Resilience in Disaster Recovery

NREL works with federal agencies, emergency managers, community leaders, and home and business owners to deliver technologies, tools, and long-term energy solutions for each phase of disaster resilience planning and recovery.

Our technical assistance focuses on comprehensive energy solutions that address the full spectrum of multijurisdictional resilience planning—before and after disaster strikes.

Storm-damaged houses.

Preparedness and Planning

We help private industry; federal, state, and local governments; tribes; nonprofit organizations; and communities assess and plan for regionally specific vulnerabilities by providing reliable, third-party expertise on how to:

  • Improve resilience
  • Plan for secure, sustainable, and safe communities
  • Develop policies and codes that support sustainability, security, and safety.

Recovery and Rebuilding

We work with community leaders, business owners, and residents to identify ways to incorporate energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies in communities recovering from natural disasters. We identify opportunities to:

  • Incorporate energy efficiency, sustainability, and renewable energy measures into disaster recovery efforts
  • Deploy on-site technology demonstrations (e.g., emergency back-up power)
  • Design sustainable, resilient buildings.

NREL's Disaster Resilience and Recovery Projects

Greensburg, Kansas

New Jersey and New York

New Orleans, Louisiana

Publications

Energy Resilience Assessment Methodology, NREL Technical Report (2019)

Resilience Roadmap: A Collaborative Approach to Multi-Jurisdictional Resilience Planning, NREL Technical Report (2019)

Becoming Resilient: Disaster Planning and Recovery, NREL Fact Sheet (2014)

Partnerships

NREL values its partnerships for furthering research and deployment of effective resilience solutions. Our partnerships include federal agencies, states, local governments, international governments, and the private sector.

One of NREL’s longest-running partnerships is with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Through partnership agreements, NREL provides technical assistance for local implementation of resilience during disaster recovery efforts.

Learn more about partnering with NREL.

Contact

Eliza Hotchkiss

Senior Resilience Analyst and Group Manager, Resilient Systems Design and Engineering Group

Eliza.Hotchkiss@nrel.gov
303-384-7309

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