3 - Community Disaster Resilience

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of community resilience, with current international examples related to public health emergencies and disasters. According to the US National Health Security Strategy, resilient communities are composed of “healthy individuals, families, and communities with access to healthcare and with the knowledge and resources to know what to do to care for themselves and others in both routine and emergency situations.” In recent years, there has been a growing emphasis on the concept and advancement of community resilience. As a primary focus of the US framework for a National Health Security Strategy, it has been the subject of many publications defining the concept and exploring promising practices. Just as health security requires recognition of the interconnectedness of global systems, community disaster resilience requires recognition of social interconnectedness and collaborative community resilience building. Community disaster resilience is not attained quickly and cannot be achieved through top-down pressure. It requires the holistic approach of an “all hazards, all agencies, all people” strategy for disaster risk reduction.