Publication No. 230K22001
August 2022
www.epa.gov/smartgrowth

DISASTER-RESILIENT

COMMUNITY DESIGN

SOLUTIONS FOR A CHANGING CLIMATE


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Cover

Map: Hurricane paths between 1842-2022 and counties most at risk for all natural hazards: avalanche, coastal
flooding, cold wave, drought, earthquake, hail, heat wave, hurricane, ice storm, landslide, lightning, riverine
flooding, strong wind, tornado, tsunami, volcanic activity, wildfire, winter weather.

Hurricane Paths between 1842-2022

	Category 2-5

Risk Index Rating
All Natural Hazards

High Risk

Moderate Risk

Data taken from: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); National Centers for Environmental
Information (NCEI); National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); U.S. Department of
Commerce; U.S. Census Bureau; Esri; Garmin International, Inc.; U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.

Basemap: Esri; USGS; NOAA

Data for Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and U.S. Virgin Islands are limited
and included in this report as footnotes, where available.

Data used to assess the Risk Index Rating for all the hazards shown in this document were taken from the
FEMA. The National Risk Index Rating is defined as the potential for negative impacts as a result of a natural
hazard, where Expected Annual Loss from natural hazards, Social Vulnerability and Community Resilience
are factored in to produce a Risk Index Rating.

For more in-depth information about the Index, scores, ratings, and technical documentation,
visit: https://hazards.fema.sov/nri/determinins-risk

2


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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

Abby Hall, Office of Community Revitalization
Clark Wilson, Office of Water

DESIGN TEAM

SPACKMAN MOSSOP MICHAELS

Wes Michaels, Principal
Emily Bullock, Principal
TraceyArmitage, Manager
Pilar Zuluaga, Designer
Sophie Flinner, Designer

BIOHABITATS

Jennifer Dowdell, Senior Landscape Ecological Planner
Kevin Nunnery, Senior Ecologist
Jessica Norris, Conservation Biologist
Ted Brown, Practice Leader

Hanna Harper, GIS Analyst and Environmental Scientist

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION	

1.	WILDFIRE	

2.	HURRICANE and COASTAL FLOODING

3.	INLAND and RIVERINE FLOODING	

4.	EXTREME HEAT	

5.	DROUGHT	

6.	LANDSLIDE and MUDSLIDE	

7.	TORNADO and EARTHQUAKE	

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES	


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INTRODUCTION

The potential for disaster increases as more communities expand into hazard-prone areas and climate
change exacerbates threats. These disaster-resilient design solutions can help communities reduce
the impact of disasters, recover more quickly, strengthen local economies and cultures, and create
more enjoyable, equitable places to live.

The strategies presented here include policies such as forest management and building codes that
can be key to protecting life and property from natural disasters. Most of the designs focus more on
landscape-based investments such as recreational amenities that offer hazard mitigation value while
also improving the daily lives of residents. Communities can design public spaces and infrastructure
to be multi-functional so that multiple benefits can be derived from each project and financial
investment. The design solutions are intended to inspire a range of stakeholders to come together
and invest in projects and infrastructure that achieve multiple benefits. Stakeholders could include
emergency managers, land use planners, utility managers, forestry and parks departments, watershed
managers, and community-based organizations.

Stakeholders may use this document to reimagine the design of a town or neighborhood to do
"double duty." For instance, adding trees to a playground can make the playground more pleasant
and help lower ambient heat in the surrounding neighborhood. Widening stream channels with
riparian buffers can provide more capacity for flood waters to flow while also creating space for a
new hiking trail. Multi-benefit designs allow for recreation, create buffers for natural disasters, and
become gathering places when disaster strikes.

