Mark Peterson - Host:

I am Mark Peterson, and this is "Before, During, and After: A Podcast from FEMA." Natural disasters can be a stressful and traumatic time for anyone, but they can be especially devastating to vulnerable communities who have been historically underserved. Today, we'll discuss how FEMA is working to build resilience across the country by designating community disaster resilience zones. To explain more about this new and extremely exciting program, I'm joined by individuals at the FEMA headquarters level, as well as the regional level, that are working hard to build this program in a way that is holistic and tailored to the communities that we seek to serve. So, as we continue our efforts to build resilience across the country, FEMA is designating community disaster resilience zones. And so, to talk about the community disaster resilience zones, I am so thrilled to be joined by Samantha Medlock, the Assistant Administrator for Resilience Strategy. Sam, thanks so much for joining me.

Samantha Medlock:

Thank you for having us, Mark, great to be with you.

Mark Peterson - Host:

And then also, a person who is no stranger to the podcast, Pam Williams, the Assistant Administrator for FEMA's Grant Programs Director. Pam, thanks for joining me again. It's great to see you.

Pam Williams:

Great to be here again, Mark. Thank you.

Mark Peterson - Host:

And then, our colleagues to the south in Region 7, out of Kansas City, Andrea Spillers, who is the Regional Administrator for FEMA Region 7. Thanks so much for joining me. I, I say to the south because I'm, I'm located in FEMA Region 5, just north in Chicago. But Andrea, it's so great to see you. Thanks for joining me.

Andrea Spillers:

Thank you, Mark. I'm, I'm glad to be here. And although we're at the South, we're about four degrees outside, so it's not feeling very southerly, but yeah, great to be here.

Mark Peterson - Host:

Yeah. So, Sam, I wanna start off with you just to set the stage. It's a, a really straightforward and simple question here. What are community disaster resilience zones?

Samantha Medlock:

Sure. So, in 2022, President Biden signed the Community Disaster Resilience Zones Act into law. This Act requires the president, who is delegated authority to FEMA, to identify the communities that are most vulnerable to natural hazards. So, those that are most at risk and those that are most in need, and designate those as community disaster resilient zones, or what we call CDRZ. This new law actually amends the Stafford Act, the law that provides the framework for how the federal government responds to disasters and works with our tribal, state, local, and territorial governments in times of disaster. So, these designated zones will be eligible to receive targeted support and access to federal funding for resilience projects that will help them reduce impacts caused by natural hazards and the impacts of climate change. So, for example, mitigation projects that are within or primarily benefiting a CDRZ are eligible for an increased federal cost share through FEMA's building resilient infrastructure in communities or BRIC grant program. The intention is for FEMA's designation of these zones to encourage other federal agencies and private sector partners to direct funding and attention on these zones, to strengthen their resilience. So, I really wanna emphasize that CDRZ is much bigger than just FEMA. It is a partnership. It is a movement.

Mark Peterson - Host:

Yeah. And I'm excited to talk a little bit more about some of the specifics of those zones. And, and, and really you know, as we are engaging in this effort of building this resilience, I'm, I'm really just excited to learn more about the CDRZ effort and also how it really relates to the partners that we work with in the regions here. So, it's a great definition, Sam, of getting us to the point of understanding this, the basics of CDRZ. But Pam, how do we determine where those zones are?

Pam Williams:

Sure. That's a really important question. Interestingly, though, the law specifically requires that we identify zones at the census tract level. So, when we're talking about a zone, we are going to be talking about census tracts. First, to identify census tract as a CDRZ, we are going to draw on something that we call, here at FEMA, the National Risk Index, or the NRI. This index is actually a fantastic tool that helps us figure out where resources are most needed and where they can make the biggest impact. It is an online mapping application that anyone can use that identifies communities at risk to natural hazards. The NRI reduces the cost of risk assessments to communities, allowing them to prioritize action and investments. It provides a national baseline risk assessment with free and comprehensive data across the United States. It also incorporates social vulnerability and community resilience, facilitating easy and effective dialogue around all natural hazards risk for a community. In addition to the National Risk Index, we also used for CDRZ, the White House Council on Environmental Quality Climate and Environmental Justice Screening Tool, or Cejst. Cejst also works at the census tract level and identifies communities that are disadvantaged because they are overburdened and underserved. So, just like Sam said, these CDRZ communities represent are most in need and are most at risk. Yeah.

