General Planning Tips - Mitigation

After a disaster, planners should work to reduce the impact of future events. Steps like note taking and reviewing actions can help planners learn from the positive and negative outcomes of the event.

Create an After Action Report. By recording the actions and outcomes of an event in an After Action Report, planners can learn from the event. These reports might also reveal ways to improve plans and procedures created and exercised before the event. An After Action Report can be as simple as written notes or as complex as in-depth interviews and lengthy documents. Disabilities groups may have different viewpoints of the same event and could therefore assist in this process. Things that a report should contain include descriptions of the:

• Type of event
• Participants in the event
• Location where the event occurred
• Cause of the event (if known)
• Actions taken during the event
• Overall outcome of the event
• Lessons learned due to the event
• Areas that need improvement
• Next steps or recommendations

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Review plans and procedures. After an event, planners should improve plans and procedures based on lessons learned. Planners might find ways to address:

• Wait times for assistance
• Any pain and injury caused during transport
• Efficient use of resources
• Training for responders and volunteers
• Disabilities outreach

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