Abstract: The disaster occurred, the initial response is done, and all of the news cameras have moved on to other stories of interest. A wide range of behind-the-scenes work is still done in the days, weeks, months, and even years following a major disaster. Recovery efforts focus on how to best restore, redevelop, and revitalize the health, social, economic, natural and environmental footprints of a community. The National Disaster Recovery Framework provides context on how the whole community works together to get back on its feet and rebuild stronger, smarter, and safer, the challenge is that not many community leaders nor the public are aware of what recovery looks like.  The recovery phase of disasters rarely captures the attention it deserves. It is in the recovery phase where communities can maximize risk mitigation efforts and truly build resilience for future events.

Speaker Bio: Ms. Julie Stimson is the Sedgwick County Emergency Management Director. Julie is responsible for building and sustaining disaster prevention, preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery capabilities for 21 local jurisdictions that total a population of over 500,000 people. Julie is a retired Air Force Master Sergeant with 13 years of military public health experience and seven years experience in emergency management. In her short time as the Sedgwick County Emergency Manager Director, Julie has managed three different disaster declarations: The ongoing Covid-19 response, the severe cold/deep freeze in 2021, and the April 29, 2022 Sedgwick County/Andover EF-3 tornado. 

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