The public and private entities that invest in resilient infrastructure should carefully consider which
communities most need these investments based on historical disadvantages and greatest exposure
to hazards. The maps provided here illustrate the extent of the risks already observed from historical
data. As climate change continues to affect communities of all sizes and across geographic regions,
the disasters described are only likely to become more frequent in the future. These design ideas
are meant to be illustrative, but place-specific solutions will need to be designed based on future
projections and scaled-down climate data, which can be found through several sources, including
https://scenarios.globalchange.gov/. Furthermore, the designs developed for a specific place must
be created by and for the communities they are intended to protect through meaningful engagement.
These Disaster-Resilient Community Designs can help achieve a more just and resilient future by
creating communities that are thriving and healthy in the face of a changing climate.

More detailed policy guides and planning resources are provided in the Additional Resources section
at the end of this document.

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DISASTER TYPE

WILDFIRE

Wildfire locations from 2003-2022, and counties most at risk for wildfire





Climate change fis driving an increase in the risk and extent of
wildfires on the United States. Projected warmer temperatures
and drier conditions will make fires more frequent, larger, and
harder to contain.

More than a century of fire prevention and suppression has
made U.S. forests and grasslands more susceptible to fires
of greater intensity. Climate change, added to years of fire
suppression, creates ideal conditions for wildfires: increased
drought, high air temperatures, low relative humidity,
lightning, and strong winds. The result is hotter, more
widespread, and longer fire seasons. Smoke from wildfires
greatly impairs air quality, often to hazardous levels, in areas
far beyond the places that are burned.

Increased development into wildland areas puts more homes
and other buildings at risk from catastrophic fires that can
endanger or destroy communities. It is estimated that the
damage caused by U.S. wildfires in 2020 totaled $16.5 billion,
ranking it as the third-costliest year on record, behind 2017
($24 billion) and 2018 ($22 billion). At least 43 people died as
a direct result of the western U.S. fires in 2020. It is estimated
that wildfire smoke is likely responsible for 5,000 to 15,000
deaths in an average year in the United States.

RESOURCES

•	EPA Wildfire Preparedness https://www.epa.gov/natural-
disasters/wildfires

•	EPA Smart Growth https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/
files/2017-01 /documents/smart growth fixes climate
adaptation resilience.pdf

•	First Street Foundation Risk Factor Tool https:/Zriskfactor.com/

•	Resilience Strategies for Wildfire https://www.c2es.org/
document/resilience-strategies-for-wildfire/

•	Reduce Wildfire Risk https://wildfirerisk.org/reduce-risk/

•	Managing the Wildland Urban Interface https: //www, us fa.
fema.gov/wui/

•	National Fire Protection Association https://www, nfpa.org/
Public-Education/Fire-causes-and-risks/Wildfire/Firewise-
USA

Insuficient data for U.S. territories and commonwealths. Puerto Rico and the Pacific Territories experience a significant wildfire risk.

Data taken from: Bederal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Wildland Fire Interagency Geospatial Services (WFIGS), U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census
Bureau, Esri; Garmin International, Inc.; U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Basemap: Esri, USGS, NOAA


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KEY STRATEGIES

WILDFIRE

• Clean and maintain
! gutters and roofs

I
I

* Keep grass below 4 in

• Add non-combustible

! screens to external vents

* Prune trees

PREPARE FIRE-SMART HOMES

Relocate propane tanks and
lumber away from home

Clean under deck *

30 ft. min.

* Native planting

• Trail

MAINTAIN HERBACEOUS
FIRE BREAKS

Fire-smart homes reduce the risk of damage
to houses and the spread of fire through a
neighborhood.

Reduce hazard with protective buffers using
low-growing native plants.

A

/ V

Regulations
should address
wildfire hazards.

Use native plants that are fire
resistant and limit irrigation
to maintain water for water
supply and fire suppression.



Maintain clearly
marked routes for
evacuation.

Improve regulations to
address wildfire prevention
and evacuation.

Prevent erosion and
maintain soil moisture.

Require structures to have
low ignitability and other
fire-smart measures.

Preserve water bodies,
riparian systems, and
beaver ponds.

Regular, low-intensity,
controlled burns
reduce wildfire risk.

