The presence of widespread contamination following a large-scale incident is likely to substantially influence recovery priorities and timelines and could restrict the affected community’s ability to effectively and efficiently achieve recovery outcomes. Widespread contamination could limit the usability of infrastructure (including housing) in the area. Property values will be drastically reduced, and property owners, who are not likely to be insured against chemical contamination (especially from a terrorist attack), will incur major financial losses from the incident and may be displaced for an extended period of time. In fact, in the incident’s aftermath, many commercial buildings and private residences may be abandoned. The community’s population may face relocation in the long-term as individuals act on fears over short- and long-term health risks.
In severe circumstances, businesses in the area may close in response to public health fears, creating both immediate and downstream economic effects. The demand for goods and services produced in the region is likely to drop dramatically, and large employers may be forced to move or close due to labor shortages, nonfunctional critical infrastructure, supply disruptions or lack of a customer base. In the long-term, state and local governments could face significantly reduced revenues due to a restricted tax base; meanwhile, they will likely struggle to find immediate financing for recovery expenditures that may be reimbursed at a later time.85 Planners and decision-makers should bear these possibilities in mind when considering recovery strategies following an incident with significant contamination issues.
Footnotes
85. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (2016, June). National Disaster Recovery Framework. 2nd ed.