U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit

This course demonstrates how to integrate risk and community-based collaborative strategies into plans and programs and introduces tools that help communities assess individual risks and vulnerabilities, as well as strategies, to become more resilient and better prepared for natural disasters. The one-day training course provides state and local government agency staff and other stakeholder groups with background on natural hazards. In addition, the course will guide an approach to (1) assess community resilience, and (2) develop next steps for improved resilience. The course is designed for national implementation while allowing integration of local concerns through case studies and focused group exercises.

This one-day, awareness-level training course aims to increase the awareness of the hazards facing coastal communities and basic strategies to reduce the risk to those hazards. This course provides training on the basic science of, assessment of, and preparedness for natural hazards and risks that uniquely affect coastal communities. Examples of these hazards are short-term events such as high surf, storm surge, and tsunami inundation or long-term threats from sea level rise and coastal erosion.

This course will build on the first course of the series, Coastal Hazards Awareness, by supplementing the awareness knowledge with tools and skills for practical use. The one-day, performance-level training course provides training on available tools for the assessment and planning for natural hazards and vulnerabilities that uniquely affect coastal communities. Examples of these hazards include short-term events such as high surf, storm surge, and tsunami inundation or long-term threats from sea level rise and coastal erosion. The goal of this course is to enable participants to identify methods and considerations for assessing hazards and vulnerabilities of coastal communities, compare and select sources and methods for collecting coastal hazard and vulnerability data, and utilize available web-based tools to conduct a preliminary hazard and vulnerability assessment in their community.

This course helps emergency services and communities better prepare for the climate adaptations necessary and system vulnerabilities that may occur from hazard impacts. After the course, participants will be able to describe the principles of climate adaptation planning for emergency management and existing first-response processes and will be able to discuss the impact of weather on critical infrastructure and key resources while explaining the concurrent effects of climate change on those impacts. Participants will also gain an understanding of how to identify and apply adaptation strategies to address local emergency services-sector vulnerabilities. The course is designed to provide opportunities for participants to learn about various resources that can be used to implement local climate adaptation strategies in their communities.

This course presents the tsunami hazard, current hazard assessment tools and products, tsunami warning and dissemination of systems, and effective community response and tsunami risk-reduction strategies. The course is designed to enhance the participants’ abilities to support their organizational preparedness and response efforts. At the conclusion of the course, a scenario-based group activity challenges participants to identify effective actions that help reduce the impacts of a tsunami hazard in their community. This is an awareness-level course that provides a basic understanding of tsunamis, hazard assessment, warning and dissemination, and community response strategies to effectively reduce tsunami risk. The goal of this course is to enhance the participants' abilities to support their organizational preparedness and response efforts.

This course provides a basic understanding of hurricane science, forecasting, warning, and preparedness to help emergency managers, responders, government administrators, and community members make better, more informed decisions in hurricane planning and preparedness. The course enhances the ability of participants to identify and describe the conditions of tropical cyclone formation, provide official watch and warning definitions, and to make recommendations in preparation for a hurricane and the associated hazards such as high winds, heavy rain, and storm surge. The goal of this course is to provide participants with the basics of hurricane science, forecasting, warning, and preparedness.

The National Estuarine Research Reserves, a network of 29 coastal sites along U.S. Coasts and the Great Lakes, host a range of education, outreach, and training opportunities through their Coastal Training Programs. The overarching goal of these programs is to provide current science and skill-building opportunities for decision-makers in coastal communities. The Coastal Training Programs increase audience understanding of the environmental, social, economic, and policy consequences of human activities, and facilitates coordination among stakeholders to support evidence-based policies and actions. Each Reserve’s program is different, and many sites host trainings related to resilience and climate change. Some sites have the flexibility to meet the needs of specific decision makers at specific times by organizing or developing custom trainings for local or regional decision makers. Reserves also frequently host the NOAA Digital Coast trainings. To access training opportunities, or find contact information for program coordinators, select a reserve from the national map. View the Reserve page, and then go to the Reserve Website (under Important Links). Check the Reserve Website for Training, Education, and Outreach opportunities.

This course prepares coastal planners and managers for planning and implementing green or natural infrastructure projects to reduce coastal natural hazards in their communities. The course consists of two parts: a 45-minute, self-guided online module that covers foundational concepts; and an in-person, one-day event that allows participants to interact with their peers and local experts to develop a green infrastructure strategy. You will learn how to describe how green or natural infrastructure contributes to reducing the impacts of hazards and building resilience; analyze considerations for choosing and planning green or natural infrastructure projects; identify and assess approaches for successful implementation; and identify local green or natural infrastructure projects and connect with local experts who can provide additional information and guidance. This course offers six hours of certification maintenance credits through the American Institute of Certified Planners, as well as five core continuing education credits for certified floodplain managers through the Association of State Floodplain Managers.

The United Nations Development Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations joined in 2017 to launch an online course on climate change and agriculture. The six-week course in partnership with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research featured leading global experts on climate change, finance, agriculture, and communications. The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) happened in parallel with the 23rd Conference of the Parties (COP23) in Bonn, Germany. The learning materials are now presented as part of the joint effort between all parties involved in the MOOC.

This online module series aims to increase the capacity of municipal decision makers to make effective choices supporting resilience to the impacts from climate change. Considering current and future impacts helps shape decisions that enhance the health, safety, and welfare of Rhode Island’s communities. The brief modules provide an understanding of the implications of a changing climate in Rhode Island. Each module consists of a voice-over PowerPoint, speaker notes, and a resources document. Relevant examples and lessons learned from Rhode Island communities are included, as well as ways to use various resources and tools in decision making. PREP-RI builds upon existing state efforts and is the product of collaboration among experts from a variety of fields. While this series is primarily geared toward coastal municipalities, much of the information will be helpful for inland communities as well as other public- and private-sector stakeholders throughout the state.