Data taken from: portlandmaps.com

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Hurricane Paths
between 1842-2022

	Category 2-5

Risk Index Rating
Hurricanes

High Risk
Moderate Risk

Risk Index Rating
Coastal Flooding

High- Moderate

xcoraing to the National Hurricane Center, approximately 24
million people along the East and Gulf coasts are at risk from storm
surge flooding.

As coastal flooding increases, there will be an ever-greater
need for coastal communities to adapt to the increasing
occurrence of coastal floods, higher tides as sea levels rise,
storm surges, coastal erosion, and saltwater intrusion.

Nature-based solutions—such as dune restoration, open
space buffers, oyster beds, mangrove forests, or creating blue-
green trails that can take on water during a storm—can help
protect communities from hurricanes and coastal floods.

Other strategies can complement nature-based solutions,
such as stronger building codes to reduce repetitive damage
from hurricanes and flooding, outlining clear evacuation
routes during storms, and providing emergency shelter after
storms. At the planning level, preventing new development in
flood-prone areas is a critical long-term strategy to minimize
loss of life and property damage in coastal communities.

RESOURCES

•	EPA Climate Ready Estuaries: https://www.epa.gov/cre

•	EPA Smart Growth: https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/
files/2017-01 /documents/smart growth fixes climate
adaptation resilience.pdf

•	First Street Foundation Risk Factor Tool: https://riskfactor,
com/

•	Climate Change Indicators https://www. epa.gov/climate-
indicators/climate-change-indicators-coastal-flooding

•	U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit https://toolkit.climate.gov

•	NOAA Coastal Inundation Toolkit https:/Zclimatechange.Ita.
org/coastal-inundation-toolkit/

•	NOAA Sea Level Rise Viewer

https://coast, noaa. gov/digitalcoast/tools/sir, html

Insuficient data for U.S. territories and commonwealths. These territories: experience a significant risk of hurricanes and coastal flooding.

Data taken fromt Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Esri; Garmin International, Inc.; U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Basemap: Esri, USGS, NOAA

DISASTER TYPE

HURRICANE and COASTAL FLOODING

Counties most at risk for Hurricanes and Coastal Flooding, and Hurricane Paths between 1842-2022


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Cj) KEY STRATEGIES

/A HURRICANE and COASTAL FLOODING

• Primary
! dune

* Secondary
! dune

f Trail

CREATE BLUE-GREEN TRAILS
Blue-green trails in a flooding buffer provide
recreational opportunities for the community.

Dunes can have many
different layers, all working
together to protect from
storm surge.

* Tertiaiy
! dune

• Prevent invasive
i species in
i waterways

PROTECT AND
RESTORE DUNES

Dunes that are stabilized by native vegetation
protect nearby communities from storm
surges.

LIVING SHORELINE

RESTORATION

LIMIT BUILDING IN

FLOOD-PRONE AREAS

DUNE RESTORATION
AND PROTECTION

RESTORE OPEN SPACE

Resilience hubs can
serve people during
and after hurricanes.

Marshes build
land over time.

Use natural materials to
protect fragile coastlines

Buy flood-prone
properties and convert
to open space.

Maintain evacuation
routes that do not flood

Data taken from: Charleston County, SC GIS viewer


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Climate change is causing more frequent and higher intensity
rainstorms, which often result in increased flooding.

Climate change is creating new rainfall patterns across the
country. Communities that historically have not had many
major flood events are likely to see more, and places that
already flood are likely to experience worse and more frequent
flooding. New construction or infrastructure in the region—
such as a new highway that changes the local drainage
patterns- can further increase the likelihood of flooding.

One of the best ways to reduce the risk of flooding is to store
more water in the landscape, as close to the source of rain
as possible. Increasing opportunities for infiltration helps
to reduce or prevent larger floods downstream. Parks and
public plazas can be designed with green infrastructure
practices such as bioswales, rain gardens, and tree planting,
and can offer recreational areas, store flood water, and reduce
air temperature. "Green street" practices that include green
infrastructure elements in the public right-of-way can reduce
the impacts of intense storms by lessening the amount of
runoff and slowing down the rate of flow, while also making
streets more attractive and enjoyable.

