About Us

Natural disasters, such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita that hit the Gulf Coast in 2005, can be devastating to communities. However, despite their destruction to businesses, homes, and other buildings, natural disasters present an opportunity to rebuild—not just the way it was before the disaster, but healthier, more energy-efficient, less expensive, safer, and more livable—in short, more sustainable. Several other communities have already discovered that there can be a silver lining to disaster recovery. These cities and towns have viewed the disaster as an opportunity to modernize, improve, and redesign their communities in ways that are truly stronger and better than ever.

Operation Fresh Start is designed to empower individuals and communities as they recover from hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and other natural disasters by providing resources and tools that can help rebuild communities, businesses, and homes using sustainable principles and technologies.

Operation Fresh Start is a project of the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT). It began in 1997 with support from the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) in response to 1997 flooding in Red River, North Dakota.

NCAT continues to maintain and expand the website, offering a wide array of information that can help jump-start your community's rebuilding efforts, making it stronger, more sustainable, and more disaster-resilient than ever.

Explore this website to find examples of success stories, links to many federal and regional programs on sustainable redevelopment, proven methods for helping your community visualize its future, as well as the latest environmentally-friendly technologies and "green" building techniques.

For example, check out the Wingspread Principles, which were developed by attendees of a 1998 conference entitled "Communities in Harm's Way: A Leadership Dialogue on Designing Disaster-Resistant Settlements." The Wingspread Principles were designed to help communities and government agencies enhance sustainability in disaster-prone communities. The principles include a checklist for disaster mitigation and a policy action framework.

We welcome your feedback on how we can improve the site so that it provides you with the information you need to champion sustainable disaster recovery in your community.