Resources for Building a More Resilient Community

Hurricane Sandy’s impacts along the New York and New Jersey coast in 2012 made clear the importance of building safer and stronger in the region and reducing the risk from coastal flooding. What can your community do to become more resilient to flooding and threats such as climate change and sea level rise that add to the risk?

FEMA resources, including the preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps and flood risk tools can help you make informed decisions about flood risk in your community. Tools and guidance on the Community Officials information page can also help you and your residents to take action to reduce that flood risk in your community.

FEMA’s partners, including the states of New Jersey and New York, and New York City, also provide the resources below that can help you plan a more resilient future for your community.

New Jersey Resources

NJADAPT

NJADAPT is a collaborative effort of scientists and data managers in academia, government, and the private sector supported by the New Jersey Recovery Fund, the New Jersey Coastal Management Program, and NOAA. The NJADAPT website offers tools that communities can use in planning for climate change, hazard mitigation, and land use, conservation, and emergency operations, including:

• A Coastal Flood Exposure Profile Tool
• The NJ FloodMapper visualization tool for flooding hazards and sea level rise
• A Getting to Resilience community planning evaluation tool for reducing vulnerability and increasing preparedness

StormSmart Coasts

The New Jersey StormSmart Coasts website focuses on helping coastal communities address weather and climate hazards. The site connects coastal decision makers to the latest and best information on protecting communities before, during, and after a storm, including:

• Tools for identifying and mapping hazards in your area
• Information about hazard mitigation, land-use planning, regulations and development standards
• Training for local officials, and outreach strategies and materials
• Resources for improving emergency management in your community

More New Jersey Resources

• New Jersey Climate Change Alliance
• New Jersey Resiliency Network
• New Jersey GeoWeb
• Coastal Resilience Mapping Portal with New Jersey Restoration Explorer

New York Resources

New York State Climate Smart Communities

The New York State Climate Smart program has developed the Climate Smart Resiliency Planning Evaluation Tool for New York State Communities, intended for use by community officials to help identify community vulnerabilities, capabilities, and opportunities to enhance resilience. More information for New York communities about climate adaptation and planning is available through the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s website.

New York City Initiatives

New York City has several initiatives that focus on improving community resiliency.

• PlaNYC is the city’s ongoing effort to address long-term challenges related to sustainability and resiliency.
• The NYC Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Resiliency was initiated in late 2012 to plan for a more resilient city following Hurricane Sandy, with a long-term focus on preparing for the impacts of climate change.
• The City’s Office of Emergency Management has developed a Reduce Your Risk guide and other resources to help City residents take action to reduce their risk from natural and man-made hazards.
• The Department of City Planning’s Climate Resilience page provides resources that focus on climate, storm and flood resilience.
• The Coastal Green Infrastructure Research Plan for New York City provides information about the use of nature-based features to protect coastal areas of the city from erosion and flooding.

More New York Resources

• New York State Energy Research and Development Authority: Responding to Climate Change in New York State (ClimAID)
• NOAA Digital Coast: Planning for Resilient Coastal Communities in New York
• Coastal Resilience Mapping Portal

Resources from Other Partners

• The Sea Level Rise Tool for Sandy Recovery, developed by NOAA, in partnership with FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is designed to help state and local officials, community planners, and infrastructure managers in New York and New Jersey understand possible future flood risks from sea level rise and use that information in planning decisions.
• The U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit was developed in response to the President’s Climate Action Plan and Executive Order 13653 (Preparing the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change). It provides scientific tools, information, and expertise to help people manage their climate-related risks and opportunities, and improve their resilience to extreme events. The site is designed to serve interested citizens, communities, businesses, resource managers, planners, and policy leaders at all levels of government.