Why Community Resilience Is Our Future for Survival

At a time when the globe appears unstable, the quality of resilience is arguably more vital than ever before. Natural disasters of the kind detailed elsewhere in this issue—hurricanes, wildfires, and floods—are part of the clear, present, and hazardous challenge to survival in that they threaten our very existence and the stability of the physical world around us. But then again, how we weather human-made political, economic, or social storms is just as critical. Looming over all of these developments is the loss of trust in the institutions that are or should be retaining the social fabric.

Resilience: More Than Just Disaster Preparedness

We often portray resilience as a quality necessary to withstand a storm or an earthquake. But community resilience, the kind we are attempting to actualize here in Minnesota, is about something far greater than that. It is about the construction of systems, relationships, and capacities that can withstand any disruption—be it a supply chain breakdown, a public health emergency, or a political revolt that shuts down essential services.

Resilience means ensuring that food, shelter, healthcare, and accurate information are available to people. It’s about ensuring networks can step in when the official systems are overwhelmed—or when they fail altogether.

The Political Dimension

Right now, our political climate is in a state of turmoil. Policy and governance debates are not just the stuff of think tanks and of the privileged few who have the time to pay strict attention to the political discourse of the day. These debates are impacting the funding of local14 services. They are making disaster responses better or worse. They are directly dictating the quality and quantity of "social safety nets" that economists and social policy experts will tell you are more needed now than ever— and that local communities cannot assume that state or federal systems will supply in good faith or on time.

We create a cushion of certitude against uncertainty by attempting to organize, one way or another, at the local level. This is not about left or right; it is about doing what a community has to do when outside systems flounder. And it is about doing what we can to stop that floundering from happening in the first place. Whether it is done through neighborhood councils or some other means, local organizing creates a community that looks out for itself.

Centering Disability and Equity in Resilience

A community can be no stronger than its weakest members. This is why we must put the needs of people with disabilities, older adults, marginalized communities, and those living in poverty at the center—not the margins—of our resilience strategies.

If we serve those at the bottom of the socioeconomic pyramid, we inevitably set in motion strategies that build resilience for all.

Those with disabilities often carry the disproportionate burden of risk and hardship in disaster situations. This stems from several potential issues, including these top three: inaccessible evacuation routes, communication barriers, and inadequate shelter accommodations. Disasters affect marginalized communities even more severely. The slower pathways of neglected, systemic recovery can undo the appearance of help that a disaster itself might be seen to generate. The inefficacy of those pathways affects everyone; it is an operational weakness that makes all of us more vulnerable.

A resilient system can absorb change and disturbance while still being able to organize itself in the way it needs to. Inclusive resilience means that all parts of a given system—groups of people, both inside and outside the system, and their diverse cultures and identities—are involved in that system's ability to absorb change, whether that change is a planned event (like a system upgrade) or an unplanned disturbance (like an earthquake). A resilient system is one whose "force field" stretches around all parts of that system and all the people inside it, allowing them to make contact with the people outside it, too.

Communication that is easy for everyone to understand – Information is in many different forms and formats (captioning, ASL, plain language, many spoken languages, good screen reader compatibility).

Equal Infrastructure – makes everything from shelters to public transportation to outdoor public spaces usable by all.

Planning with People – Having people from vulnerable groups involved in making the decisions that will affect their lives.

Key Resources – Aid distribution systems that guarantee first to those most in danger, not last, what they need.

Planning for those most at risk means creating a system that is better for all. It is an "equity" approach to planning.

The Building Blocks of a Resilient Community

Being connected means having strong relationships and being able to trust your neighbors, organizations, and local government.

Collective Intelligence – Everyone has the opportunity to comprehensively and accurately inform the public before, during, and after a crisis. A crisis necessitates rapid resolution and communication. Therefore, all of society must be capable of momentarily embodying the essence of a public safety officer—a public health officer, in this instance. Every individual must contribute to the provision of clear, rational, and life-saving information to their fellow citizens. To accomplish this, all of society must work together in pre-existing, well-practiced partnerships across all relevant domains.

Food, water, medical care, and communication resource networks that can function independently when necessary.

Expertise and Education – Residents who are knowledgeable about local issues, from historical research to the current state of affairs.

Equitable Planning – All voices are heard, and all communities are considered.

Why Now

We're living in an age where intensified disasters due to climate change, global events in the supply chain, and political turmoil can shift the ground beneath us overnight, and this is our daily reality. The idea that we're waiting for someone to fix it for us is no longer tenable. The communities that will thrive in the future are those that can cooperate and take action together.

Resilience in communities isn’t just about getting through the next big storm. It’s about constructing a society where everyone gets the help they need and no one is left alone in a crisis. It’s about neighbors being there for one another, and it’s about weaving an ‘all on the same team’ ethos throughout communities. And I think it’s about mischief—cultures of preparedness blossoming where they haven’t yet.

Investing in resilience now, particularly resilience that is inclusive, accessible, and equitable, ensures a future where survival is not just likely, but sustainable.