Building a Framework for Post-Nuclear Accident Recovery Preparedness

More than ten years after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, many lessons have been learnt that have helped improve preparedness for nuclear emergencies and awareness of the global risks that such accidents can entail. This includes a number of long-lasting, multidimensional impacts on health (including mental health and psychosocial support), the economy, and the environment. Recovery from a nuclear or radiological accident is a long, complex and resource-intensive process. To facilitate efficient recovery, it is important to establish processes and procedures during the preparedness phase to activate the resources required and to involve the relevant stakeholders at all levels. This report addresses the need for a harmonised approach towards efficient recovery management from nuclear or radiological accidents, which aims to assist countries to develop their own national plans and procedures for post-accident recovery preparedness in a harmonised manner, through the introduction of a cyclical approach. The framework can be divided into four main phases: i) the development of a framework for recovery, ii) the definition of recovery objectives, iii) the implementation of these recovery objectives through a number of strategies to achieve and assess the recovery objectives, and iv) the evaluation of the success of these strategies and the improvement of the overall framework through feedback from exercises or lessons learned from real situations.