Community-led disaster recovery: a new tool to support community recovery committees

This paper presents the development and pilot testing of a self-assessment tool designed for Community Recovery Committees (CRCs) in disaster-affected communities across Australia. The research was conducted in two phases: first, identifying evidence and challenges from literature, interviews, and case studies; second, piloting the tool with four CRCs representing diverse locations and disaster exposures (fire and flood). Workshops with CRC members used the tool, structured around formation and scope, governance and decision-making, and stakeholder engagement, to facilitate group discussion and identify areas of agreement and disagreement. The project reference group, comprised of people experienced in CRCs and recovery work, contributed to tool refinement.

Key findings highlight substantial heterogeneity between and within CRCs regarding their formation, governance, scope, and stakeholder engagement. The self-assessment tool was seen as highly useful for uncovering disagreements and enabling constructive discussion. Participants endorsed the tool’s flexible and structured approach. The authors recommend wider dissemination and further testing of the tool, emphasizing the need for governments and agencies to support CRCs with flexible, context-specific approaches rather than predetermined models. The paper underscores that government actions directly influence CRCs’ roles and that understanding community context is vital to successful community-led disaster recovery.