Section 1.0 
Introduction 

1 
Section 1.0 

Introduction 

This document provides guidance to the Federal Emergency Management Agency 

(FEMA) Sustainability Planner in the post-disaster response and recovery process. 

State emergency management officials, local jurisdictions, and other FEMA staff may 

also use it as a reference during nondisaster time. 

What is the role of the Sustainability Planner? 

The Sustainability Planner acts as a catalyst for sustainability and promotes a 

sustainable redevelopment component into the overall reconstruction effort. The 

Sustainability Planner evaluates opportunities for implementing sustainable 

redevelopment, presents these findings, and helps to build consensus on the 

appropriate level of effort to be pursued by FEMA, other Federal agencies (OFAs), state 

and local agencies, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). 

The “clients” of Sustainability Planners are the affected local jurisdictions in the 

disaster declaration area. The client may be an incorporated village, town, or city; in 

some disasters, a sustainability initiative may involve townships, counties, or even 

regional or multijurisdictional levels of government. In essence, the Sustainability 

Planner is an advocate for these communities and helps them identify opportunities for 

building a disaster-resistant and sustainable future. 

The Sustainability Planner facilitates and supports community-based planning 

initiatives; he or she does not dictate solutions. Like hazard mitigation, sustainability is 

ultimately a local responsibility and prerogative. The Sustainability Planner presents 

information on opportunities, resources, and 

potential technical assistance; the community 

Post-Disaster Sustainability Mission Statement: To promote and determines what will work best. 

facilitate sustainable redevelopment at the local level by As the sustainability mission statement 

integrating the principles and practices of sustainable implies, the effectiveness of a Sustainability 

development into the broader goals of the post-disaster recovery Planner has as much to do with people skills 

process. This is accomplished in partnership with the state and as with technical planning knowledge. 

in coordination with OFAs, local agencies, and NGOs. Section 2 provides valuable suggestions on 

networking with the Disaster Field Office 
(DFO) staff, government officials, and the 

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Introduction 

general public. Communities will be more willing to accept the concepts of sustainable 
redevelopment if they receive a well thought-out message and are made to feel part of 
the process. The Sustainability Planner should be perceived as an advocate for the 
community’s long-term recovery needs, not as someone who is promoting a Federal 
initiative. The Sustainability Planner must be able to place issues within the citizen’s 
reach – move issues out of the abstract, and present them as tangible and practical 
alternatives. Understanding community needs and future vision is central to creating 
an opportunity for sustainability. 

The goal of the sustainability initiative is to reduce the potential for disaster losses 

and to help communities realize opportunities to implement sustainable redevelopment 

during the recovery process. Although the goals and responsibilities of the 

Sustainability Planner are in many ways similar to FEMA’s overall hazard mitigation 

goal, it is necessary to draw some distinctions. The Sustainability Planner focuses on 

developing comprehensive, long-term planning solutions and identifying opportunities 

to incorporate sustainable and livable community objectives. The mitigation specialist 

focuses on specific structural or nonstructural mitigation measures, such as buy-out or 

elevation of structures, National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) compliance, 

building code enforcement, flood protection measures, and seismic and wind retrofit. 

The Sustainability Planner is more involved with comprehensive plans, zoning and 

subdivision regulations, and watershed and basin planning initiatives. The 

Sustainability Planner and the mitigation specialist are partners in building more 

disaster-resistant and sustainable communities, and their respective areas of emphasis 

complement each other. 

FEMA’s sustainability initiative began formally in November 1998 when the 

Associate Director for Mitigation encouraged Regional Directors to set up a sustainable 

redevelopment function in DFOs (see Appendix I). The Associate Director proposed 

the establishment of a sustainability desk as part of the mitigation function in DFOs 

and/or Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs). Two pilot efforts were undertaken in Ohio 

To achieve the goals of the sustainability mission statement, the primary 
responsibilities of the Sustainability Planner are to: 

• Provide the disaster-affected community with information, contacts, 
resources, and technical assistance on the principles and practices of 
sustainable redevelopment through DFO operations. 
• Publicize sustainable redevelopment during the critical window of
opportunity to introduce new approaches to disaster recovery.
• Challenge the disaster recovery team to identify new opportunities to 
implement sustainable redevelopment during the early recovery phase of 
operations. 
• Obtain useful information and “lessons learned” that will contribute to the 
development of policy and procedures for sustainable redevelopment during 
disaster recovery. 
• Follow through from the Regional Office on sustainability efforts
undertaken at the DFO.
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Introduction 

and West Virginia flood declarations (FEMA-DR-1227-OH and FEMA-DR-1229-WV). 
This guide reflects some of the lessons learned from these and other early efforts and 
serves to launch this initiative on a nationwide basis. 

What is sustainability and sustainable redevelopment? 

Sustainability means many things to many people. What will you say when 
someone asks, “What is sustainability?” You might reply that it is the melding of 
environmental, economic, and societal values to ensure that the needs of the present are 
met without compromising the needs of future generations. When you associate this 
terminology with your responsibilities related to disaster operations and recovery 
activities, you may focus on building and rebuilding smarter—reducing the potential 
for future disaster impacts and the associated economic and societal effects of such 
losses. To someone else, sustainability may relate to improving the energy efficiency of a 
transportation network or improving crop yield while reducing water and pesticide 
usage. You will find a number of definitions of sustainability in this guide; this is to 
illustrate the broad scope of the concept and stimulate your own thinking on the 
subject. The theme common to all the definitions is the goal of balancing 
environmental, economic, and social values. 