Insuficient data for U.S. territories and commonwealths. These territories: experience a significant risk of inland and riverine flooding.

Data taken from: Bederal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), United States Geological Survey (USGS), Esri; Rand McNally; Bartholemew and Times Books; Digital Chart

of the World (DCW); U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; i-cubed, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Esri; Garmin International, Inc.; U.S. Central

Intelligence Agency. Basemap: Esri, USGS, NOAA

RESOURCES

•	EPA Smart Growth and Green Infrastructure https://www.epa.
gov/smartgrowth/enhanting-sustainable-communities-green-
infrastructure

•	First Street Foundation Risk Factor Tool https://riskfactor. com

•	EPA Tidal Restrictions Synthesis Review https://www.epa.gov/
wetlands/tidal-restrictions-synthesis-review fHAl 1

•	EPA Climate Change Indicators: River Flooding https://www.
epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-river-
flooding

•	EPA Manage Flood Risk with Green Infrastructure https://
www, epa. gov/green-infrastructure/manage-flood-risk

•	Climate Change and Social Vulnerability in the United States:
A Focus on Six Impacts https://www, epa. gov /system/files/
documents/2021 -09/appendix-i inland-flooding.pdf

\

DISASTER TYPE

INLAND and RIVERINE FLOODING

1 <

lr\ ^ i

Counties most at risk for Riverine Flooding and 1% annual chance flood hazard area

llilii	\A

Special Flood
Hazard Area
(SFHA)

1% annual

chance

Risk Index Rating
Riverine Flooding
High Risk

River Systems


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: ,-V DISASTER TYPE

INLAND and RIVERINE FLOODING

INCORPORATE GREEN
INFRASTRUCTURE ON SITE

In urban areas, bioswales, rain gardens and urban tree
canopies help reduce runoff, which prevents flooding.

* Green roof * Rain garden * Green

parking lot

CREATE HEALTHY STREAMS

Use vegetated stream buffers to slow water
during storm events, lowering downstream
flood risk.

• Native vegetation
! helps infiltration
¦ during rain

• Trail

• Stream channel connected
1 to the flood plain

• Bump-out
! rain garden

WATER PLAZA

* Cisterns for water
! storage/usage

Building play and recreational areas that store rain
helps reduce flooding in the neighborhood.

STORMWATER

MANAGEMENT ORDINANCES

REDUCTION OF
IMPERVIOUS SURF
REDUCES RUNOFF

RESTORATION OF
NATURAL FLOOD PLAINS

Include volumetric performance
codes or other numeric standards
for onsite stormwater retention.

Incorporate stormwater
management into local
building and zoning codes.

Green surfaces
reduce runoff.

Create ordinances that
protect flood plains.

Data taken from: Lake County, IL GIS viewer


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AT

^ DISASTER TYPE

EXTREME HEAT

Risk Index Rating
Ileat Wave

^ High Risk

¦I Urban Heat
Island

Annualized

Frequency

(2005-2017)

1

15

Extreme heat events and heat waves, which kill more than 1,000
people each year in the United States, are expected to become more
common, more severe, and longer lasting as our climate changes. *

Taken from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2016

Counties most at risk for heat waves, urban heat islands, and annualized frequency

events

A relative increase in high temperatures is designated as an
extreme heat hazard, or heat wave if conditions persist over
many days. The threshold varies by location; as an example,
unusually high summer temperatures in Boston would not
be exceptional in Phoenix.

Developed areas—places with a lot of pavement, buildings,
and other heat-absorbing surfaces and fewer green spaces
and trees—have higher temperatures than surrounding, less-
developed areas. This phenomenon is called the heat island
effect. Given the increase in extreme heat events, people —
especiallypeoplelivinginlower-income communities—are at
higher risk of excessive heat exposure, which can cause severe
illness and death. The use of green infrastructure practices
such as trees, rain gardens, green roofs, green spaces such as
parks, and reflective or light-colored, permeable pavements
can reduce air temperatures while making neighborhoods
more attractive.

