The Six Recovery Phases

Six phases a whole community moves through after disaster — and the emotional weight each one carries.

We built the 6R's from established disaster-management research, then shaped them for lived experience — how a community actually moves through this, not how an agency charts it. Each phase has two faces: what's happening around you, and the toll it takes inside.

This isn't a checklist, and there's no finish line. Recovery moves backward as often as forward — if you've slid back into an earlier phase, that's normal. Start wherever you actually are today.

Before it strikes

1. Readiness

The work you do before — and in the quiet between.

First 24–72 hours

2. Response

Response. The first 24–72 hours. Evacuation and immediate safety. Adrenaline is carrying you right now.

Days 2–7

3. Relief

Relief. Days 2 through 7. The outpouring arrives, donations, volunteers, hot meals. Spokane shows up.

Weeks 1–4

4. Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation. Weeks 1 through 4. Returning home, or figuring out what home looks like now. The paperwork starts.

Months 1–6

5. Recovery

Recovery. Months 1–6. The loud part is over. This is where it gets quiet.

The long game

6. Resilience

Resilience. The long game. Not 'back to normal', building back in a way that holds up better next time.