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CEDR has conducted and published an extensive literature review along with a practical research brief that identifies the barriers in the disaster recovery process in the U.S. and highlights key recommendations for policymakers and practitioners. CEDR is currently conducting an empirical study to address the research gaps identified in this literature review with a focus on concrete solutions and areas for future research. 

We further developed research briefs to describe key learnings and insights from CEDR’s evidence-based community fellowship and student fellowship programs. Check back here for more publications and blog posts soon!

Strengthening Disaster Assistance for Individuals and Households: Evidence, Tensions, and a Path Forward

The frequency, impacts, and costs of disasters are increasing significantly as disaster assistance systems and the roles of institutions are being fundamentally re-envisioned. Yet, evidence to guide these policy and programmatic decision-making processes remains fragmented. To help fill this gap, we conducted a scoping literature review on disaster assistance provided to individuals and households by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Individuals and Households Program (IHP). This brief synthesizes the findings of that review, identifies key challenges, and provides evidence-based recommendations on how to improve disaster assistance to disaster-affected individuals and households. 

Ferreira, R., Awbrey, M., Davidson, T., Feliscar, L., Rathbun, H., Rose, K., Brown, C. T., Jerolleman, A., Logan, A., Guerke, M., Contillo, C., Bamba, L. A., Vermilya, J., & Buttell, F. (2026). Strengthening Disaster Assistance for Individuals and Households: Evidence, Tensions, and a Path Forward. Consortium for Emergent Disaster Resilience. https://cedrhub.org/publications/ 

Research Brief

Practitioner Perspectives on Disaster Assistance Reform: A Roadmap of Obstacles to Avoid

This report thematically explores the responses of more than 200 stakeholders and seasoned disaster professionals regarding the potential challenges that might arise by increasing state responsibility in disaster assistance for individuals and households.  In order to ensure that any potential changes to disaster assistance made going forward can improve the process rather than replicate, perpetuate, and exacerbate known issues in different and new contexts, careful consideration needs to be paid to each of these potential pitfalls raised by the disaster professionals who participated in this study.

 

Davidson, T., Brown, C. T., Rathbun, H., Jerolleman, A., Awbrey, M., Guerke, M., Leahy, C., Feliscar, L., Logan, A., Patton, N., & Ferreira, R. (2025). Practitioner perspectives on disaster assistance reform: A roadmap of obstacles to avoid. Full report—Part I of III. Consortium for Emergent Disaster Resilience. https://cedrhub.org/publications/ 

Research Brief
Executive Summary

Fostering Equitable Resilience: An Evidence-Informed Community Fellowship

This brief highlights key learnings and insights from an evidence-based community fellowship program designed to build capacity related to disaster resilience by tackling the challenge of getting funds into the hands of communities that have been left behind and small community-based organizations.

Ferreira, R., Davidson, T., Awbrey, M., Díaz, L., Leahy, C., Nuñez-Dune, C., Feliscar, L., Sullivan, Z., Glaude, M. W., & Buttell, F. (2024). Fostering equitable resilience: The development and pilot testing of an evidence-informed community fellowship. CEDR. https://cedrhub.org/publications/

Overview Brief

Barriers to Equitable Disaster Recovery: A Scoping Literature Review

Historically marginalized communities continue to face several barriers when trying to access disaster finances and resources. This scoping review aims to synthesize the existing literature in order to clarify the barriers populations, specifically Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), Latine, limited English proficiency (LEP), differently abled, and undocumented populations, face during the disaster recovery process in the United States. Members of the research team independently reviewed the literature (n = 108 articles) and used thematic analysis to find, examine, interpret, and report repeated patterns. Five main interconnected themes emerged with high inter-rater reliability throughout the analysis, which were: 1) the process is confusing and difficult to navigate; 2) exclusion from or lack of access to political power and recovery decisionmaking processes; 3) exclusion due to discrimination in its many forms; 4) issues in the funding aid ecosystem; and 5) politicians and media having an inordinate amount of control over the flow of resources and recovery processes. Findings point to a need for greater inclusion of historically marginalized populations throughout the pre-disaster planning and recovery process. These findings provide the basis for actionable recommendations for governments, relief organizations, and other stakeholders on how to address recovery barriers and meet the needs of diverse populations.
 
Ferreira, R., Davidson, T., Buttell, F., Contillo, C. M., Leddie, C., Leahy, C., Nuñez-Dune, C., Lentz, B., Simkins, M., Jerolleman, A., Eide, C., Glaude, M. W., Thomas, J., Leiva, D., Awbrey, M. L., & Friedman, R. (2024). Barriers to equitable disaster recovery: A scoping literature review. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 110, 104628. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2024.104628
Research Article

Barriers to Equitable Disaster Recovery in the United States

This research brief provides a practical review of disaster recovery literature from the last 25 years. It identifies the specific barriers to disaster recovery that vulnerable communities face in the US and highlights key recommendations and insights for policymakers and practitioners working in the disaster recovery space.

Ferreira, R., Davidson, T., Buttell, F., Contillo, C. M., Leddie, C., Leahy, C., Nuñez-Dune, C., Lentz, B., Simkins, M., Jerolleman, A., Eide, C., Glaude, M. W., Thomas, J., Leiva, D., Awbrey, M. L., & Friedman, R. (2023). Barriers to equitable disaster recovery in the United States: A research summary brief. Consortium for Emergent Disaster Resilience

Research Brief

Student Fellowship Toolkit

The Student Fellowship Toolkit provides a practical model for communities and universities to build effective partnerships through student internships that support organizational capacity. It offers step-by-step guidance for designing programs, selecting participants, and maintaining productive collaborations that benefit both students and community organizations.

Davidson, T., Ferreira, R., Sullivan, Z., Feliscar, L., & Diaz, L. (2024). A tool kit for building capacity of community organizations through university partnerships.   https://cedrhub.org/publications/

Toolkit Brief

Coming Soon

Group Concept Mapping Study

CEDR has conducted a Group Concept Mapping study comparing what different groups view as the biggest barriers to disaster recovery. Interestingly, in many ways, the perspective of the ecosystem of aid was different from that of individuals working with community-based organizations, and not always in expected ways. 

A brief on this research is coming out shortly; check back soon for updates.