Andrea Spillers:

And Mark, just to kind of put a even finer point on that, like Pam said, so with a data driven approach, so using both the NRI and Cejst, our ultimate goal is to designate those areas that are two things. One, the most at risk for climate related impacts, and secondly are, the most in need. So, that's, that's a, a, you know, a, a calculation that really needs to be data driven. But we're also working really closely with our state partners, other partners in the community, stakeholders to get their input. Because, to make sure that we really, we are really getting those resources and the designations in the right places to the right communities, we need to make sure they're meeting that criteria. And it's really the boots on the ground, our partners in the communities, that know that best.

Mark Peterson - Host:

So, from your perspective, as if we're following census tracts, the CDRZ zones may not be exclusively defined to one political jurisdiction, say county, community. So presumably, there'll be a number of CDRZ zones that cross those jurisdictions, and therefore we would have to holistically look at multiple jurisdictions and how they might address the areas. Right.

Samantha Medlock:

I think you've got it exactly right. Pam is leading the work on those designations and working closely with the teams. But yes, by, by adhering to census tracts, it involves working with multiple partners, whether that may be multiple local jurisdictions or counties territories and, and tribes. But I know Pam and Andrea also have thoughts on this.

Andrea Spillers:

Yeah, and I would just say, you know, that's one of those things where it, it's really important to work with our state partners and at that community level because, you know, if you're talking about a census tract that is in a county, it's next to a municipality. I mean, you're gonna wanna work with all of those stakeholders 'cause it's gonna impact not only the county, but the local area that it's in.

Mark Peterson - Host:

So, I mean, it's, it's just really clear that there's a lot of information that's considered when designating these zones. So, Pam, giving you an example, where are they?

Pam Williams:

Well, on September 6th, we announced our very first designation of 483 zones across the country. These included every state and the District of Columbia and actually represent a great geographical balance of zones that reflect our entire country. This included coastal, inland, urban, suburban, rural areas. And we're really looking forward to our next designations, which are going to be our tribal lands and our US territories, which are coming very soon. So, you can see the specific zones through an interactive map on our website. So, just go to fema.gov/crdz. So, CDRZ. The mapping platform allows you to zoom in and filter and see these zones by state and county. And it's overlaid with that national risk index data. So, you can see the information right there and learn specifically about the risks and the vulnerabilities impacting those areas. And we hope to designate more of these rounds of zones in the next 12 to 18 months that have been informed by the feedback we've been getting from our public and our partners and ready updates to the National Risk Index, so that we're relying on the best available data of risk and vulnerability.

Pam Williams:

While we plan to continue to refine our methodology, we will continue to use our data-driven approach, designating these most in need zones that face a variety of everchanging climate risk. So, moving forward, based on the lessons learned, particularly from these first cohorts, we're gonna decide on the frequency of future designations. Each zone is designated for a period of five years, but what's really gonna be important is how we measure the increase of resiliency in the zones. How are we actually shifting the needle of resiliency in these communities? We know that these conversations are so very, very intimate and it's hard. So how are we gonna measure it?

Mark Peterson - Host:

So, we've talked about, you know, what the concept for community disaster resilience zones is and how they're defined. So Sam, what do we hope to achieve? What are the goals for these zones?

Samantha Medlock:

Sure. The designation is just the beginning of the story. FEMA is tasked by Congress to lead the nation in building resilience. And we intend to leverage the community disaster resilience zones to build awareness with other agencies and the private sector of those communities that have the highest risk. And we really wanna assure our communities and partners that are most threatened by climate change and disasters. And the most economically vulnerable communities have the support, the resources, and the opportunities they need to improve their resilience. So, this helps us go beyond the general understanding of physical and social characteristics of risk. By using the National Risk Index and the Cejst tool, we are able to focus energy and resources on a more precise geography of where our most vulnerable communities are located. So, we can be proactive by offering assistance to these zones rather than waiting to respond to their requests.

