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FEBRUARY 2022
Thank You to Everyone Who Attended the RNPN Kickoff!
The Resilient Nation Partnership Network (RNPN) team would like to continue our conversations around advancing equitable resilience and adapting to future risk. We heard an overwhelming need for equity, funding opportunities, and behavior change on the community and individual level. Our goal is to use this information to bring people together to help meet these goals.
"Next Generation of Resilience" Student Showcase: Call for Abstract Reviewers
The “Next Generation of Resilience” Student Showcase is back for its second year! On April 27, four student panelists will share their expertise on this year’s theme: Adapting to Future Risk.
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Are you interested in helping us select student presenters? We need five partners to review the abstracts between March 22 and March 31.
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If you would like to volunteer, please send an email to FEMA-ResilientNation@fema.dhs.gov. We will meet with the review team in the next two weeks to discuss timelines and expectations.
Thank you for your support of this effort! We look forward to showcasing the work and great minds of tomorrow’s leaders. If you have any questions or would like more information, please email to FEMA-ResilientNation@fema.dhs.gov or visit our website.
Stay safe and well,
The Resilient Nation Partnership Network
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Partner News
Resilient Nation Partnership Network (RNPN): Ideation Hour on Climate and Equity for the Whole Community
On Wednesday, February 23 at 2 p.m. ET, the Resilient Nation Partnership Network and the Department of Homeland Security Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships will co-host a discussion about the many factors behind strengthening climate equity for the Whole Community. These factors include advancing climate literacy, building local support and bolstering the next generation of resilience leaders.
Part of the RNPN Resilience Exchange series, this freestyle event is open to everyone, so bring your best resilience ideas, projects, needs, and collaboration opportunities to the table. This is a chance to ask questions, network with others, and engage in creative conversation to help build actionable partnerships. Topics we will discuss include:
- Building Climate Literacy: Where Do We Start?
- Fostering Resilience at the Neighborhood Level
- Building Equity into Mitigation Actions
- Promoting Resilience Through Youth Engagement
If you require a reasonable accommodation for a disability in order to participate in this event on Zoom please contact FEMA-ResilientNation@fema.dhs.gov.
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US Resiliency Council (USRC): “Story Map” Spotlights California Housing Soft-Story Earthquake Risk
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USRC worked with geospatial giant ESRI to produce an interactive, visually rich six-minute read to spur action and applaud progress in retrofitting vulnerable multifamily housing. Soft-story policies have protected tenants and owners in some communities, but there is still much work to be done to achieve equitable access to affordable earthquake-safe housing.
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Silver Jackets: The Coastal Hazards System Webinar
Researchers from the Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory will introduce the recently updated Coastal Hazards System (CHS) and related research for quantifying and applying coastal storm hazards, including compound flooding problems during the February Silver Jackets webinar. The CHS is a national effort for quantifying coastal hazards for U.S. coastlines based on high fidelity modeling and a cutting edge statistical framework. Along with this framework, the CHS encompasses multiple components including a webtool for accessing coastal hazards information, a website with documentation and metadata, and a suite of tools for engineering applications.
Palm Beach County Office of Resilience: The Successes of the 2021 South Florida Climate Leadership Summit
Palm Beach County, on behalf of the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact, hosted the virtual 13th Annual Southeast Florida Regional Climate Leadership Summit in December 2021 and are very proud of this year’s successes.
We hosted over 70 speakers and panelists, and 729 registrants attended the event. During panels, we discussed affordable housing, climate-smart agriculture, investing in resilience, net-zero emissions, coastal resilience, extreme heat, and youth calls for climate action. We are humbled by everyone’s work to help us seize the moment together!
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Succor America: Captivate.Inspire.Mobilize! To Economic Recovery, Building Resilient Communities!
In May of 2022, Succor Solutions will be launching its first "Captivate" campaign in the state of Virginia, "Succor Virginia." We have been volunteering, working, and preparing for this launch in Blackstone Virginia, outside the Virginia National Guard Training Center.
