In the immediate aftermath of a disaster, the main priority is rescuing people.

• Tools used include search and rescue teams, sniffer dogs, and thermal sensors.
• Real-world example: Post-disaster Sichuan, where survivors were found up to 20 days post-disaster, though the number was extremely low.

• The goal of rehabilitation is to restore habitability to homes and communities. This process can take a long time, sometimes over a year.
  • Real-world example: Post-2007 UK floods, many people were unable to return to their homes for a year.
• If rehabilitation is not possible, reconstruction, which involves rebuilding communities, becomes necessary. Major reconstruction projects can take up to a decade.
  • Real-world example: Post-Katrina New Orleans, where reconstruction was the only option for some residents.

Governments and aid agencies try to reduce impacts of future events through planning and development of early-warning systems.

• Real-world example: Post-2004 South Asian tsunami, an early-warning system was developed in the Indian Ocean to reduce the impacts of future tsunamis.

The Indonesian government defined rescue, rehabilitation, and reconstruction as follows post-2004 tsunami.

• Rescue: Saving people so they can survive with minimum life necessities.
• Rehabilitation: Restoring the functions of public services, which takes about one or two years.
• Reconstruction: Rebuilding public system, economic system, infrastructure, and governance functions, predicted to take two to five years.