Coordinating Recovery for your Community

Coordinating Recovery for your Community

These resources have been developed to guide communities, local government and agencies to coordinate and plan recovery from a disaster.

The resources are applicable to different types of hazards (bushfire, flood, earthquake) and are adaptable to different community locations.

The material is underpinned by the National Principles for Disaster Recovery and draws upon the Community Recovery Handbook (AIDR 2018). 

The Local Government Association of South Australia have developed a Local Government Recovery Toolkit which is available to local government members.

The scale of the recovery effort is determined by the size of the impacts on the community. The Recovery Activation Guide is to assist with decision-making when assessing the recovery governance arrangements and resource options that might be needed after a disaster.

The main role of a Community Recovery Coordinator (CRC) initially is to set up and chair the Local Recovery Committee. The CRC provides visible and strong leadership to support the community and local organisations in managing the recovery process and has a key role in restoring confidence to the community.

For smaller events, the CRC could be a community leader, or come from the council, a community organisation or a government agency.

For larger events, the SA Premier may appoint a CRC to be the public face of the recovery operation. If appointed, the CRC acts as a conduit between the Local Recovery Committee, the community and the State Government.

The Local Recovery Committee (LRC) provides a mechanism for local leadership and community self-determination and guides decisions about recovery priorities, resource allocation and management.

The LRC, with support from the Local Government Association and the State Government, assesses the scale and consequences of the disaster, and coordinates activities to address the rebuild, restoration and rehabilitation of the social, economic, built and natural environments in the affected community.

Community Reference Groups (or action groups) may already exist in communities, have spontaneously developed following the disaster or are sub-committees of the Local Recovery Committee. It is important to include these groups in recovery planning and community development.

Here are some templates to assist the start-up of a local recovery committee.

Terms of Reference

Agenda and Minutes

Sign-in sheet

Here's a presentation for the first local recovery committee meeting to introduce the recovery process, roles and responsibilities of the LRC and tips for early recovery.

Presentation Local Recovery Committee Meeting