Succor America, is a national participatory asset mapping campaign. It was designed to assist and support the United States of America’s population during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters and economic impact of the 2020 lockdowns. It is designed as a three-year campaign to captivate a nation while facing hardship and distress, inspire a population to share their fears, stressors, risks and assets, and mobilize individuals to capitalize on assets in order to empower a population. For more information, please contact Executive Director Justin Burns at justin@succorsolution.org.
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Together for Los Angeles (TFLA): A Collaborative for Small Business Recovery and Resilience
TFLA is a public-private collaborative supporting the recovery and resilience of women- and diverse-owned small businesses, microenterprises, and nonprofits in Los Angeles. No-cost technical assistance and resources are made available through Wells Fargo’s Open for Business Fund.
The American Flood Coalition: Adapting to Flooding and Sea Level Rise Through Wetland Conservation
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The American Flood Coalition worked with Wetlands Watch to pilot two projects in Virginia based around wetlands conservation. In an article, they present project takeaways and how communities can use findings to fight flooding with their own shoreline conservation projects.
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Next100: Climate Disasters Are Inevitable. Their Disparate Impacts–and Our Disparate Responses–Are Not
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Communities of color are more vulnerable to risk of climate disasters and less likely to reap the benefits of federal recovery efforts in their wake. We need to seriously think about climate equity in our communities before disaster strikes and ensure that our disaster policies protect our most vulnerable.
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Journal of Emergency Management: Survey Request – Stressors and Mental Health Survey
The goal of the survey is to assess the unique stressors that affect professionals in emergency management and related fields. The data collected will be used to identify stressors and establish a baseline of the current state of mental health in the field. The long-term goal is to learn how we can better support, train, recruit, retain and grow emergency management professionals and organizations capable of meeting the increasing demands of tomorrow.
If you have taken the survey, thank you! Please forward this survey request to your colleagues and everyone on your team! We need a broad sampling of professionals in this field to get accurate data.
Georgia Department of Natural Resources: The Georgia Flood Literacy Project
Flood terms are used inconsistently among professionals and the public. The Georgia Flood Literacy Project united professionals from various sectors of the field to work toward a common flood lexicon which could ultimately enhance decision-making for resilient coastal communities.
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Resilient Virginia: Virginia Communities Deserve a Better Future
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Unusual weather events, a global health crisis, a changing economy and massive job losses–these are only a few of the reasons we believe Virginia Can’t Wait to move resiliency initiatives forward. Our communities deserve a better future.
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Geos Institute: Introducing Climate Ready America
The Geos Institute is developing a nationwide network of state-specific climate resilience service centers, called Climate Ready America. Recruiting for five states to develop pilot Climate Innovation Centers (one per state) will begin soon.
FEMA Seeks Teen Leaders for National Youth Preparedness Council
FEMA is accepting applications for the 2022 Youth Preparedness Council. If you know a teen interested in preparedness and community service, encourage them to apply. This opportunity is open for students in grades 8 through 11.
The diverse and distinguished council was created in 2012 to bring together youth leaders interested in supporting disaster preparedness and making a difference in their communities. During their one-year term on the virtual council, members meet peers from across the country, build leadership skills and serve their schools and communities. Members also have the unique opportunity to participate in an annual summit, and share their perspectives, feedback and opinions directly with FEMA leaders and staff.
FEMA will host an applicant information session on Feb. 17 for those interested in learning more about the council and the application process. All applications are due no later than 11:59 p.m. P.T. on March 6.
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Update from the Union of Concerned Scientists
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 2021 Was One of The Deadliest and Costliest Years for Climate Disasters
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released a new annual report tallying the toll of billion dollar-plus extreme weather and climate-related disasters in 2021. Unsurprisingly, the numbers for the year are sobering: 688 lives lost in 20 separate disasters that each cost $1 billion or more, with a total economic cost of at least $145 billion. These annual reports continue to show a worsening trend, ringing an alarm bell for the climate crisis.
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 Coldhearted Policies Put People at Risk of Extreme Heat
This week, my colleagues published a peer-reviewed article that shows the science is clear: rising temperatures will have devastating effects for worker health and livelihoods and on employers and the wider economy.
