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<br />How Does the Exercise Relate to Actual Recovery? <br /> <br />Like any exercise, this one is a selective and approximate sIlce of real experience. It <br />consists of a series of interrelated tasks that local governments almost always must face <br />after a flood. The common links are that all the tasks must be done by local government <br />and all potentially affect options for repairs and rebuilding. <br /> <br />The exercise covers many of the tasks that local officials will face during recovery. Each <br />task in the exercise is realistic in that it will probably need to be carried out after a flood, <br />but not all post-flood recovery tasks are included. For example, much of emergency <br />response is not covered. Economic and fiscal matters are only tangentially included, <br />although they certainly impact physical recovery. FEMA disaster assistance programs <br />and requirements are not fully incorporated into the exercise, mainly because it would <br />take too much exercise time to fully explain the details to the players. However, the <br />tasks are generally consistent with provisions of FEMA's National Flood Insurance <br />Program. <br /> <br />The exercise does not reflect the intense political heat surrounding recovery. Players <br />will need to imagine the political context in their community as they are working the <br />exercise. Political issues pervade every task. After floods, local governments <br />commonly enjoy a brief suspension of political rivalry. Distinctions between the <br />responsibilities of public and private agencies, federal, state, and local governments, <br />and city and county government departments may blur. Every organization and <br />person will be working together to address their common needs. But this does not last <br />long. Pre-flood political problems will soon reemerge to influence decisions about long- <br />term recovery. <br /> <br />Time is an important post-flood issue. The public may perceive that repairs and <br />rebuilding are taking too long. Anger and frustration stemming from feelings of <br />helplessness will often be vented at local public officials, particularly planners and <br />building officials, whose approvals may stand between people and their ability to repair <br />or rebuild damaged homes and businesses. <br /> <br />The exercise deals with common aspects of flood recovery; however, the unexpected <br />will happen. The failure of a flood control structure, for example, can mean rebuilding <br />an entire section of the community. Key staff people may be out of town or unable to <br />handle the pressure, or adverse weather may delay outside help. Contingencies like <br />these are part of the context of recovery. By learning as much as possible about the <br />"normal" tasks of post-flood recovery, local government staffs will be prepared to do <br />these with more ease, giving themselves a better chance of handling the "abnormal" <br />tasks effectively. <br /> <br />And finally, the exercise will give players the important advantage of forethought when <br />they face the inevitable flood, enabling them to help their communities recover and <br />rebuild quickly and effectively. Not only will they be better prepared for recovery <br />tasks, they will learn about the advantages of acting now to prevent flood damage. <br /> <br />Introduction, page 2 <br />