Resilience Cycle Capacity Building

Build County wide capacity to cover all components of the resilience cycle: a) prevention, b) community preparedness, c) community organizing, d) short term relief, e) long term relief f) recovery and g) rebuilding and planning, in a way that reduces vulnerability. Identify and implement the best practices for resilience cycle action, understanding that we need to always be preparing for the next disaster.

The resilience cycle is holistic and seeks to build resilience in relationship to risk of loss of property/life due to fire and other natural disasters. There are people at every place in this cycle in Santa Barbara County at all times and by building capacity through the entire Resilience Cycle, according to their place in the cycle.

Capacity building would include having 5-10 staff working on coordination at the county level and grassroots community level to organize and build capacity to implement Resilience Uplift projects. Uplift activities include risk reduction and recovery/improvement activities, to get people collaborating. For example, activities can include recovering and improving pedestrian access where community members work in partnership with each other, creating relationships, building capacity, trust, and a practice of working together. Outreach and implementation would begin in the most vulnerable communities throughout the County who are at the intersection of risk and vulnerability, where vulnerability criteria would include considerations of age, poverty, functional needs, lack of vehicle, etc. Funding is needed to pay mobilizers (multi-lingual) and provide stipends for training, as those living in poverty often can't afford to take off of work for a training. This work would build on the preparedness work of Firewise and Listos with an emphasis on the rest of the Resilience Cycle.

Status: Conceptual

Cost: High

Partners: Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade, Santa Barbara County Fire Department, Community Environmental Council

Permitting: None

Funding Sources: In addition, seek to establish a dedicated fund to pay a community based organization for outreach to certain populations where mistrust of government agencies could hinder success. If government funded, would require understanding that information on individuals cannot be shared with the County.