How Can Cities Become More Resilient to Extreme Weather?
Channel: eesionline
Date: 2017-09-14

More information: http://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/091117resilientcities

Mayors are on the front lines when natural disasters and other catastrophic events threaten lives and property. The National League of Cities (NLC) and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing about what cities throughout the United States are doing to protect their communities by investing in resilience. 

SPEAKERS:

William Peduto
Mayor, City of Pittsburgh (PA)
Skip to presentation: https://youtu.be/omZPumGlyak?t=5m26s

Nicole Antonopoulos Woodman
Sustainability Manager, City of Flagstaff (AZ)
Skip to presentation: https://youtu.be/omZPumGlyak?t=17m32s
Download Slides: http://www.eesi.org/files/091117_Nicole_Antonopoulos_Woodman.pdf

Cooper Martin
Program Director, Sustainable Cities Institute, National League of Cities
Skip to presentation: https://youtu.be/omZPumGlyak?t=30m7s
Download Slides: http://www.eesi.org/files/091117_Cooper_Martin.pdf

Q&A Session:
https://youtu.be/omZPumGlyak?t=45m21s

Infrastructure dollars are only part of the story. Equally important is funding for planning that accounts for new weather patterns with more severe impacts than we’ve seen in the past and preemptive action to keep people and structures safe and functional. Coordinating land use; updating building codes; and strengthening social networks, lifelines and communications are just a few examples. These investments are resulting in additional community benefits: lower monthly expenses for households, businesses, and the city itself; the protection and restoration of natural resources; and local economic growth and job creation.

The United States is experiencing more heat waves, more heavy downpours, more floods, and more droughts, according to the 2014 National Climate Assessment. Tropical cyclones cause the most damage—more than $580 billion since 1980, followed by droughts ($232 billion), severe storms ($200 billion), and inland flooding ($118 billion). More than 9,600 Americans have lost their lives in the 212 largest weather disasters since 1980. Certainly the enormous disaster in Texas is weighing heavily on the hearts of Americans across the country.

This briefing's speakers showcased some of the concrete, actionable steps their cities are taking to reduce their vulnerability to extreme weather and the costly and deadly impacts of these events, and shared lessons learned.

Selected as one of the Rockefeller Foundation's 100 Resilient Cities in 2014, Pittsburgh was able to hire a Chief Resilience Officer, who is tasked with implementing the city's resilience plan. In 2012, Flagstaff, AZ, completed its Resiliency and Preparedness Study to assess the vulnerability of 115 of its critical, weather-impacted operations and has begun work on a Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. NLC’s Leadership in Community Resilience Program provided technical assistance in 10 cities to help strengthen local resilience initiatives.

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This briefing was the fourth in a series in partnership with the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) on "Building Resilient and Secure Infrastructure." Other briefings will examine building materials and methods, the role of national labs and federal R&D spending, and coastal resilience.