Institutional development and scale matching in disaster response management

Recent large scale disasters have challenged institutions improve the effectiveness of their emergency response strategies. During the 2005 Katrina flood disaster in the United States institutions utilized different emergency response strategies with varying degrees of success. In this paper we consider the case of the Katrina hurricane to identify successful strategies that enable institutions to respond effectively and at the appropriate scale. The importance of cross-scale linkages matched to the size and needs of the disaster is discussed as a central component of socio-ecological resilience. A general strategy of adaptive management is proposed that emphasizes the importance of participatory planning with institutional actors where both initial response organizations, as well as institutions involved in longer term recovery are involved in emergency response exercises. Institutions should develop linkages that promote legitimacy, trust and the development of social capital that facilitates integrated and coordinated emergency response. The paper concludes by noting that new threats will require increased coordination, higher levels of institutional flexibility, and greater attention to issues of connectivity in disaster response management.