Prioritize & Plan

Coastal Community Resilience Planning Guide — Louisiana

This guide helps coastal communities envision what a changing climate means for the community and to lay the foundation for developing strategies to address emerging challenges.

The guide uses free online tools and data sets to step users through a risk and vulnerability assessment for their coastal community. It is intended to be used by local officials and government staff, community groups, or other stakeholders, and is flexible enough to facilitate conversations around a broad spectrum of resilience-related issues.

Adapt Alaska

Adapt Alaska provides newcomers to climate adaptation in Alaska a wealth of resources for initiating the process. Climate change impacts threaten both coastal and inland communities across the state. Animal and human populations are under threat fromexposed to flooding, changing shorelines, acidification of ocean waters, melting ice, and more. Adapt Alaska was created to inform decision-makers of all the resources available to them to help combat these problems.

The site features 3 main sections:

Explore changes

Dibaginjigaadeg Anishinaabe Ezhitwaad: A Tribal Climate Adaptation Menu

This tool is designed to align with the Adaptation Workbook and adaptation menus published in Forest Adaptation Resources: Climate Change Tools and Approaches for Land Managers. This frequently used resource is also known as the NIACS (Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science) Adaptation Workbook.

Climate Change Response Framework

The Climate Change Response Framework is a collaborative effort that addresses the major challenges that land managers face when considering how to integrate climate change into their planning and management, bridging the gap between scientific research on climate change impacts and on-the-ground natural resource management. The Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS) leads the Framework, with support from many partners (see partial list, and a link to the full list, at right).

Building Resilience in the OBX

Nags Head can't ignore the rising sea

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Dare County, in North Carolina’s Outer Banks—known colloquially as "the OBX"—is a dynamic barrier island chain that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean. The Town of Nags Head, located in the northern portion of the Outer Banks, is a unique coastal community steeped in culture, history, and rich in natural resources. Residents are resilient: they enjoy the setting, and they've become accustomed to the winds, storms, and other coastal hazards that shape their environment.

All Hands on Deck: Creating Green Infrastructure to Combat Flooding in Toledo

Unique location, unique problems

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The city of Toledo, Ohio, was built on a low-lying area formerly known as the Great Black Swamp. Situated in the southwestern crook of Lake Erie, the city spans both sides of the Maumee River. Numerous creeks, tributaries, and drainage ditches flow to Lake Erie through the city and surrounding area. The city's relatively low elevation and its proximity to so much water make it highly susceptible to flooding.

Aquifer Storage and Recovery: A Strategy for Long-Term Water Security in Puerto Rico

Drought leads to a water crisis in Salinas

Salinas, a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico, has a history of water concerns.

Thriving Earth Exchange (TEX)

This program from the American Geophysical Union (AGU) helps volunteer scientists and community leaders work together to use science, especially Earth and space science, to tackle community issues and advance local priorities related to natural hazards, natural resources, and climate change. Goals of the program include launching 100 partnerships, engaging over 100 AGU members, catalyzing 100 shareable solutions, and improving the lives of 10 million people by 2019. The program focuses on:

Defending in Place: Shaktoolik's Adaptation Plan Supports Local Decision Making

Shaktoolik’s enduring appeal

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Located on Alaska's Norton Sound near two freshwater rivers (the Shaktoolik and the Tagoomenik), Shaktoolik is within walking distance to innumerable freshwater ponds. The location's easy access to abundant natural resources makes it obvious why many generations of Alaska Natives have chosen to live in this region.

Gulf TREE (Tools for Resilience Exploration Engine)

Gulf TREE (Tools for Resilience Exploration Engine) is a search engine; it uses a decision-support tree to match Gulf Coast users with relevant climate resilience tools. The brief set of questions help users quickly, easily, and confidently sift through the plethora of resilience-building tools to help them find one (or more) tools that are most relevant to their needs.

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