Once the immediate threat of the disaster has passed, recovery efforts start. Recovery begins with assessing the damage and restoring the infrastructure and ends when the community has returned to its pre-disaster state. Recovering from a severe storm is a gradual process and can take months or even years depending on the severity of the damage.

Recovery can be broken down into the following phases:

• Disaster Assessment – includes physical, economic and social impact assessment.
• Short Term Recovery – deals with debris management, temporary housing, and restoration of infrastructure.
• Long Term Reconstruction – includes planning for and rebuilding the community, continuing mitigation and economic recovery efforts.