MIDLANDS STATE UNIVERSITY

HME 109 M & E IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS

GROUP ASSIGNMENT
Group Assignment

(b) Using an emergency setting of your choice, critically discuss the significance of
regular and planned monitoring of disaster recovery outcomes.

Due dates: 22/03/2024

NAMES REG NUMBERS

HLEZIPHI VIVIAN MHLANGA R191903A
MELODY KATSANDE R0434851
PATIENCE TOME R239098T
LANCENE MAURUKIRA R2312431A
ESBY CHIRIMUGIRI R122507E
JOEL ZINDOGA R239363F
LANCENE MAURUKIRA R231243A
TINASHE BLESSING CHIGAMA R209570Y
CHIPO MUKANDA R225513J
FLORENCE NHERERA R2312981Q
ORIPA MAWOCHE R2312983N
The Community Recovery Handbook (2011: 17–18) defines disaster as having two key
elements: “they are unexpected, and they disrupt individuals, households, livelihoods and
communities.” These disasters vary in terms of their intensity, location, scale, and the extent to
which they are human-made or natural.

A program is a set of activities that deploy resources with the aim of achieving a specific set of
objectives and outcomes. Thus, a disaster recovery program is one that is aimed at achieving
disaster recovery. These activities are above and beyond the usual services that government
would provide to similar communities that are not affected by disasters, and specifically focused
on getting affected communities to a point where they can continue the recovery process on their
own terms.

Regular and planned monitoring of disaster recovery outcomes is important because it helps
programs to be modified to carter to emerging needs. Much focus is always put on providing
solutions to an emergency and recovery is always not thoroughly planned, even so with recovery
plans, much focus is on recovery activities and not so much on outcomes. Focusing on the
outcomes helps with a programming that is very much necessary and relevant, the needs that are
needed by the people are in cooperated into the program through this. For example, assuming
people want only shelter and food after a flood without looking at other needs such as
counseling, community building programs for sustainable and resilience. Therefore, regular and
planned monitoring of disaster is important because it helps look at the needs that the people will
need, this can help build outcome as we are delivering what is relevant and needed.

To add on, outcomes are better build by creating resilience within the community where disaster
recovery is in place. A resilient community is better able to withstand a future disaster. A
successful recovery process promotes practices that minimize the community’s risk to all hazards
and strengthens its ability to withstand and recover from future disasters, which constitutes a
community’s resiliency (FEMA 2011, National Disaster Recovery Framework, 11). An example
of disaster resilience is illustrated by the Queensland Government's response to Tropical Cyclone
Oswald, which included programs to reduce the impact of future floods on soil erosion.
The significance of regular and planned monitoring of disasters cannot be overstated in today's
world where natural and man-made disasters seem to be occurring with increasing frequency and
intensity. Monitoring of disasters is crucial for understanding their patterns, predicting their
occurrence, and ensuring timely and effective response and recovery efforts. In an emergency
setting, such as a natural disaster or a public health crisis, regular and planned monitoring of
disaster recovery outcomes is of utmost significance. The significance of regular and planned
monitoring of disaster recovery outcomes will be discussed more in detail.

One of the key reasons why regular monitoring of disasters is important is to assess the risks and
vulnerabilities of a particular region or community. By analyzing past disaster events and their
impacts, authorities can identify areas that are more prone to certain types of disasters and take
appropriate measures to mitigate those risks. This can help in better planning and preparedness
for future disasters, ultimately reducing the loss of life and property. Moreover, monitoring
generates data and evidence that can inform decision-making processes related to resource
allocation, policy formulation, and risk reduction strategies thus according to Paton et al (2006).
Comfort, (2019) argued that regular and planned monitoring fosters accountability and enhances
confidence in stakeholders by providing transparent mechanisms for evaluating the performance
of agencies and organizations involved in disaster recovery

Regular monitoring and evaluation provide valuable data and insights that inform decision-
making and policy development for future disaster management. By analyzing recovery
outcomes, stakeholders can identify successful strategies, challenges, and gaps in the recovery
process. In Zimbabwe, monitoring and evaluation of recovery efforts following the devastating
Cyclone Idai in 2019 would have generated critical information on the effectiveness of early
warning systems, evacuation procedures, infrastructure resilience, and community preparedness.
This knowledge could have informed policy adjustments, leading to more robust disaster
management plans and improved response mechanisms.