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What I Said–And Wish I’d Had a Chance to Say – When I Testified on Future Oil and Gas Drilling in the Gulf of Mexico
Any increases in our heat-trapping emissions will make the narrow chance we have of averting consequences even slimmer. The federal government can and must align its actions with what is needed to meet the climate challenge and therefore must not apply business-as-usual thinking to energy-related decisions, including those relating to leasing federal lands in the Gulf of Mexico
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 Climate Finance Advisors (CFA): Climate Risk and Resilience Case Studies
CFA provides a series of case studies on resilience measures from the European Union and the United States. The case studies address various aspects of climate finance, equity and resilience in sectors like water and transportation.
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 Climate Finance Advisors (CFA): Opportunity Map
CFA presents an interactive, filterable resource of innovative, high-impact actions on climate risk and resilience and the organizations that led them. Opportunities showcase around 90 such efforts from European Union and U.S. Climate Alliance states.
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New Resources
National League of Cities Releases Fact Sheets That Summarize American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) Sustainability Infrastructure Funding Opportunities & Guidance
The recently released U.S. Department of Treasury ARPA Final Rule outlines several funding streams to pursue sustainability and climate resilience projects. The National League of Cities (NLC) released a fact sheet for local leaders that provides a high-level summary of these project areas to learn how to use ARPA funding to create more environmentally resilient municipalities. Water and wastewater infrastructure projects were one of the main ARPA project areas highlighted, so NLC also created catered water and wastewater fact sheets that describe eligible projects, water challenges, case studies, and support resources. Take a look at these resources to see the opportunities available and reach out to Abygail Mangar, NLC’s Health & Resilience Program Manager, if you have questions or comments.
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American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE): Newly Updated ASCE Building Standard Features New Chapter for Tornado Design
Last month, ASCE released the newly updated ASCE/SEI 7-22 Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criterial for Building and Other Structures, the latest iteration of ASCE’s most widely used design standard and an integral part of U.S. building codes for schools and commercial facilities. The update features brand new tornado provisions resulting from a decade of collaboration between ASCE and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), to strengthen the safety and resilience of buildings at risk of tornado impacts.
SEI 7-22 is different from past versions because, for the first time, the digital data are available via open access from the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool so that anyone can view the hazard data needed for design relevant to their local community. ASCE is currently offering continuing education webinars on the new tool with the leaders and experts who developed ASCE 7 and a detailed discussion of the weather hazards–seismic, wind and tornado, and snow/rain.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service: Stewardship Mapping and Assessment Project (STEW-MAP), A Tool for Civic Capacity and Network Mapping
STEW-MAP is a USDA Forest Service approach that answers the question: "who takes care of the local environment?" It maps diverse civic groups working across a landscape to inform resiliency planning, equitable community engagement, and partnership development strategies.
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Headwater Economics: A Rural Capacity Map
Do communities have the resources they need to prepare for climate change? Headwaters Economics' national Rural Capacity Index shows where the gaps are. Use the tool to learn where capacity limitations overlap flood and wildfire risk for counties and communities.
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 Oregon Sea Grant: Oregon Coastal Hazards Ready (OCHR) Library and Mapper
The OCHR Library and Mapper features cases of how coastal communities deal with erosion, landslides, flooding and the threat of a tsunami. It aims to help individuals, communities and governments identify alternatives to shoreline armoring and approaches to prepare for such hazards.
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 Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA): New Case Study on Building Coastal Resilience From FEMA
The ECUA faced a big challenge after Hurricane Ivan devastated Pensacola, Florida. On one hand, locals were concerned about the foul air and water they treasured in sunny Pensacola. On the other, local politicians and civic leaders were skeptical of the feasibility and costs of improving or replacing the largest wastewater treatment facility in Escambia County. How would the county authority gain public buy-in and navigate recovery resources to rebuild more resiliently? The "ECUA Wastewater Treatment Plan: Repair or Replace?" case study includes lessons learned from this recovery report.
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