New Speaker:

It's really exciting also to see this catalyze action across the federal government. So, we're thrilled to have already secured commitments of technical and financial assistance from other federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Transportation and Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Small Business Administration. For example, NOAA will make an award for the Climate Smart Communities Initiative program that was funded by the Inflation Reduction Act to accelerate the pace and reduce the cost of climate resilience building for communities across the United States. This program will work with communities to co-develop equitable climate resilience plans that can be ready for funding and implementation. The priority is to assist communities that are at the highest risk to climate impacts and natural hazards, and have the greatest need for assistance, including, of course, FEMA's identified community disaster resilience zones.

Andrea Spillers:

And I think it's, it's really worthwhile here to kind of stop and highlight and emphasize that we really have, right now, a historic level of resources available for communities. So, through the bipartisan infrastructure law through some of the other efforts and initiatives, we have not seen this level of funding in, in, certainly in our lifetime to build resiliency. So, that's key here. But as significant as that amount of funding and resources are, it's still not going to be enough. So, if you think in terms of building climate and disaster resilience for our nation's most vulnerable populations, that is a really complex undertaking. It's going to require a lot of funding, a lot of partnership a lot of coordination. So, no single entity has the resources. No single entity has the authority to bring to bear, you know, that kind of transformational change that we need to make our communities more resilient. So, our vision, really, for this initiative is to harness that power of collaboration. So cross-sector coordination really communicating with all of the, the areas that could bring kind of resources to bear, you know, what are we gonna bring to the fight, here. So that means convening partners, not just across our government agencies, but nonprofits, universities, private sectors. So, all of those entities that have resources to help communities really achieve those transformational, really changes, that were, that is possible here with CDRZ.

Mark Peterson - Host:

I think that's incredibly well said. I mean, and, and also I think it, it's relatable to recovery efforts. You know, we can bring in a lot of money, but at the end of the day, it, it takes all of the entities coming together to come up with a strategic way of recovering. And it, I, I'm assuming it's a very similar notion for resilience programs, as well. Beause You can have all the money in the world, but you also have to drive it towards action. And so Sam, you know, after we've identified these zones, obviously that goal is to open the door for the funding that will ultimately drive action, the funding from a variety of different sources. And one of the things that Andrea mentioned is the private sector these non-governmental entities. How will the private sector play a role in CDRZ?

Samantha Medlock:

Sure, it's gonna be a big role. There's just not enough public funding to meet the need. CDRZ was designed to drive non-federal resilience investments through philanthropy and other private investments. So, we're engaging with the public and other stakeholder groups on how to go about doing this. For example, the private capital markets are looking for new ways to support climate-related investments, testing innovative financial instruments like resilience bonds that can capture savings on increased resilience in pricing, seeking to raise capital specifically for climate resilience investments.

Andrea Spillers:

And, and I would just add to that, you know, we're, we're talking about some really out of the box thinking. So, you know, all of these different sectors. So, the insurance sector, that's another area where there's a lot of opportunity and potential for investments in the infrastructure for these zones. So, building resilience through investment in, in, in the insurance sector. Financial institutions. So, there's another area that is also positioned to play what could be a really critical role in leveraging funding for these zones. So, you know, bringing the level of transformational support to CDRZ, knowing that these designations are going to bring the attention, bring the resources that are available in a very focused and intentional and deliberate way. So, efforts are already underway to help support those types of investments. So, financial, market, insurance. So, for example right now, a new resilience assessment tool is actually being beta tested for lending programs. So, there's a lot of exciting stuff that's happening for CDRZ, and it's very inspirational to be kind of boots on the ground for this.

