ABSTRACT
The definition and use of the term resilience in the field of disaster management has been criticized as being “so broad as to render it almost meaningless.” 1 Certainly there are varied applications of the term that make its meaning unclear. However, resilience is too valuable a resource for emergency management to toss it out. Rather, a careful examination of its meaning (and perceptions of its meaning) is warranted. This chapter traces the application of the term resilience to federal emergency management frameworks and explores the way resilience is understood on the local level by county emergency managers. 2 Examination of assigned meanings to the term resilience is critical to fully assessing how the strategy of resilience has developed on the local level where it is purported to make the most impact.
