Disaster recovery guide wins Resilient Australia Award

The Recovery Capitals (ReCap) project led by University of Melbourne disaster resilience researchers Professor Lisa Gibbs and Phoebe Quinn has won a 2021 Resilient Australia Award for supporting mental health and wellbeing after disasters.

The ReCap project produced evidence-based resources for people and organisations engaged in disaster recovery, including the Guide to Disaster Recovery Capitals (ReCap guide).

The ReCap guide identifies seven interconnected “capitals” of recovery – natural, social, financial, cultural, political, built and human – and can be used to support resilience in any community, before or after a disaster occurs.

The ReCap guide has been used to support recovery from bushfires, floods, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Phoebe Quinn said the prize was a great honour and was pleased to know the resources have been widely shared and used and supported by online hosting on the Phoenix Australia Disaster Mental Health Hub.

“Disaster recovery researchers and experienced practitioners worked together closely to develop these evidence-based resources so they would be engaging and useful for practitioners in supporting community mental health and wellbeing,” Quinn said.

The Resilient Australia Award celebrates, shares, and promotes initiatives that build and foster community resilience to disasters and emergencies.