HLSS502Wk5

Resilience

The ability to recover from an a�ack and op�mize the community’s opera�ons during a disaster is part of what the concept of resilience aims to provide our communi�es. What is resilience? “Presiden�al Decision Direc�ve – 8” defines resilience as “. . . the ability to adapt to changing condi�ons and withstand and rapidly recover from disrup�on due to emergencies” (U.S. President, 2011, p. 6). This is essen�ally the same defini�on provide by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which defines resilience as the “ability to adapt to changing condi�ons and prepare for, withstand, and rapidly recover from disrup�on” (DHS, 2010a, p. 26). DHS further provides an extended defini�on resilience as the “ability of systems, infrastructures, government, business, communi�es, and individuals to resist, tolerate, absorb, recover from, prepare for, or adapt to an adverse occurrence that causes harm, destruc�on, or loss” (DHS, 2010a, p. 26). Further helping enhance these defini�ons is the observa�on that resilience is the “. . . individual, community, and system robustness, adaptability, and capacity for rapid recovery” (p. 15).

Resilience is not something that can be generated a�er an event, it is something that must be developed and planned for prior to an event. As Vidali and Hutchens (2012) observed, “. . . resilience itself needs to be defined, planned for, and developed in advance; that is, before communi�es, infrastructure or systems are compromised” (p. 368). The na�on’s vision regarding resilience is captured within the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review Report, which states:

Our vision is a Na�on that understands the hazards and risks we face; is prepared for disasters; can withstand the disrup�ons disasters may cause; can sustain social trust, economic, and other func�ons under adverse condi�ons; can manage itself effec�vely during a crisis; can recover quickly and effec�vely; and can adapt to condi�ons that have changed as a result of the event. (DHS, 2010b, p. 31)