Furthermore, regular monitoring provides a means to track the progress of recovery efforts over
time. It allows stakeholders to measure the extent to which recovery milestones are being
achieved and to identify any delays or setbacks. Tracking progress is crucial for maintaining
accountability, managing expectations, and ensuring that recovery actions are on track to meet
recovery goals within the desired timeframe. Regular monitoring and evaluation enable the
assessment of progress made in disaster recovery efforts. By systematically tracking the
implementation of recovery strategies, stakeholders can measure the extent to which recovery
goals are being achieved. For example, in Zimbabwe, after the severe drought in 2019,
monitoring and evaluation would have allowed authorities to assess the effectiveness of
interventions such as emergency food distribution, water provision, and agricultural support. It
would have provided insights into the reach, impact, and timeliness of these measures,
facilitating adjustments or improvements where necessary.

Cutter et al (2008), argued that in disaster recovery, a regular and planned monitoring and
evaluation framework is put in place to ensure the programs being implemented are evaluated to
gauge their effectiveness. Monitoring allows organizations to evaluate whether the implemented
disaster recovery strategies are achieving their intended goals. By regularly assessing outcomes,
such as recovery time objectives (RTOs) and recovery point objectives (RPOs), organizations
can determine whether their systems and procedures are effectively restoring operations to pre-
disaster levels. Furthermore, regular monitoring allows for the continuous evaluation of disaster
recovery efforts to determine their effectiveness in achieving predefined goals and objectives. In
this case disaster recovery’s main focus is bringing back the community where to its usual
processes. This will help in improving the quality of evaluations, it makes it possible to improve
subsequent disaster recovery programs. The learnings obtained from these evaluations are
incorporated into program design and delivery. Regular monitoring of disaster recovery
outcomes allows for an ongoing assessment of the effectiveness of recovery efforts. It helps
evaluate whether the implemented strategies and interventions are achieving the desired
outcomes and making progress towards recovery goals. This assessment enables decision-makers
to identify successful approaches and make adjustments as needed to optimize recovery efforts.

Monitoring and evaluation promote accountability and transparency among stakeholders

involved in disaster recovery. By regularly assessing outcomes, it becomes possible to hold
responsible parties accountable for their actions or inactions. In the context of Zimbabwe
Cyclone Idai, monitoring and evaluation would have helped ensure that resources allocated for
recovery efforts were used effectively, efficiently, and equitably. It would have provided a
mechanism to identify instances of corruption, mismanagement, or neglect, fostering
transparency and public trust in the recovery process. It is also important to note that regular
monitoring of disasters is essential for holding governments and authorities accountable for their
disaster management efforts. By keeping track of disaster events and their impacts, the public
can hold decision-makers responsible for their actions and demand transparency and
accountability in disaster response and recovery operations.

Furthermore, regular monitoring of disasters can help in early warning and forecasting, which is
essential for providing timely alerts to the population and enabling them to take necessary
preventive actions. This is particularly important for natural disasters such as hurricanes,
flooding, earthquakes, and wildfires, where early warning can save lives and prevent major
damages. Berke et al. (2018), suggests that regular and planned monitoring helps in identifying
early warning signs of emerging risks or vulnerabilities that could potentially lead to future
disasters. In addition, it is through planned monitoring that recovery outcomes and incident
patterns, are closely tracked and project staff/management can proactively address underlying
issues before they escalate into full-blown crises. This is particularly important for natural
disasters such as hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes, and wildfires, where early warning can save
lives and prevent major damages. This proactive stance can significantly reduce the likelihood
and impact of future disasters. Furthermore, by assessing the outcomes of recovery efforts,
monitoring contributes to building community resilience by identifying factors that enhance or
hinder the ability to bounce back from disasters.

