Which elements are likely to facilitate recover from disasters among ‘off-the-radar’ communities in the Asia-Pacific region? This research looked at five disaster risk reduction and early recovery interventions from the Philippines, Vanuatu, and Vietnam. The report highlights the importance of existing relationships between communities and other actors, and of innovation – especially microfinance – in early recovery. Local leadership in conceptualizing and implementing interventions was most apparent where there were outstanding local risk reduction champions; otherwise local organizations tended to co-create interventions with external agencies and lead implementation. Projects generally consulted women, but the risk reduction outcomes for women are mixed, and women’s leadership was not consistently supported.