Options Database

Coordinate with social service providers to ensure that emergency shelters are available during extreme heat events, poor air quality days, severe weather and other highly hazardous conditions. Ensure that the local population of people experiencing homelessness is made aware of these resources.

Coordinate with state officials to clear debris from state roads.

Counter lag times in FEMA buyout programs by creating a local voluntary buyout program. Such a program could be funded with stormwater fees based on a property's amount of impervious surface.

Create agreements with AirBnB and other home share platforms to educate guests on hazards and emergency exit strategies.

Create and implement a localized flood management master plan. The plan could identify detailed mitigation options such as storage areas, stream restoration needs and buyout priorities.

Create and invest in strategic pre-disaster plans for post-disaster recovery.

Create and pursue new and emerging revenue sources, both public and private.

Create a backup communications plan and a road access plan for residents who rely on public transportation to access medical care (e.g., dialysis patients, the aging community, persons with disabilities) during and after disasters.

Create a City Hazard Mitigation Plan that can be included in a County Plan.

Create conditions to make growing more affordable.

Create design guidelines for retrofitting and elevating historic buildings to protect them from flooding.

Create an ecosystem services inventory for your community to identify the natural features, like particular areas of forest or wetlands, that do the most to protect your community from climate hazards.

Create education and incentive programs to encourage sustainable food production techniques that preserve soil and water quality. Example techniques include the use of perennial crops, diversified farming systems, precision agriculture and re-contouring field elevations.

Create an education outreach campaign for the public about securing debris, propane tanks, yard items or stored objects that may otherwise be swept away, damaged or pose a hazard if picked up and washed away by floodwaters or high winds.

Create emergency communication plans and tools to quickly and effectively save water during a shortage.

Create or expand a program to give out space heaters. Ensure the program educates recipients about space heaters' impact on utility bills.

Create or expand a program that provides energy retrofits for public housing.

Create financing incentives that would encourage local businesses, building managers and owners to regularly conduct maintenance that includes checks for water losses, such as checking for leaky pipes and faucets. Increasing water use efficiency can prevent or alleviate drought impacts.

Create future flood maps to support planning, policy and regulation. The flood maps should show the extent and depth of future flooding. They might include indications of wave action, moving water and channelization hazards. The future flood maps should be based on the latest climate projections.

Create a green infrastructure and fee credit program for water retention. Consider expanding the program to include water treatment incentives.