Pam Williams:

Yeah, and, and just like Sam mentioned, the commitments that we've already received from some of our federal partners. We already have some commitments from private sector partners that have expressed both, both an interest and an intent to support these CDRZ designated zones. We recently held two national webinars to introduce CDRZ to the public that had well over 200 organizations and close to 2000 individuals in attendance. We're really looking forward to continuing to engage these partners with continued outreach and seeing really what the potential of bringing together these public and private partners are going to realize.

Mark Peterson - Host:

Going back to some of the things that Andrea hit on is a thematic here. You know, it really sounds like this is a coordinated and holistic approach to building community resilience in these specific zones. Is there a better way to say that, Sam?

Samantha Medlock:

I think you're spot on that that is exactly right. I'd even go further and say that it's a systemic holistic approach. There's a really complex relationship between risk and exposure, social vulnerability and resilience factors that really can't be well addressed by uncoordinated actions through isolated organizations. Whether we see really great leadership coming through, local leaders on the ground, really great initiatives through the federal government, great things happening across the private sector and philanthropy, but it's really necessary to achieve that collective impact, to have a systemic approach that focuses on the relationships between organizations and communities and that collective progress toward shared objectives. So, we are working to coordinate across all sectors on a common agenda, shared metrics, right? How are we measuring progress? How are we measuring risk? How are we measuring resilience and that continuous communication and improvement? So, this isn't to say that each organization's activities are mandated by the CDRZ program, far from it from, but we all need to be working toward that overarching goal of building community resilience.

New Speaker:

And CDRZ can provide a framework for achieving that and measuring that progress so it can be duplicated even beyond the 483 zones that have been designated so far.

Pam Williams:

Sam, that is so very well said. It, it really comes back to finding ways that we can make that biggest impact, which is really gonna come down to how we're using that data, how we're building capacity, and how we are providing these communities what they need at that ground level and meeting them where they are truly, truly, truly doing that community-based planning. And that's pretty exciting that we finally have some really amazing tools to help us build that framework.

Andrea Spillers:

Yeah. And, and, and just to segue off of, of what you just said, Pamela, a question that Mark had earlier. You know, it really is all about making sure those communities have access, right? So accessibility and how do we, you know, this is not a one size fits all. How, how do we build a framework that's not too rigid so that under underserved communities are not, don't have the capacity to access it, we have to adapt to the circumstances of each community. And, you know, that can be anything from recognizing their unique challenges. They have vulnerable populations, but really it has to be community driven, but with, with a framework that ensures that we are coordinated and collaborating within the federal government, with our state partners, with the private sector, with NGOs, so that we are creating a framework that makes it more accessible to the very communities that they're designed to help. So, you know, CDRZ is not just about FEMA. In fact, CDRZ is, is far beyond FEMA. It, it is a tool to prioritize investments in those most vulnerable communities where we are driving and, and striving to ensure that they have the resilience that the, that the designations are intended to provide. So, CDRZ will go a long way to making communities more resilient. Ultimately, the goal is to make the entire country more resilient.

Mark Peterson - Host:

I mean, this is no doubt, an extremely exciting time in the nation as we invest in infrastructure and resilience everywhere, and specifically in these community disaster resilience zones. It's such an opportunity. But I keep thinking as, as I'm listening to the vision, it could be very overwhelming for some of our states and communities, because we're not just talking about one federal agency that might come in and have resources available. We're really talking about this holistic approach of really making a strategic impact for the better. And so how will we be connecting with, maybe it's not, we, maybe it's not FEMA. Maybe it's a larger effort that's gonna instill this framework with the communities. How do we put this into action?

Speaker 3:

So, Mark, I can just speak to what we're doing here in our region. We're, we're actually building a regional interagency coordination group for that very purpose. We, we are basically coordinating ourselves. So, we are making sure that all of the right players are at the table. So, as we figure out what all of the funding and resources are, technical assistance, all of those things that we figured it out with across the government, NGOs, and then as a collaborative, working with those communities so the community doesn't have to figure out how to coordinate all those resources. We we're, we're providing those tools and technical assistance. So, that's something we're really focused on in our region. We have a lot of collaboration now with our other federal partners at HUD, at EPA, at HHS, at, at USACE, at NOAA. So, each of those agencies have funds and resources to bring to bear to CDRZ communities. So, we are collectively figuring out how to coordinate those before we go and, and speak directly with those communities through our, with our state

