Community Resilience System Initiative (CRSI) Steering Committee Final Report — a Roadmap to Increased Community Resilience August 2011 CRSI Community Resilience System Initiative Community Resilience System Initiative (CRSI) Steering Committee Final Report — a Roadmap to Increased Community Resilience August 2011 Developed and Convened by the This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under U.S. Department of Energy Interagency Agreement 43WT10301. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Community Resilience System Initiative Final Report • August 2011 CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .......................................................................................................................... v EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................... vii I. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 1 Community Resilience in Action ..................................................................................................... 2 Message from the Community Resilience System Initiative Steering Committee Chair ........................................................................................................................ 6 Background on the CRS and the Community Resilience System Initiative (CRSI) .................. 8 Need for a CRS ............................................................................................................................ 8 CARRI and the CRSI – Incubators of the CRS ........................................................................ 9 II. COMMUNITY RESILIENCE OVERVIEW ................................................................................... 12 Definitions ......................................................................................................................................... 12 Community Services ........................................................................................................................ 13 Visualizing Community Resilience ............................................................................................... 14 The Benefits of Community Resilience ......................................................................................... 16 III. DESCRIPTION OF THE CRS ......................................................................................................... 19 Overview of the System .................................................................................................................. 19 CRS Stages and Steps ....................................................................................................................... 20 Stage 1 – Engage Community Leadership at Large............................................................. 21 Stage 2 – Perform a Resilience Assessment .......................................................................... 22 Stage 3 – Develop a Shared Community Vision .................................................................. 23 Stage 4 – Action Planning ........................................................................................................ 24 Stage 5 – Establish a Mechanism to Implement the Plan and Sustain the Program ....................................................................................................................... 25 Stage 6 – Evaluate and Revise the Community’s Resilience Program .............................. 25 Evolution of the CRS and Measuring Resilience ......................................................................... 26 IV. OBSERVATIONS AND NEXT STEPS FOR INCREASING COMMUNITY RESILIENCE .......................................................................................................... 27 Foster Cross-Sector Collaboration for Resilience ......................................................................... 28 Strengthen Local Capacity for Greater Resilience ....................................................................... 28 Make the Business Case for Resilience .......................................................................................... 30 Continue Resilience Research Efforts ............................................................................................ 31 Promote Resilience Awareness and Education ............................................................................ 31 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................... 32 ANNEX 1. Community Resilience System Initiative (CRSI) Process Overview ............................. 33 ANNEX 2.1. Community Resilience System Initiative (CRSI): Community Leaders Work Group (CLWG) Report .................................................................................................................... 39 Attachment A. Community Resilience System Initiative – Community Leaders Work Group .............................................................................................................................. 67 Convened by iii Community Resilience System Initiative Final Report • August 2011 Attachment B. Community Functions Recommended for Assessment ................................... 71 Attachment C. Integrated CRS Process Chart (Salt Lake City Meeting) .................................. 73 ANNEX 2.2. Community Resilience System Initiative (CRSI): Resilience Benefits Work Group (RBWG) Report .................................................................................................................... 83 Attachment A. Community Resilience System Initiative – Resilience Benefits Work Group ....................................................................................................................................... 105 Attachment B. Relationship between Insurance & ISO Community Hazard Loss Mitigation Advisory Programs ............................................................................................ 109 Attachment C. Firewise Communities/USA® Recognition Program Overview ................... 111 ANNEX 2.3. Community Resilience System Initiative (CRSI): Subject Matter Working Group (SMWG) Report ................................................................................................................. 113 Attachment A: Community Resilience System Initiative – Subject Matter Working Group ....................................................................................................................................... 117 ANNEX 3. Partner Community Engagement Efforts and Outcomes............................................. 123 ANNEX 4. The Community and Regional Resilience Institute & The Community Resilience System Initiative .......................................................................................................... 139 Convened by iv Community Resilience System Initiative Final Report • August 2011 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Steering Committee gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the more than 150 people who participated in the Community Resilience System Initiative (CRSI). Over the past 15 months, representatives from community organizations; local, state, and federal government agencies; private sector companies; national associations; and research institutions have tirelessly collaborated on the development of the Community Resilience System (CRS) by providing guidance on what communities need to strengthen their resilience against disruptions and crises of all kinds (e.g., economic downturns, natural disasters, and human- induced events such as terrorism). Organized into three work groups, CRSI participants devoted time and provided feedback through in-person meetings, telephone interviews, webinars, and focused surveys. Their keen insights were provided to the Steering Committee and distilled into the core components of the CRS and this report. We also acknowledge the participation of a number of organizations that contributed significantly to this endeavor by sharing their knowledge of communities and how they operate and by providing strong representatives to participate in the Steering Committee and the work groups. Organizations such as the Center for National Policy, the International City/County Management Association, The Infrastructure Security Partnership, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the United Way, and the American Red Cross have contributed greatly by bringing their particular view of community life to the discussion. We would also like to thank the leadership and advisory groups in the Charleston Tri-County Area of South Carolina, the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, and the Memphis/Shelby County region of Tennessee who partnered with the Community and Regional Resilience Institute (CARRI) starting in 2007 and graciously shared their resilience lessons via this effort. We appreciate the leadership provided by CARRI, in particular its commitment to understand what communities truly need to become more resilient and its patience to embark upon a community-centered, collaborative approach to developing a practical solution. In the 4 years since it began working as a convenor on this topic,