Response and recovery: A quantitative approach to emergency management

The last decade has shown a compelling need for a model to measure effectively how communities fare in overcoming unexpected hazards. Many entities, including the UN, have made relevant contributions in this area. However, a majority of these organizations have proposed and implemented mechanisms that only assess qualitative aspects (such as the presence and completeness of emergency plans) of the community in question, thus making assessment highly subjective and difficult to standardize. This paper presents a resiliency score framework that reflects the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recovery continuum phases and aligns with current Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) standards. The developed model includes operational and quantifiable metrics that will support the assessment of a community's recovery process by emergency management and community leaders.