EPA/CDC Climate Change and Extreme Heat: What You
Can Do to Prepare https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/
files/2016-10/documents/extreme-heat-guidebook.pdf

EPA Reduce Urban Heat Island Effect https://www.epa.gov/
green-infrastructure/ reduce-urban-heat-island-effect

EPA Heat Island Cooling Strategies https://www.epa.gov/
heatislands/heat-island-cooling-strategies

RESOURCES

• EPA Heat Island Compendium https://www, epa. gov/
heatislands/heat-island-compendium

• EPA Adapting to Heat https://www, epa.gov/heatislands/
adapting-heat

Insuficient data for U.S. territories and commonwealths. These territories experience significant firk of extreme heat.

Data taken from: Bederal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University, U.S.
Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Esri; Garmin International, Inc.; U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Basemap: Esri, USGS, NOAA


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/a DISASTER TYPE

^ EXTREME HEAT

Shading playgrounds and gathering areas
offers heat reduction and improves quality of
life.

OR LIGHTEN PAVED SURFACES

Replacing paved surfaces with greenery or
lighter coatings reduces the surrounding air
temperature.

• Green roofs

Tree planting

Cool roofs

* Cool
! pavement

* Shade structure

Tree planting

PROVIDE SHADE
OVER PLAYGROUND

REDUCE

PROVIDE SHADE FOR
NATURAL WATER BODIES

GREEN ROOFS/
FACADES/WALLS

SHADE OVER PARKING

REFLECTIVE, HIGH

ALBEDO ROOFS

PROVIDE SHADE
TO COOL RUNOFF

SHADE OVER
PLAYGROUNDS

Restore riparian corridors

Green surfaces
cool the air.

White roofs reflect

more sun and
reduce urban heat.

Paved surfaces absorb
heat and radiate it to
the surroundings.

Help protect
people vulnerable
to extreme heat.

Trees reduce
temperature by
up to 41%.

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Drought reduces water supplies for drinking water, agriculture,
energy production, and other uses.

Drought is a prolonged period of unusually low rainfall, which
varies depending on the place and time of year. It is a set of
conditions that arise relatively slowly and affect communities
differently. Prolonged and repeated droughts can lead to low
water supply levels, which can affect energy generation, and
depleted reservoirs.

The balance between agricultural and residential/commercial
water demand varies at local and regional scales, and droughts
often occur over large areas. Compact development patterns
can reduce both water demand and the amount of water lost to
leaks in aging pipes. Along with drought-tolerant landscaping
and efficient use of water for buildings, green infrastructure
can replenish groundwater supplies through infiltration
practices such as bioretention and permeable pavements.
Landscape-based designs using soil and vegetation to absorb
runoff also can be used to increase stream baseflows and
reduce the impacts of drought on water supplies.

RESOURCES

•	EPA WaterSense Program https://www. epa.gov/watersense

•	North American drought Monitor https://www. node, noaa.
gov/temp-and-precip/drought/nadm/

•	National Drought Mitigation Center https://drought,unl.edu/

•	Resilience Strategies for Drought https://www. c2es. org/wp-
content/uploads/2018/10/resilience-strategies-for-drought.pdf

•	FEMA Building Community Resilience with Nature-
Based Solutions https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/
files/documents/fema riskmap-nature-based-solutions-
guide 2021.pdf

•	Building Drought Resilience in California's Cities and
Suburbs https://www.ppic.org/wp-content/uploads/content/
pubs/report/R 0617DMR.pdf

Insuficient data for U.S. territories and commonwealths. These territories experience a significant risk of drought.

