The health effects of a disaster last far longer than the initial impact. As the hurricane weakens, the pandemic is overcome, the aftershocks of the earthquake wane, and the wildfires are extinguished, the road to recovery starts.

The challenges of disaster recovery are often more subtle and pervasive than the problems common to emergency response. Following the lead from states, tribes, territories, and local communities to set priorities, the Division of Community Mitigation and Recovery helps communities address these challenges before they grow too significant.

ASPR’s Division of Community Mitigation and Recovery advances the nation’s ability to recover from the health and social services impacts of emergencies and disasters, leveraging existing federal health and social services programs and resources to help state and local communities recover from disasters. The Division of Community Mitigation and Recovery also promotes pre-disaster health and social services recovery planning and systematic improvements in public health emergency and disaster recovery planning and operations.