Enhanced capacity to measure recovery
A newly developed search functionality for The National Disaster Recovery Monitoring and Evaluation Database will provide greater accessibility for recovery program design and evidence surrounding disaster recovery practices in Australia.
The database is a nationally consistent approach to evaluate disaster recovery programs and provide useful evidence for disaster recovery in the future. The resource makes knowledge gained from past assessments of recovery available to maximise positive outcomes.
The interactive database is an Australian first, with improved search functionality that allows users to identify activities, indicators and resources for effective disaster recovery. The database is available on the Knowledge Hub and supports an enhanced capacity to measure recovery.
As Australia is subject to a wide variety of natural hazards, governments and organisations are encouraged to use the framework, which can lead to better recovery programs and reduce the heavy impacts of disasters on the communities.
Governments and disaster managers can improve their subsequent recovery programs and implement learnings from past recovery evaluations for enhanced disaster resilience in Australia.
Evaluations of recovery programs are not undertaken for their own sake; they must contribute to the improvement of subsequent recovery efforts. While program evaluations are important to ensure accountability, they are also important to ensure learning takes place and is fed back into program design. The resources part of the database relies on contributions from the database users that are strongly encouraged.
The database should be used in conjunction with the National Monitoring and Evaluation Framework for Disaster Recovery Programs, which draws on best practice resources including the Community Recovery and the Lessons Management Handbooks.
To improve disaster recovery programs the framework provides:
- A common understanding of the term: ‘disaster recovery’
- A logical overview of what successful disaster recovery looks like and how it can be achieved
- An evidence base to support disaster recovery planning and evaluation
- A list of key questions that can be addressed in a disaster recovery evaluation
- A guide to source, collect and use data and how to disseminate the findings from an evaluation of disaster recovery
The updated user guide will assist the users on how to use the database, the filters and how to understand the results.