Pam Williams:

Partners. You know, Mark, it, it truly is leveraging the skills that, that FEMA has built over years and years and years of disaster coordination, right? It, and it's what we do best. We have phenomenal relationships across the federal family, and particularly in our regions. We know these communities very well and know their needs, their challenges, and really have some of the best relationships to try to help drive some really good resources into those situations. And so, just like Andrea said, are in a really good position not to mandate what they need, but to help facilitate some really, really great relationships. But on the other hand, we also have some tremendous partners that are coming to the table saying, how can we come to the table and help be navigators, help these communities, and particularly very vulnerable communities or communities that are in a situation where they may have a challenge trusting some government agencies and sit shoulder to shoulder with them, help bring the right people to the table to tackle really tough programs and really tough problems.

New Speaker:

Be that education, employment, homelessness, right? Like, and these are not things that FEMA is at all an expert in, but, help bring the right people to the table to tackle really tough programs and see what resources may exist in ways that FEMA has not even before contemplated. And it's just a really exciting opportunity for us to tackle things in ways that we never have before contemplated.

Samantha Medlock:

That's exactly right. And I, I would add, as a, as a former local and regional official, every, every CDRZ that is designated, every jurisdiction that has CDRZ within its jurisdiction is a unique landscape that, that warrants a tailored approach toward identifying and managing risk, but in a way that's not dictated from Washington, but instead coming up through the grassroots. And that's why I'm so excited to see the leadership that Andrea is showing there for Region 7, because our regional leaders are so much closer to the action and have a much better understanding of what those local cultures are.

New Speaker:

What is the, the local tolerance around risk, what are those local and regional objectives that those local leaders have come together to identify. CDRZ is designed to catalyze these kinds of relationships and conversations. But I do think that it's going to unfold in a very holistic and grassroots way. It cannot and should not be top down. It really must bubble up from the grassroots in ways that our regional leaders are able to manage and coordinate and support. And this works as Pam noted across these interagency programs with those partnerships with philanthropy and the private sector and our nonprofits and universities, that is not only about moving funding, which is critical, but really importantly also about deploying skilled and sustained technical assistance to help those communities get underway where they are overwhelmed and just don't even know where to start. So, I, it's an exciting time, but one that FEMA is certainly going about implementing in a programmatic way. This was after all an act of Congress, but at the end of the day, we're also going about this providing the flexibility for what is a movement that is already underway and promises to deliver the resources that, that are identified locally and and accelerating the deployment of those resources.

Andrea Spillers:

And, and Mark, I would just segue off of what Sam just said. I would say one of the things that is, is really important for us in implementing and executing on CDRZ is to, to think more outside of our, of traditional partners. So, you know, you think about the partners who know their infrastructure needs the best. That's the Public Works folks. So, you know, bringing in public works, bringing in the League of Municipalities, so bringing in those non-traditional partners necessarily for that are not emergency management partners, but really know their infrastructure needs. And bringing that piece of the puzzle together when we're talking about CDRZ communities within the emergency management community.

Mark Peterson - Host:

I said this before, but it, there's no doubt that this is a really, an exciting time and it's been really great to learn more about the community disaster resilience zone programs. Because you know, ultimately, I think all of us can echo this. You know, at FEMA we are charged with building a more resilient nation. And that's not just FEMA, that's leading a way for other agencies to step in and support communities and for communities to identify their needs and, and see what makes the most sense for them. And it's clear from the discussion that, that, you know, we just had about the community disaster resilience zones that it's designed, the program is designed to do just that. So, Sam, Andrea, Pam, thank you so much for your time today. I really appreciate you know, talking through the program 'cause I think it's gonna benefit a lot of communities.

New Speaker:

Thanks for listening to this episode of "Before, During, and After: A Podcast from FEMA." If you'd like to learn more about this episode or other topics, or have ideas for future episodes, visit us at fema.gov/podcast.