Options Database | U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit

Option	Hazards	Assets
Restore degraded ecosystems to enhance the natural adaptive capacity of biological communities.	Multiple or All Hazards Shifting Species, Habitats, and Ecosystems	Aquatic and Marine Resources Natural Areas and Wildlife
Restore disturbance regimes as appropriate to emerging conditions, including instituting human-assisted disturbance where necessary (e.g., prescribed fire).	Wildfire	Natural Areas and Wildlife
Restore existing wetlands to provide resilient habitats, improve water quality and slow floodwaters.	Shifting Species, Habitats, and Ecosystems Water Quality Flooding – Coastal Flooding – General Flooding – Rainfall-induced	Aquatic and Marine Resources Natural Areas and Wildlife
Restore natural flow and decrease flooding and recreational risks by removing antiquated low-head dams.	Flooding – General Flooding – Rainfall-induced	Multiple or All Assets Natural Areas and Wildlife
Restrict and regulate new development in high wildfire hazard areas.	Wildfire	Property
Restrict or limit activity that would strip slopes of essential topsoil.	Landslides	Natural Areas and Wildlife
Retailers can move the inventory stored in the basement of their stores onto shelves to reduce flood damage in the near term before local flood defenses are built.	Flooding – General	Economy Property
Retrofit government facilities with water smart fixtures and technology.	Drought	Property
Retrofit water and wastewater plants to withstand Category 5 storms.	High Winds Flooding – Coastal	Water Infrastructure – Drinking Water Water Infrastructure – General Critical Facilities
Review and improve codes/ordinances to minimize chance of damage (e.g,leaning (or dead) trees, debris, construction job sites).	High Winds	Natural Areas and Wildlife
Review and update nuisance ordinances to minimize the chance of damage from leaning or dead trees, loose debris and construction sites during abnormally high wind conditions.	High Winds	Property
Review or create a protocol to address funding needs and to facilitate response in the event of a price spike in vehicle fuel, natural gas or electricity, so that other budgetary items are not strained.	Multiple or All Hazards	Transportation and Mobility Energy and Utilities
Review existing legal, regulatory and policy frameworks that govern floodplain mapping, flood insurance and flood mitigation. Identify opportunities to improve their usefulness to reduce risks and increase adaptation of natural resources and communities in a changing climate.	Flooding – Coastal Flooding – General Flooding – Rainfall-induced	Multiple or All Assets Natural Areas and Wildlife
Review Level of Service (LOS) standards for stormwater across the region by doing a comparison of design standards. For example, low LOS standards upstream can negatively affect a neighboring jurisdiction and vice versa.	Flooding – General Flooding – Rainfall-induced	Water Infrastructure – Stormwater
Review the capacity of existing drainage structures to understand their ability to manage increased precipitation projections. Identify the likelihood and consequences of impacts to this infrastructure and nearby properties. Develop a prioritized action plan with a focus on addressing issues in frontline communities.	Flooding – Coastal Flooding – General Flooding – Rainfall-induced	Water Infrastructure – General Water Infrastructure – Stormwater
Review which gulches (V-shaped valley formed by erosion that may contain a small stream) are most affected by fluctuations in volume. Identify their impact to the community and develop strategies to reduce flooding.	Flooding – General	Multiple or All Assets
Revise and update land acquisition priorities in a regional setting to protect, preserve and enhance water storage.	Water Quality Drought Flooding – General	Aquatic and Marine Resources Natural Areas and Wildlife Water Infrastructure – Stormwater
Revise building design standards in fire hazard zones.	Wildfire	Multiple or All Assets
Revise flood ordinance to add other metrics for new building (use suggestions from CRS)	Flooding – Rainfall-induced	Property
Revise (integrate) emergency management plans, programs, and activities to account for changing hazard profiles and their consequences	Multiple or All Hazards	Critical Facilities