community participation.
Update
Nepal-Tibet floods: overlapping climate crises deepen impacts

Major floods in Nepal and Sri Lanka show how disasters that strike before recovery is complete can deepen losses, weaken resilience and increase vulnerability. Experts argue that recovery progress should be measured alongside disaster risk.

Conversation Media Group, the
After a fire: Considerations for residential property soil testing and restoration thumbnail
Documents and publications

This report provides guidance for homeowners, regulators and recovery professionals on assessing soil contamination, testing requirements and safe restoration after fires.

Purdue University
Community-led co-design in disaster recovery: Enabling conditions for practice thumbnail
Documents and publications

Using a case study involving residents, First Nations communities and local organisations, this paper explores how community-led co-design was enacted in local recovery across four wildfire-affected regions in Australia.

International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction (Elsevier)
Residents’ perceptions of disaster heritage in post-disaster communities: Implications for utilization policy and the risk of community burden thumbnail
Documents and publications

This study examines how residents’ perceptions of disaster heritage influence attitudes toward its preservation.

International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction (Elsevier)
Drone captures dramatic scene of firefighters battling a blaze in Minnesota.
Julie Flore
When aerial observation is connected to field verification, engineering judgement and a clear recovery decision, it can save time, reduce avoidable exposure and make infrastructure recovery more accountable.
Update
Wildfires can contaminate nearby homes and water systems

While there are many safety concerns after a wildfire, three deserve particular attention: chemicals in surviving buildings, the safety of drinking water and whether burned lots are ready for rebuilding.

Conversation Media Group, the
Update
U.S.A.: 3 years after Maui wildfires

Latest findings from the Maui Wildfire Exposure Study found that recovery from the August 2023 blaze “is underway, but it remains uneven,” as adults and children who survived the fire show signs of the physical and mental health toll.

Maui Now
Rubble to Resource Cover
Documents and publications

This guidance presents people-centred circular approaches to rubble management and reconstruction after disasters and conflicts. It outlines practical measures to reuse and recycle rubble while supporting recovery, livelihoods and sustainable rebuilding.

United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
The perils of risk communication in a context of uncertainty: The  long dispute over contamination after the Grenfell Tower fire thumbnail
Documents and publications

This study examines post-disaster risk communication after the Grenfell Tower fire, arguing that acknowledging uncertainty, enabling inclusive risk assessment and applying precaution can help rebuild trust between authorities and affected communities.

International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction (Elsevier)
Research briefs
Sint Maarten: Post-disaster recovery

This study examined recovery needs and actions after Hurricanes Irma and Maria in Sint Maarten (2017), using a SIDS recovery framework to assess whether key sectors and recovery priorities were adequately addressed.

Deltares
Aerial picture of a flooded Texan residential area
Statements and messages
US: One year after the Texas floods, home feels further away than ever

Many in Sandy Creek remain stuck in a recovery system that wasn’t designed for them.

Grist Magazine
Training event
In person
AIDR is offering this workshop for delegates seeking a deeper exploration of disaster recovery. We welcome all interested delegates, with anticipated interest from all levels of government, community organisations, agencies and researchers.
Clearing of rubble in Syria through a donor funded project.
Feature
How UNDRR is helping Syria lay the foundation for a resilient future

Syria became one of the earliest countries to implement UNDRR's DELTA Resilience system, which will help it better understand and reduce the disaster risks it faces as it recovers from years of war.

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
Rethinking architectural education post-disaster: an analytical framework for curricular transformation after the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes thumbnail
Documents and publications

This study conducts a comparative analysis of the presence and evolution of disaster and earthquake-focused courses in Turkish public and foundation universities between 2022 and 2025.

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (Nature)
Evolution of earthquake crisis management and recovery in Italy after 2009: An expert commentary thumbnail
Documents and publications

This paper presents an expert commentary on lessons learned across five dimensions: governance, community engagement, technical assessment tools, professional mobilization, and urban reconstruction.

International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction (Elsevier)
Last updated 11 Jun 2026
On 19 September, a powerful earthquake struck Puebla, Morelos and the Greater Mexico City area. The event happened only hours after a disaster drill in commemoration of an earthquake that rocked Mexico City exactly 32 years before.
Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) Report: Cyclone Ditwah, Sri Lanka 2025 thumbnail
Documents and publications

This is a comprehensive assessment that will guide Sri Lanka's recovery and reconstruction efforts following one of the most devastating disasters in its recent history.

Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Asian Disaster Preparedness Center
World Bank, the
Man in an informal settlement in Ethiopia
Research briefs
Ethiopia: Communities use low‑cost methods to restore eroded land

Nearly a quarter of the land in Ethiopia is degraded. It has lost its quality and can no longer grow crops, support plant life, or hold water as it used to.

Conversation Media Group, the
Characterizing changes in postfire debris-flow hazard as burned areas recover thumbnail
Documents and publications

Updating post-fire debris-flow hazard thresholds with satellite-tracked vegetation recovery reduces false alarms and improves predictions for years 2 and 3 after a wildfire.

Geological Society of America, the
Towards anticipatory disaster risk financing and index insurance mechanisms for resilience building in Eastern Africa thumbnail
Documents and publications

As climate shocks escalate in frequency and severity across Eastern Africa, the chronic reliance on post-disaster emergency aid is proving too slow, too costly, and too inadequate to protect the region's most vulnerable communities.

IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Centre
Meetings and conferences
Brisbane
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In person
The 2026 Lessons Management Forum will be a hybrid event held at Brisbane Marriott Hotel, Queensland and online.
After disasters: stories from Talisay thumbnail
Educational materials

Filipinos’ ideas about how to improve disaster response and recovery. Distributed to local communities, local government partners and high schools to support teaching on DRR.

Monash University
Reformative recovery for resilience in disaster risk management: A scoping review and analytical framework thumbnail
Documents and publications

This paper advances the concept of ‘Reformative Recovery’ and proposes an analytical framework as a sense-making tool to guide interpretation of recovery dynamics by foregrounding the conditions that foster vulnerability and impede long-term resilience

International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction (Elsevier)
Two women sitting in a building being reconstructed after the Myanmar earthquake in 2025.
Mai Mya Mya Win
Financial inclusion is not only a pathway out of poverty, but also a critical tool for disaster risk reduction, as shown by a project of financial resilience for women in Myanmar.