Recovery, Fast or Slow? The Cost of Post-Disaster Planning to Reduce Hazard Vulnerability

Joplin, Missouri, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, were both devastated by deadly tornadoes in 2011, but have pursued different approaches to recovery. Tuscaloosa followed the new normal path of developing a detailed recovery plan, while Joplin eschewed planning and allowed businesses and homeowners to rebuild quickly. Comparison highlights the cost of delaying rebuilding to allow recovery planning. Planning is often recommended to ensure that speedy rebuilding does not simply recreate the pre-existing vulnerabilities and lead to a repeat of the disaster in the future. An examination of long term recovery plans, however, reveals that the plans have little to do with reducing vulnerability to future tornadoes, and deal primarily with community quality of life issues. We offer some suggestions of how communities can reduce natural hazards vulnerability without the cost of a post-recovery planning process