In its broadest context, sustainable development “meets the needs of the present 
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” This 
definition was established by the World Commission on Environment and 
Development (the Brundtland Commission) in 1987. Essentially, sustainability means 
that decisions made today should not reduce the options of future generations, but pass 
on to them a natural, economic, and social environment that provides a high quality of 
life. 

Sustainable communities make more efficient use of their land. They emphasize 
open space planning where appropriate by promoting greenways, parks, and 
landscaping. The effective use of open space can prevent development from 
encroaching upon floodplains, active fault zones, and other hazard areas. Sustainable 
communities also take advantage of underutilized urban areas and encourage infill and 
“brownfield” development. Energy and resource conservation are high priorities. 
Emphasis is placed on public transit and creating mixed-use environments that are less 
dependent on automobiles. 

An essential characteristic of a sustainable community is its resilience to natural 
disasters. The term “sustainable redevelopment” refers to applying the concepts and 
practices of sustainable development to the disaster recovery process. The post-disaster 
environment presents a unique opportunity to implement sustainability initiatives and 
to increase the quality of the built environment. If reconstruction is a major element of 
the recovery process, affected communities are presented with an opportunity to 
address such issues as the compatibility of development with the environment and 
natural hazards, the use of renewable resources, and improved community planning 
and physical design. 

This guidance is designed to provide you with the basic tools to focus sustainable 
efforts following a major disaster. It is the second in a series of guides to help 
implement sustainability. The first document—Planning for a Sustainable Future: 
The Link Between Hazard Mitigation and Livability—is primarily intended to show 

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communities how the goal of disaster resilience can be a catalyst, both in planning for 
disasters and recovering from them, to help achieve a sustainable future. It is one of 
your most important tools in promoting sustainability. This companion guide develops 
these themes into detailed practical guidance for the Sustainability Planner. 

Why is FEMA involved with sustainability issues? 
nThe Federal Government allocates significant resources to help 
communities recover from natural disasters. 
nRecovery from natural disasters (FEMA’s primary mission) 
presents a unique opportunity to consider alternatives to the 
damage-rebuild-damage cycle. 
nRepetitive disaster losses diminish our country’s quality of life 
and divert resources that could be better used to address other 
national economic and social objectives. 
nBy partnering with other public agencies, businesses, and private 
citizens, we can save lives, lessen vulnerability to disasters, and 
help make communities more livable. 
nBy identifying potential sustainability resources, we can promote 
actions that will enable communities to move toward a 
sustainable future. 
How can this guide help implement 
sustainability? 

The extent to which a sustainability 

initiative can be integrated into the 

recovery effort is dependent on the nature 

and scope of the disaster and, more 

importantly, on the willingness and 

capabilities of local communities to 

undertake such an initiative. Providing 

leadership and appropriate, timely 

information to communities in the midst 

of a recovery effort is vital to 

implementing sustainability. Although 

this guidance is specifically directed to the 

Sustainability Planner, it contains 

information of value to state and local 

officials who may be involved in 

implementing sustainability initiatives. 

Many of the sustainability tools, programs, and resources described in Section 5 and the 

Appendices are directly applicable to local jurisdictions (e.g., the PowerPoint 

presentation, key references, and information on websites). 
The guide is organized as follows: 

• Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) (Section 2) – The SOP is likely to be 
familiar to FEMA disaster staff. It delineates the responsibilities of the 
Sustainability Planner. Section 2 is organized around the four major phases of 
the disaster recovery process—readiness, predeployment, deployment, and 
transition/standdown. It includes checklists of activities, identifies key players in 
implementing sustainable initiatives, and lays out a plan of action within the 
DFO environment. 
• Focus on the Community (Section 3) – This section provides information on 
what motivates communities to take action and outlines techniques for 
maximizing public involvement in the sustainability initiative. This section also 
includes a discussion on the elements of sustainability that may be applicable in 
a disaster recovery setting. 
• Sustainability by Hazard Type (Section 4) – This section provides suggestions 
for implementing sustainability by each of the major types of natural hazards. 
• Eighteen Sustainability Tools and Programs (Section 5) – This section describes 
a broad range of FEMA programs, key reference documents, and other tools 
that can be used to implement sustainable redevelopment initiatives. 
• The appendices include a glossary, commonly used acronyms, a listing of 
sustainable development websites, and a recommended reading list. Appendix E 
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– Federal Technical Assistance and Funding Matrix – provides a concise guide
to Federal resources that can be applied to sustainable redevelopment initiatives.
Appendix K – Quotable Material on Sustainability includes vision statements,
principles, and quotes that can be woven into targeted community outreach
materials.
Succeeding in Sustainability 

To make the most of this guide, it is important to keep in mind that the 
sustainability initiative is a key element of FEMA’s strategy to change the way America 
thinks about disasters. Its success depends on the proactive leadership of an 
interdisciplinary recovery team rather than traditional program management. The 
Sustainability Planner must seek innovative approaches to matching Federal programs 
with community needs and objectives. 

Making sustainability a reality is best achieved through a collaborative effort of 
public agencies, the private sector, and key community leaders. The full range of 
benefits to the environment, cultural resources, and economic prosperity must be 
understood and the information shared with decision-makers and the public. As the 
Sustainability Planner, you must be flexible and adaptable in recommending 
approaches. The affected communities then determine how best to integrate 
sustainable development concepts into their overall reconstruction effort. By helping a 
community reduce its vulnerability to disasters, you assist it in taking one of the most 
significant steps toward sustainability. 

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