U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit

The practices described in this handout can be used to reduce flooding and help communities design a green infrastructure strategy. It should be noted that while green infrastructure practices make communities more resilient, flooding might not be totally alleviated. Topics explored in this training include green infrastructure practices, considerations for planning and implementation, and guidance on estimating storage potential and costs. This document is a companion piece to the NOAA's Process Guide for Assessing Costs and Benefits of Green Infrastructure for Flood Mitigation.

When communities reduce flood risk, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) can offer discounts on flood insurance premiums for policyholders. Participant communities in FEMA’s Community Rating System receive credits to determine the amount. One way to earn credits is by preserving floodplains. Conserving this open space and implementing land use policies that encourage development away from wetlands, dunes, and other naturally protective features allows a floodplain to serve its natural function and absorb excess water during a flood event. This “how-to” provides a step-by-step approach for earning this credit in areas that are already protected, and identifying places where additional credit could be earned through future preservation efforts. It also provides templates and worksheets to compile verification information. The steps draw from FEMA’s Community Rating System Coordinator’s Manual, and reference related elements in other Community Rating System activities, such as floodplain mapping.

The goal of this training is to improve the practice of climate resilience planning by incorporating the needs and perspectives of populations that are especially vulnerable to changing climate conditions, many of whom are historically underrepresented in civic decision-making. The target audience is any professional, elected, or appointed official or community leader engaged in climate planning at the state or local level. While this training focuses on climate resilience planning, the approach is applicable to resilience planning in any geographical context.

To plan successfully, communities need to understand the options for addressing flood-related issues and their associated costs. This guide lays out a six-step watershed-based approach for documenting the costs of flooding, projecting increased flooding and associated costs under future land use and climate conditions, and calculating the long-term benefits and costs of a green infrastructure approach. The guide draws from four case studies (Duluth, Minnesota; Toledo, Ohio; Green Bay, Wisconsin; and He‘eia, Hawaii) to provide key considerations, recommended expertise, practical implementation tips, and lessons learned.

The objective of this training is to enable National Weather Service field staff to identify appropriate sources of climate data, products, and information. This is the first of six Professional Competency Units (PCU) in the National Weather Service Climate Services Professional Development Series. Note that there is a second component of this PCU that includes an in-person Operational Climate Services Residence Training.

The objective of this training is to familiarize National Weather Service field staff with important aspects of climate variability used in climate monitoring and prediction, and climate change in order to support field-level messaging and decision support services. This is the second of six Professional Competency Units (PCU) in the National Weather Service Climate Services Professional Development Series.

The objective of this training is to enable National Weather Service field staff understand the need for accurate, consistent, timely, and quality controlled observational data. They will also learn that the stewardship of this data is important not only for the current users but also for those that will be looking at the archive of the observational record. This will include learning how the observational record fits into the NOAA mission and who the users of the data are. This is the final of six Professional Competency Units (PCU) in the National Weather Service Climate Services Professional Development Series.

The purpose of this training module is to enable National Weather Service field staff to integrate knowledge, skills, and abilities obtained in PCUs 1 through 4 and 6 to respond to users in a concise and timely manner. Field staff must also inform partners and citizens on the availability and use of NOAA climate products and services. This is the fifth of six Professional Competency Units (PCU) in the National Weather Service Climate Services Professional Development Series.

The objective of this training module is to enable National Weather Service staff to extend their knowledge of NOAA climate products, tools, and services in order to provide locally-tailored products, services, and studies to local partners, stakeholders, and users. This is the fourth of six Professional Competency Units (PCU) in the National Weather Service Climate Services Professional Development Series.

The objective of this training is to enable National Weather Service field staff to correctly locate and interpret the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) product suite, including outlooks and monitoring products. They will also need to explain the basis of the CPC forecast techniques and communicate the performance characteristics of the tools and forecasts. This is the third of six Professional Competency Units (PCU) in the National Weather Service Climate Services Professional Development Series.