Resilience Planning

Resilience planning focuses on pre-disaster preparedness. RRS helps municipalities and non-profits develop plans to manage disruptions as they happen, while putting the pieces in place to guide recoveries. These plans are activated as soon as an emergency occurs and connects leaders to the resources they need. 

 Recovery Planning

Recovery planning consists of long-term choices that are made to return the economy to normal functioning. This includes planning for new infrastructure, drawing employees back to the community, attracting customers to reopened businesses, and investing in new sectors to pivot from outdated trajectories

Economic Change

Sometimes economies change due to major employer loss or other disruptions that aren't disaster related. In these cases deeper engagement and analysis is necessary which often includes economic asset mapping, community roundtables, sector interviews, and other community-based endeavors.

Previous Projects:
Colorado Floods

Worked with 26 communities following the 2013 floods to analyze economic recovery planning capacities for future disasters. Developed a model for local resilience and recovery planning for the US Economic Development Administration. 

Previous Projects:
BC Mill Closures

Developed Community Economic Development Assessments with Clearwater, Fort St. James, and 100 Mile House following mill closures. These assessments enabled economic diversification in each community to recover and become more resilient. 

Previous Projects:
Hurricane Katrina

Managed $20MM grant and loan program for businesses across Southeast Louisiana. Developed a commercial fisheries assistance center to co-locate services for long-term recovery planning and implementation. Provided direct business technical assistance and financing.

Previous Projects:
Hurricane Harvey

Developed the Federal economic recovery plan with the US Economic Development Administration for the 60 counties impacted by the storm. This included extensive community engagement and opportunity identification for recovery investments.  

Previous Projects:
Kootenays Planning

Developed economic resilience plans for 8 Kootenay, BC communities with Selkirk College and Community Futures. This involved extensive community engagement with government, NGOs, and the business community to organize resources for future disruption.

Previous Projects:
9/11 Recovery

Designed and managed loan and business technical assistance programs for the recovery of small businesses impacted by the 9/11 terrorism attacks. This primarily focused on businesses struggling with the disruptions from long-term construction around the World Trade Center site. 

Previous Projects:
BP Oil Spill

Managed economic response and recovery operations for rural and commercial fisheries businesses impacted by the BP oil spill in Southeast Louisiana. This included recovery planning with sector leaders and impacted fishermen. 

Previous Projects:
Marathassa Oil Spill

Conducted an after-action report for the City of Vancouver following the MV Marathassa oil spill. The report focused on interviewing staff across the city to better understand how the response unfolded and how the city could be better prepared for future disaster events. 

About Us

Jeremy Stone is Executive Director of Recovery and Relief Services. He has 20 years of community economic development and disaster recovery experience throughout North America and internationally. His career has included non-profit lending to historically marginalized entrepreneurs, community economic development planning with rural and urban communities, and extensive small business technical assistance and consulting. Previously Jeremy was the Director of the SFU Community Economic Development program, Economic Development Program Manager for Ecotrust Canada, and a Peace Corps volunteer in Mongolia. He holds a BA degree in Anthropology from Reed College, a Master of Public Administration from New York University, and a PhD in Community and Regional Planning from University of British Columbia.