In addition, Quarantelli (2005) argued that systematic monitoring helps in identifying gaps,
deficiencies, and weaknesses in the disaster recovery process, enabling stakeholders to make
informed decisions for improvement. Some school of thoughts postulated that planned and
regular monitoring in disaster recovery should be participatory in nature where communities
should take a centre stage in coming up with community led strategies to disaster recovery for
sustainability purposes. Communities together with program workers should be in a position to
report on key indicators significant for progress on a particular recovery program. On the other
hand regular and planned monitoring provides implementing organization with insights into any
gaps or weaknesses in the disaster recovery plan. By analyzing the outcomes of recovery efforts,
organizations can identify areas that require improvement or adjustment. This could include
deficiencies in data backup procedures, inadequacies in communication protocols, or
shortcomings in resource allocation. Monitoring of disasters also plays a crucial role in assessing
the effectiveness of disaster response and recovery efforts. By tracking the progress of response
operations and evaluating the impact of recovery measures, authorities can identify gaps and
shortcomings in their disaster management strategies and make necessary improvements for
future events.

According to Tierney (2019), planned and regular monitoring gives stakeholders an opportunity
to track progress towards recovery goals, enabling them to adjust strategies and resource
allocation as needed. It also allows the project implementers, to review the key activities
performed against the expected outcome to be achieved, which will help identify where
expectations have not been met and discussing why and how best to approach such in future.
Moreover, Mileti (1999) had postulated that regular and planned monitoring facilitates adaptive
management, allowing organizations to respond promptly to emerging challenges and changing
circumstances during the recovery process. Furthermore, planned monitoring fosters a culture of
continuous improvement within organizations. This usually happens by regularly reviewing and
analyzing recovery outcomes, which influences organizations to implement iterative
enhancements to their disaster recovery plans. This iterative process ensures that the organization
remains responsive to emerging threats, leverages technological advancements, and incorporates
best practices in disaster management.

Monitoring outcomes provides valuable opportunities for learning and knowledge sharing. By
analyzing the results and lessons learned from recovery efforts, stakeholders can identify best
practices, successful strategies, and areas for improvement. This knowledge can be shared across
different emergency response and recovery contexts, facilitating continuous learning and
enhancing future preparedness. Monitoring and evaluation facilitate learning and adaptation in
the face of disasters. By systematically analyzing outcomes, stakeholders can identify lessons
learned and best practices, enabling continuous improvement. In the Zimbabwean context,
monitoring and evaluation of recovery outcomes would have highlighted areas where
interventions fell short or were particularly successful. This knowledge could have been used to
adapt strategies, allocate resources more effectively, and build local capacities to enhance future
disaster resilience. Waugh et al (2006) pointed out that regular monitoring promotes
organizational learning and knowledge sharing by documenting best practices, lessons learned,
and successful interventions for future reference. Furthermore, disaster recovery monitoring
enables organizations to adapt their strategies to evolving threats and circumstances. As
technologies, environments, and risks change, regular monitoring helps in assessing the
relevance and effectiveness of existing recovery plans. It allows organizations to incorporate
lessons learned from previous incidents and stay agile in their response to new challenges. One
good example will be on cost optimisation, where by monitoring data allows organizations to
learn from identified inefficiencies or redundancies in recovery processes, organizations can
streamline their operations and allocate resources more effectively. This ensures that investments
in disaster recovery are proportional to the actual risks faced and the criticality of business
functions.

Moreover, regular monitoring of disasters can help in building resilience in communities and
enhancing their adaptive capacity to cope with future disasters. By tracking trends and patterns in
disaster occurrences, authorities can develop long-term strategies and policies that focus on risk
reduction and strengthening of infrastructure and resources. Monitoring of disasters can facilitate
international cooperation and coordination in disaster management. By sharing information and
best practices with other countries, authorities can learn from each other's experiences and build
partnerships for joint response and recovery efforts in times of crisis.Regular monitoring of
disasters also helps in creating awareness and educating the public about the risks and impacts of
various types of disasters. By disseminating information and raising awareness about disaster
preparedness and response, communities can become better equipped to face disasters and
protect themselves and their loved ones. (Waugh and Streib, 2006).)

