Catastrophic events associated with earthquakes, floods, and tsunamis have dominated the news and harnessed resources from all levels of governments, private sector, and nongovernmental agencies to respond and rapidly recover. Because catastrophic events will continue to occur, the following issue remains: How do individuals, organizations, business, and governments learn from the past as well as develop better tools and embrace 21st century technology to improve recovery management efforts and resiliency? On 11 March 2011, an 8.9 magnitude earthquake, followed by a tsunami, struck northeast Japan, resulting in widespread devastation and a nuclear incident that caused a crisis at a nuclear power station. The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill is the largest accidental marine oil spill, lasting 87 days and resulting in impacts spanning environmental, economic, and societal scales. This panel will bring together experts who will speak to the Japan earthquake, ensuing nuclear incident, and the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. It will conclude with a presentation on resilience and the emerging resilience framework from both an infrastructure and social systems perspective to enable more rapid recovery from such events. By showcasing real-world events and emerging policy, this panel will highlight the importance of cross-disciplinary research, dialog, and knowledge to enhance response and recovery efforts at local, national, and international levels.