When disaster strikes, communities often respond with extraordinary care and coordination. But what if we carried that clarity and cooperation into everyday systems? In this session, we’ll explore how disaster response can evolve into a more permanent infrastructure of resilience—led by those closest to the work. Drawing from the story of the Greater Houston Disaster Alliance and other local efforts, we’ll explore what it looks like to shift from emergency response to proactive, community-led design. Participants will reflect on how shared experience can become shared capacity.