In addition, monitoring of disasters can provide valuable data and insights for research and
analysis, which can contribute to the development of innovative solutions and technologies for
disaster management. This can lead to improvements in early warning systems, response
mechanisms, and recovery strategies, ultimately enhancing the overall effectiveness of disaster
management efforts.
Monitoring outcomes in disaster recovery helps identify gaps and challenges that may hinder the
recovery process. By regularly assessing the outcomes, stakeholders can identify areas where
interventions are falling short or facing barriers. This information allows for timely adjustments
and the allocation of resources to address identified gaps, ensuring a more effective recovery.
Monitoring disaster recovery outcomes helps evaluate the allocation of resources. By assessing
the outcomes of different recovery initiatives, decision-makers can determine whether resources
are being deployed effectively and efficiently. This evaluation enables adjustments in resource
allocation to prioritize efforts that yield the most significant impact and optimize the use of
limited resources.

Regular monitoring facilitates adaptability in disaster recovery. It helps identify changing needs,
emerging challenges, and evolving priorities. By monitoring outcomes, stakeholders can modify
recovery strategies and interventions in response to new information and emerging
circumstances. This adaptability ensures that recovery efforts remain relevant and responsive to
the evolving needs of the affected population.

In conclusion, regular and planned monitoring of disaster recovery outcomes is critical for
assessing effectiveness, identifying gaps and challenges, tracking progress, evaluating resource
allocation, enhancing adaptability, engaging stakeholders, and promoting learning. By
monitoring outcomes, decision-makers can optimize recovery efforts, ensure accountability, and
foster a more effective and efficient recovery process in emergency settings. The significance of
regular and planned monitoring of disasters cannot be emphasized enough in today's world
where the threat of disasters looms large. By tracking trends, assessing risks, providing early
warning, evaluating response efforts, building resilience, promoting awareness, fostering
research, encouraging international cooperation, and ensuring accountability, monitoring of
disasters plays a vital role in enhancing disaster preparedness and management at all levels. It is
crucial for governments, authorities, communities, and individuals to prioritize monitoring of
disasters and invest in robust monitoring systems and tools to ensure timely and effective
response to future disasters.

References

Community Recovery Committees of the 2009 Victorian Bushfires, 2011, Lessons Learned by
Community Recovery Committees of the 2009 Victorian Bushfires: Advice We Offer to
Communities Impacted by Disaster, Community Recovery Committees of the 2009 Victorian
Bushfires, May, www.redcross.org.au/
files/Lessons_Learned_by_Community_Recovery_Committees_of_the_2009_Victorian_Bushfir
es_v1.0.pdf

FEMA, 2011, National Disaster Recovery Framework: Strengthening Disaster Recovery for the
Nation, September, www.fema.gov/media-library-data/20130726-1820-25045-
5325/508_ndrf.pdf

Berke, P. R., Solecki, W. D., & Levy, M. (2018). Toward a Resilience Framework for Urban
Systems. Springer.

Comfort, L. K. (2019). Designing Resilience: Preparing for Extreme Events. University of

Pittsburgh Press.

Cutter, S. L., Barnes, L., Berry, M., Burton, C., Evans, E., Tate, E., & Webb, J. (2008). A Place-
Based Model for Understanding Community Resilience to Natural Disasters. Global
Environmental Change, 18(4), 598–606.

Mileti, D. S. (1999). Disasters by Design: A Reassessment of Natural Hazards in the United

States. Joseph Henry Press.

Paton, D., & Johnston, D. (2006). Disaster Resilience: An Integrated Approach. Charles C
Thomas Publisher.

Quarantelli, E. L. (2005). A Social Science Research Agenda for the Disasters of the 21st
Century: Theoretical, Methodological, and Empirical Issues and Their Professional
Implementation. University of Delaware Disaster Research Center.
Smith, G. (2019). Disaster recovery: A critical reassessment. Journal of Emergency
Management, 18(2), 45-58

Tierney, K. J. (2019). The Social Roots of Risk: Producing Disasters, Promoting Resilience.
Stanford University Press.

UNDRR. (2019). Monitoring-and-evaluation-disaster-recovery

Waugh, W. L., & Streib, G. (2006). Collaboration and Leadership for Effective Emergency
Management. Public Administration Review, 66, 131–140.