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Weathering ChangePlanning for Future Risk and Resilience | | |
Hello there,
As communities prepare for another summer with enhanced risk from extreme heat, wildfires, flooding, and severe storms, the extent of resilience work is becoming broader—and more practical. Increasingly, state and local leaders are asking not only how to rebuild after disasters but also how to reduce risk before they occur, coordinate across agencies, and protect residents' health, homes, infrastructure, and local economies.
In this edition of Weathering Change, we look at that shift from several angles: how states are connecting disaster resilience and public health; how Alabama and Utah are strengthening long-term risk reduction; and how parks, wildfire toolkits, federal funding, and safer rebuilding guidance can help communities prepare before the next disaster.
We hope you find this May edition useful, and as always, please let us know if you're working on something innovative that we should highlight in a future newsletter. | | |
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The Intersection of Disasters and Public Health |
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States are increasingly seeing disasters not only as infrastructure challenges but also as public health challenges—with heat, wildfire smoke, flooding, and repeated emergencies straining residents and response systems alike.
This broader approach helps support:
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Stronger public health planning by encouraging states to account for health impacts such as heat illness, respiratory problems from wildfire smoke, disrupted care, and stress on emergency responders and public health systems. |
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Better coordination across agencies by highlighting how resilience, emergency management, public health, and community partners can work together before disasters occur, especially when multiple hazards overlap or happen in quick succession. |
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More targeted responses to extreme heat. New Jersey's Extreme Heat Resilience Action Plan, developed with input from 26 agencies, is one example of how states can expand cooling centers, improve public communication, strengthen energy reliability, and coordinate across government. | |
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WHAT ELSE WE'RE WORKING ON |
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As communities grapple with changing weather patterns, many are turning to nature-based solutions—such as greenways, river buffers, and wetlands.
In a recent video from The Pew Charitable Trusts, Mike Wharton, of the Athens-Clarke County Sustainability Office, explained how these approaches work with natural systems to manage flooding, reduce urban heat, improve water quality, and create inviting public spaces. |
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Alabama has enacted a new law to strengthen long-term disaster resilience. The law creates a new Office of Risk and Resilience and chief resilience officer position, mandates development of a new statewide resilience plan, and codifies a cross-agency council to help coordinate proactive risk reduction.
Pew commended Governor Kay Ivey (R) and members of the state legislature for advancing a practical framework to better protect communities, infrastructure, and the state economy. |
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As wildfire risk grows more severe and expensive across the West, Utah is changing how it funds and coordinates prevention, preparedness, mitigation, and suppression.
In a Pew Q&A, State Forester Jamie Barnes explained how recent legislation is helping the state support larger-scale risk reduction projects, strengthen coordination with local governments, and provide more reliable funding before wildfire costs escalate. |
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WHAT CAUGHT OUR ATTENTION |
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BRIC Is Critical for U.S. National Security. After a Yearlong Legal Battle, It's Back |
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Carnegie Endowment for International Peace |
The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA's) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program has been reinstated after a yearlong legal battle, restoring a major federal funding pathway for predisaster mitigation projects. This Q&A frames BRIC as a resilience tool and a national security priority—while noting that the program still needs to improve its reach with lower-capacity communities that may have limited resources.
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Recreation and Resilience: When Parks Do Double Duty |
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Resources for the Future |
Stormwater parks can help communities manage flooding while also providing trails, playgrounds, green space, and other public amenities. This report looks at projects in Atlanta, Houston, and Virginia Beach, showing how local leaders combined funding, cross-agency coordination, larger flood strategies, and specialized maintenance to make parks work as both recreation assets and resilience infrastructure.
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Nebraska Is Battling Its Largest Wildfires in History. Worse May Be Yet to Come |
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Scientific American |
Nebraska's historic wildfires have burned roughly 800,000 acres, driven by drought, low humidity, high winds, and unusually warm temperatures. The fires are a reminder that wildfire risk is not confined to the West or to a narrow season. These fires underscore the need for year-round planning, land management, and coordinated response capacity in more parts of the country.
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Louisiana Has an Opportunity and Need to Pioneer Relocation Efforts, Study Finds |
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Nature Sustainability |
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A new study suggests that sea-level rise, wetland loss, and land subsidence will make long-term relocation from parts of the New Orleans region increasingly unavoidable. The piece underscores how difficult—and necessary—early planning for managed retreat can be, especially in places where culture, economy, infrastructure, and community identity are deeply tied to high-risk landscapes. | | |
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NEWS YOU CAN USE |
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FEMA Review Council Issues Final Report |
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Department of Homeland Security |
On May 7, the FEMA Review Council released its final report, which includes recommendations to revamp the agency's approaches to disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. See more here.
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New Toolkit Helps Communities Reduce Wildfire Risk |
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Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety |
The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety and the American Property Casualty Insurance Association released a new Community Wildfire Risk Reduction Program Framework to help local governments, fire services, and community organizations launch and sustain coordinated mitigation programs.
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Report: "Rebuilding Safer" |
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Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) |
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NRDC's new resource offers guidance for rebuilding in ways that reduce future risk rather than simply restoring what was damaged. It can be useful for residents, local officials, and advocates looking for practical steps to improve safety after disasters. The guidance includes stronger standards, smarter siting decisions, and mitigation approaches that help communities avoid repeated losses. | | |
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When Weathering Change returns in July, summer will be well underway—and with it, many of the risks highlighted in this edition, from extreme heat and wildfire to flooding and severe storms. In the meantime, you can read more about Pew’s disaster resilience work here, and don’t hesitate to
e-mail us with any questions, thoughts, or updates you may have.
Best, |
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Mathew Sanders
U.S. Conservation, state resilience policy
The Pew Charitable Trusts
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Forbes Tompkins
U.S. Conservation, federal resilience policy
The Pew Charitable Trusts
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