ABSTRACT
The asserting of transformational leadership is to see adaptation of the organization and ultimately to sustain this adaptation. The context in which disasters occur is set through the interaction and mutually constituting process of human society and material culture, each with its own internal dynamics, interacting with nature and its own unique set of dynamics. Adaptation to a hazard denotes a long-term increase in coping capacity that can arise from a combined change in individual attitudes, behaviour, resources, infrastructure, and functions of the individuals and community. Resiliency as an agent of adaptation addresses all aspects of disasters and vulnerability. Adaptation is a proactive approach that calls for exercise of effective leadership at all levels of a jurisdiction that is impacted by a disaster incident such as a hurricane. The important insights and heuristics of Adaptive Leadership will then be applied to an after-action analysis of Hurricane Sandy as conducted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