Data taken from: Bederal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC), U.S. Departm ent of Agriculture (USDA),

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Esri; Rand McNally; Bartholemew and Times Books; Digital Chart of the World (DCW); U.S. National Geospatial-

Intelligence Agency; i-cubed, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Esri; Garmin International, Inc.; U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Basemap: Esri, USGS, NOAA



U.S. Drought
Monitor 2021
Extreme and
Exceptional
Drought

Risk Index Rating
Drought

High Risk

River Systems

Counties most at risk for droughts, and extreme and exceptional drought events in

DISASTER TYPE

DROUGHT


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DISASTER TYPE

DROUGHT

• Native drought-
! resistant vegetation

* Aquifer
recharge

* Cistern for water
storage/reuse

• Stormwater

WATER HARVESTING

Collecting water for reuse and allowing water
to seep into the aquifer will reduce region-
wide drought.

Plant native species, or increase the amount
of plants in desert climates, that demand less
water.

XERISCAPING

Using water wisely
reduces demand.

Shade trees reduce
evaporation.

Smart sensors
help determine
irrigation needs

Adding organic matter
promotes infiltration
and aquifer recharge.

WATER-EFFICIENT
HOME APPLIANCES

Use less water
in households.

Data taken from: Adams County, CO GIS viewer


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Counties most at risk for a landslide or mudslide, and catastrophic-large landslide events between 1916-2021

Landslides

~ Catastrophic
and Large Events

Risk Index Rating
Landslides
^ High Risk

The combination of drought, catastrophic wildfires, and intense
rain events leads to more frequent landslides and mudslides in the
United States.

Although landslides can be associated with earthquakes
and other geologic hazards, they are exacerbated by climate
change impacts. Landslides are much more likely to occur
where stabilizing vegetation has been removed due to
development and/or has been destroyed by wildfires or
weakened by drought. Heavy rain can also trigger landslides.

RESOURCES

•	National Landslide Risk map https://hazards. fema.gov/nri/
landslide

•	CDC Mudslides Fact Sheet https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/
landslides. html#risk

DISASTER TYPE

LANDSLIDE and MUDSLIDE

In the southwestern United States and the arid west, wildfires
followed by short, intense rain events are a common cause
of debris flows. Post-fire debris flows can happen with
little warning; cause extensive damage to infrastructure
and ecosystems; putting lives at risk. Green infrastructure
approaches can reduce the risk of landslides by managing
the vegetation on steep slopes, reforesting areas uphill of
potential landslide areas, and creating vegetated buffers on
hillsides.

•	USGS Landslide Hazards https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-
landslide-and-what-causes-one

•	Landslide Preparedness https://www.oregongeology.org/
Landslide/Landslide Hazards Land Use Guide 2019.pdf

•	Landslide Science and Preparedness https://www, usgs.gov/
programs/landslide-hazards

Insuficient data for U.S. territories and commonwealths. Puerto Rico and the Pacific Territories experience a significant landslide and mudslide risk.

Data taken from: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Global Landslide Catalog (GLC), United States
Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Esri; Garmin International, Inc.; U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Basemap: Esri, USGS, NOAA


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DISASTER TYPE

LANDSLIDE and MUDSLIDE

REFOREST SLOPES

* Tree cover to
| protect slope

SLOPE STABILIZATION

* Slope stabilization
! could also be an
! outdoor theater

Trees and native understory plants help
stabilize the soil and reduce landslides and
mudslides.

In areas with steep slopes, stabilization
strategies will reduce risk.

Data taken from: portlandmaps.com

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Risk Index Rating
Eathquakes
¦ High Risk
Moderate Risk
Low Risk

Plate Boundaries

Micro Plates,
Major Fault
Zones, Plate
Interface

Tornado Tracks
between 1986-2019

•	Type 2-5

In the immediate and short-term aftermath of a tornado or
earthquake, green infrastructure assets—such as parks and
greenways—can provide safe areas for community members
to gather and staging areas for local response teams. These
areas can serve as local hubs where separated family
members can reconnect, food and water can be distributed,
and information can be shared. Parks can serve as some of
the few spaces to gather that are safe from falling objects or
downed power lines and should not be used for storing debris.
As communities rebuild after tornadoes and earthquakes,
local governments can build more resilient structures and
protect open spaces that can reduce the severity of impacts
from future events.

