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National Adaptation Forum Virtual Series: Moving Toward Preparedness for Extreme Weather Events

Dec 2024 - Jan 2025 • Virtual

This five-part virtual series, Moving Toward Preparedness for Extreme Weather Events, hosted by the National Adaptation Forum, features U.S. experts discussing strategies to enhance community resilience and preparedness for extreme weather. The series aims to highlight innovative approaches to disaster preparedness and their integration into long-term climate adaptation planning.

Find all recordings for this series here.

Session One: Enhancing the Preparedness and Resilience of Communities Before Disasters Strike: the Case of Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico

Watch the recording here.

In this session, the panelists discuss preparedness and resilience efforts rooted in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico as well as those in other regions of the United States, including Florida and Texas. The session explores insights on how to place communities at the heart of preparedness planning with representatives from the Community Resilience Research Innovation and Advocacy Center (CCRIA), the Latino Resilience Hub Network, and community-based research groups in Puerto Rico.

SPEAKERS

Cecilio Ortiz-Garcia, Professor, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Marla Perez-Lugo, Professor, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Ivis Garcia, Associate Professor, Texas A&M University
José Rodriguez, Deputy Director, Alianza Center

MODERATOR

Fernando I. Rivera, Director & Professor, Puerto Rico Research Hub- University of Central Florida

When: Rescheduled - December 3, 2024 | 12:00 am – 2:00 pm PT

Session Two: The Importance of Small Business Continuity Planning When Preparing for Extreme Weather Events

Watch the recording here.

Business continuity planning is a critical and often overlooked component of extreme weather preparedness. In this session, hosted by the National Adaptation Forum's Virtual Forum, the speakers describe business continuity planning, why it’s important to community-level resilience, and share examples from across the country. Peter Plumeau (Reframe Lab) offers insights and examples from the “ClimateReadyVT” program, which helps Vermont small businesses create climate resilience strategies and action plans. ClimateReadyVT is hosted by Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR) and designed and facilitated by Reframe Lab, LLC. Tracie Sempier (Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium) focuses on how your community can partner with local businesses to ensure they are ready for storm events utilizing a Business Continuity Plan (i.e., resources are staged before/after disaster events, flood zones are identified). Tracie discusses planning strategies to enhance a business’s ability to recover after natural or man-made disasters, including distribution of goods, cross-training staff, and obtaining necessary re-entry passes.

SPEAKERS

Peter Plumeau, Partner, Reframe Lab
Tracie Sempier, Resilience Engagement Lead, Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium

MODERATOR

Daniella Rolle, National Adaptation Forum Program Associate, EcoAdapt and CivicSpark Fellow, CivicSpark

When: October 22, 2024 | 11:30 am – 1:30 pm PT

Session Three: Harvesting Strategies from the Agriculture Sector to Enhance Climate-Amplified Disaster Preparedness

Watch the recording here.

As extreme heat events become more frequent, we need adaptation solutions to meet the needs to prepare for these events across scales and sectors. Rose Olivas (Pitzer College) discusses the dual use of land for agriculture and solar energy. She presents how agrivoltaics can be designed for agricultural producers, current projects, and how it can aid disaster preparedness. Dr. Rachel Schattman (University of Maine) presents on climate change and agriculture, specifically adaptation and mitigation at the farm scale, and shares a new tool for working through a climate adaptation or mitigation plan.

SPEAKERS

Rose Olivas, Redford Fellow of Applied Research, Robert Redford Conservancy for California Sustainability, Pitzer College
Dr. Rachel Schattman, Assistant Professor, University of Maine

MODERATOR

Daniella Rolle, National Adaptation Forum Program Associate, EcoAdapt and CivicSpark Fellow, CivicSpark

When: November 7, 2024 | 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm PT

Session Four: Nature-Based Solutions as Adaptation to Extreme Weather

Watch the recording here.

This session explores the critical role of nature-based solutions (NbS) in disaster preparedness and climate change adaptation. The presentations and discussions focus on actionable strategies for scaling up NbS, with an emphasis on overcoming challenges such as securing the necessary funding to bring these innovative solutions to life. Thought leaders from several agencies (including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Environmental Protection Agency, and Department of Interior) discuss how they incorporate NbS into disaster planning and share relevant technical and financial resources.

SPEAKERS

Merissa Zuzulock, Climate Resilience Integration Branch Chief, Federal Emergency Management Agency
Whitney Boone, Acting Chief Policy Analyst, Office of Policy Analysis, Department of the Interior
Margaret Kurth, Research Environmental Engineer, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center
Steven (Kyle) McKay, Senior Research Civil Engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Robyn De Young, Green Infrastructure Program Manager, Environmental Protection Agency
Stephanie Santell, Senior Climate Advisor, Environmental Protection Agency

MODERATOR

Douglas Mason, Assistant Director of Nature Based Solutions, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

When: December 10, 2024 | 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm PT

Session Five: The Evidence for Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Hazard Risk Reduction

Watch the recording here.

Climate change is already impacting species, ecosystems, and communities worldwide, challenging traditional approaches to conservation and disaster preparedness. Although numerous adaptation strategies have been proposed and implemented, few have been rigorously tested for effectiveness, leaving practitioners vulnerable to investing in solutions that may not deliver the intended outcomes or, worse, create unintended negative consequences.

Drawing on recent research and case studies, this session focuses on the growing body of evidence supporting nature-based solutions (NbS) as a promising approach to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change. The session will include an interactive discussion where participants will break into working groups to identify actionable steps for scaling up the implementation of NbS and accelerating the learning process to improve their effectiveness in real-world applications.

SPEAKERS

Lara Hansen, Executive Director, EcoAdapt
Marta Vicarelli, Assistant Professor, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Doug Mason, Director, Millennium Challenge Corporation

MODERATOR

Daniella Rolle, National Adaptation Forum Program Associate, EcoAdapt and CivicSpark Fellow, CivicSpark

When: January 14, 2025 | 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm PT