Economic Recovery Guide for Communities

Use this guide to help your community lead the economic aspects of disaster recovery. It is intended for economic development officers, local government, and business support organizations. Emergency program staff should refer to the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness local community recovery for broader recovery resources.

In this guide

• Introduction
• Step 1: Confirm your role in the recovery process
• Step 2: Activate your economic recovery team
• Step 3: Assess economic impacts
• Step 4: Communicate with the businesses community
• Step 5: Document and debrief
• Need help

Introduction

The economic recovery guide supports economic development professionals in strengthening the community's economic recovery from disaster events. It complements broader emergency preparedness efforts by focusing specifically on the economic aspects of resilience.

This guide helps communities prepare for, adapt to, and reduce the impacts of economic disruptions by:

• Offering practical steps and proactive approaches to build economic resilience
• Identifying key roles, responsibilities, and coordination strategies
• Connecting users with tools, service providers, and planning resources
• Encouraging integration of economic preparedness into broader community planning

While emergency coordinators work directly with the Province on disaster response and recovery, this guide is designed for those focused on the economic well-being of their communities.

Step 1: Confirm your role in the recovery process

Economic recovery is one part of a broader community recovery effort. Clarify your role early to ensure coordination and avoid duplication.

• Connect with the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) if activated
• Identify who is leading overall recovery and how economic recovery fits in
• Confirm your mandate and capacity to support businesses and economic priorities

Step 2:  Activate your economic recovery team

If your community has an economic response plan, activate it. If not, quickly assemble a team.

• Include representatives from local government, Community Futures, chambers of commerce, and key sectors
• Assign roles such as business liaison and local government liaison
• Meet regularly to coordinate actions and share updates

Step 3: Assess economic impacts

Understanding the scale and nature of the disruption is essential for effective recovery planning.

• Engage with businesses to understand current and potential future impacts
• Identify affected sectors, employers, and infrastructure
• Track closures, layoffs, and supply chain disruptions
• Use this data to inform funding requests and support programs

Step 4: Communicate with the business community

Clear, consistent communication builds trust and ensures businesses know where to turn for help.

• Share updates through email lists, social media, and local media
• Provide a central contact point or community resiliency centre
• Coordinate messaging with emergency management and local government
• Promote insurance as the first step in financial recovery
• Share information about Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA) only if the event is declared DFA eligible and if losses are uninsurable
• Refer businesses to Community Futures, WorkBC, and other support organizations

Step 5: Document and debrief

Capturing what worked and what didn’t. This helps.

• Hold a debrief with your economic recovery team and partners
• Document key actions, gaps, and recommendations
• Update your economic response plan and share findings with council and stakeholders
• Share findings with key stakeholders, partners, provincial government, and others

Need some help?

Contact us with questions or feedback. We're here to help!

Send an email to:  EconomicRecovery@gov.bc.ca