RESOURCES

•	USGS Earthquake Hazards https://www. usgs.gov/programs/
earthquake-hazards

•	Earthquake Preparation https://www. ready, gov/earthquakes

•	Tornado Preparation https://www. ready, gov/tornadoes

•	NOAA Storm Prediction Center https://www.spc.noaa.gov/

•	Tornado Damage Survey Results https://www.weather.gov/
gsp/newTornadomap

Counties most at risk for Earthquakes and Tornado tracks between 1986-2019

DISASTER TYPE

TORNADO and EARTHQUAKE

Insuficient data for U.S. territories and commonwealths. These territories experience a significant risk of earthquakes.

Data taken from: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), United States Geological Survey (USGS), U.S.
Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Esri; Garmin International, Inc.; U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Basemap: Esri, USGS, NOAA

18


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KEY STRATEGIES

TORNADO and EARTHQUAKE

COMMUNITY CENTERS
AS RESILIENCE HUBS

Locate resilience
hubs to be accessible
to highly vulnerable
populations that need
them the most.

BUILDING CODES

Buildings should resist
high wind conditions
and seismic forces
during earthquakes. ,

SHELTERS

With new, better
warning systems,
shelters can be a place of
refuge during a tornado.

DO NOT USE PARKS/
OPEN SPACE AS
STAGING FOR DEBRIS

Parks are needed
by the community
during recovery.

SOIL LIQUEFACTION

Codes are needed to
reduce damage from
soil liquefaction.



Building codes should
address the local risk.

Shelters should be
accessible after disasters
and prepared with
supplies and back-up
power.

Open space can be
a gathering space
during aftershocks.

COMMUNITY CENTERS
AS RESILIENCE HUBS

OPEN SPACE FOR
EVACUATING BUILDINGS


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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Regional Resilience Toolkit: 5 Steps to Build Large-Scale Resilience to Natural Disasters (2019): Toolkit created through
a partnership with FEMA that helps regions plan for disasters by working across multiple jurisdictions and with
nongovernmental partners to address multi-hazard resilience through a consolidated planning process.

Smart Growth Fixes for Climate Adaptation and Resilience: Changing Land Use and Building Codes and Policies to
Prepare for Climate Change (2017): Guide that describes specific changes communities could make to their land use and
building policies to prepare for climate change while gaining other environmental, economic, health, and social benefits
in the short and long terms.

Planning Framework for a Climate-Resilient Economy f2016): Tool, developed through a technical assistance project
with the Rhode Island Division of Planning, to help communities assess how climate change could affect their economy,
improve their economic resilience, and think creatively about ways to prosper in a changing climate.

EPA's Climate Adaptation Page provides resources to help the nation anticipate, prepare for, adapt to, and recover from
the impacts of climate change. This includes evaluating how climate change might affect efforts to attain environmental
standards and identifying strategies that also reduce greenhouse gases and other pollution.

EPA's Climate Change Adaptation Resource Center f ARC-X) Lets local government decision-makers create a package of
information tailored to their needs. Users can find information about the risks posed by climate change to the issues they
are concerned about, relevant adaptation strategies, case studies illustrating how other communities have adapted to
those risks and tools to replicate their successes, online training, and EPA funding opportunities.

EPA's Natural Disasters Page has information on ways to reduce or avoid risks to health and the environment due to
natural disasters - at home, community or school, or your business. This site provides resources and steps to prepare for,
respond to, and recover from many hazards referenced in this document, including drought, earthquakes, extreme heat,
flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires.

The Heat Island Effect Pages include information about heat islands and ways to mitigate the higher temperatures these
urban and suburban areas can cause.

EPA's Green Infrastructure Pages have tools, case studies, and other resources to promote green infrastructure solutions.

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