Accounting and accountability in a natural disaster recovery

In November 2010 Italy suffered its first major flood in decades; beyond the tremendous damages, this flood likely will be remembered for the governmental response, including prompt recovery and limited litigation. Given the detailed reports by the Extraordinary Commissioner for Reconstruction and its Flood Team, this article seeks to explain the foundations of the accountability they granted by questioning the role of accounting in shaping a successful recovery process. Since the Flood Team needed precise estimations of the damages by municipalities, citizens, and firms to accomplish a prompt and fair recovery, it delegated the estimations to such players, thus inverting the usual accountability relationship between authorities and their forum. The widespread involvement of flooded citizens and firms in accounting practices made such practices a relevant tool for an undisputed accountability of the authorities responsible for the recovery. Accounting, whereas recognized for its individualizing effect in critical studies, here had the possibility of enabling an accountability based on shared information and mutual understanding. A combination of interviews with several main players and document analyses supports the discussion.