Publication No. 230K22001 August 2022 www.epa.gov/smartgrowth DISASTER-RESILIENT COMMUNITY DESIGN SOLUTIONS FOR A CHANGING CLIMATE ------- 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 ------- 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 3 ------- 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 ------- 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. 5 ------- 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 ------- 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 7 ------- 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 ------- 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 ------- 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 ------- : ,-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 ------- 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 ------- /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%. 13 ------- 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 ------- 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 ------- 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 ------- 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 17 ------- 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 ------- 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 ------- 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. 20 ------- ------- |