Case Studies | U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit

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Communities, businesses, and individuals are taking action to document their vulnerabilities and build resilience to climate-related impacts. Click dots on the map to preview case studies, or browse stories below the map. Use the drop-down menus above to find stories of interest. To expand your results, click the Clear Filters link.

Photo of Spaulding Rehab Hospital in Boston, MA

Investment in Infrastructure at Sea-Level Hospital Will Pay Off by Reducing Risk

Built very close to sea level, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston implemented innovative strategies to keep critical infrastructure and patient care above future flood levels.

Photo of "Old Red" building on UTMB campus, Galveston Island, Texas

Island Medical Campus Recovers, Rebuilds to Face Future Storms

In the wake of a hurricane and beset by an economic recession, the University of Texas Medical Branch on Galveston Island rebuilt for future resilience.

Colorado National Guardsmen respond to floods in Boulder County, Colorado, on September 12, 2013

It Was a Dark and Stormy Night: Extreme Weather Leads to Collaboration in Boulder

The city charts its path to resilience by focusing on extreme weather and interdepartmental collaboration.

Iñupiat Work to Preserve Food and Traditions on Alaska's North Slope

Residents of North Slope Borough, Alaska, look to solar-powered ice cellars and other strategies to preserve their traditional whaling lifestyle.

The Jamestown S'Kallam Tribal campus

Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe Plans for Change on the Olympic Peninsula

With valuable cultural and dietary assets at risk from sea level rise, this Pacific Northwest Tribe developed a plan to identify community adaptation priorities and concerns, and charted a course of action to address them.

Zoomed in view of someone preparing a report. Someone is reaching across the papers with a pen.

Juneau's Changing Climate and Community Response

Zoomed in view of someone preparing a report. Someone is reaching across the papers with a pen.

Kansas City, MO Regional Climate Action Plan

Harmful algal bloom

Keeping Toxins From Harmful Algal Blooms out of the Food Supply

Dense populations of some microscopic algae (phytoplankton) in ocean waters can contaminate seafood, resulting in serious health problems for humans. Satellite data displayed in an online tool help fishermen monitor and avoid these harmful algal blooms.

Zoomed in view of someone preparing a report. Someone is reaching across the papers with a pen.

LA SAFE Regional Adaptation Strategy

Indianapolis skyline

Linking the Boundary Chain

With a changing climate threatening assets in the Great Lakes, local experts formed a boundary organization to bridge the gap between scientists and decision makers.

Subsistence hunter watching for whales

Looking to the Future on Alaska’s North Slope

As ice retreats and energy resources along Alaska's North Slope become more accessible, diverse stakeholders consider potential futures and develop a science-informed view of the implications of development in the region.

Zoomed in view of someone preparing a report. Someone is reaching across the papers with a pen.

Los Angeles, CA Resilience Strategy

Boston cityscape

Luck Is Not a Policy We Can Count On: Boston Takes a Proactive Approach to Climate Adaptation

After witnessing what happened in New York City during Hurricane Sandy, Boston city leaders were determined to get ahead of their potential problems. To do so, they convened a diverse coalition of residents and worked to craft a comprehensive plan to adapt to climate change.

A lobster board heads out to sea

Maine's Lobster Fishing Community Confronts Their Changing Climate

Participatory planning and system dynamics modeling help fishermen in coastal Maine make decisions to improve their bottom lines.

Irrigation canal and valve outside Phoenix, Arizona.

Managing Water for Irrigated Agriculture in the Central Arizona Desert

In the Arizona desert, farmers depend on an ample supply of irrigation to grow their crops. As climate changes, irrigation managers face a host of issues to keep the water flowing.

Storm Surge on Lake Pontchartrain

Mandeville, Louisiana: A City that Stays Afloat by Promoting Elevations

The City of Mandeville, located in St. Tammany Parish, decided to commit to helping residents escape troublesome flood waters. Finally tiring of the constant issue of a repeated damage-repair cycle, city officials decided to act by adopting high regulatory standards for the elevation of homes and businesses.

View of city skyscrapers with a blue and purple sky above.

Mapping Social Vulnerabilities to Enhance Resilience in Richmond

Differences in social vulnerability across Richmond meant that the city's resilience plan didn't work equally well for all neighborhoods. To enhance their plan, the city worked with partners to develop a novel tool—the Climate Equity Index—to document neighborhood vulnerability to climate impacts,

Idaho's High Divide

Mapping Wildland Values and Climate Change Vulnerability

Using climate change projections, conservationists can assess which of the wildest lands remaining in the contiguous United States are most vulnerable to the impacts of future climate change.

Booth at the Lincoln County Health Fair

Mescalero Apache Tribe Adapts to a Warmer and Drier Climate

In the face of a changing climate, the Tribe is building capacity—and climate resilience—through forestry management, habitat protection, and an innovative approach to healthy eating.

Zoomed in view of someone preparing a report. Someone is reaching across the papers with a pen.

Miami Forever Climate Ready Strategy

Charleston skyline from Charleston Harbor

Minimizing the Impacts of Coastal Flooding Helps City Prepare for Sea Level Rise

Several times per year, seawater floods some of the streets in Charleston, South Carolina. Taking steps to deal with this "nuisance" flooding can help the city prepare for sea level rise.

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Missoula, MT Regional Adaptation Strategy

The Santa Cruz River just north of Sahuarita, Arizona, along Pima Mine Road, looking downstream (north) towards Tucson.

Modeling Tool Helps Optimize Use of Groundwater Supplies

As precipitation patterns change with changing climate, communities that rely on climate-sensitive aquifers may turn to models to help them manage water supplies.

Spruce needles and young cones

Monitoring Forest Disturbances Aids Management Decisions

The combined effects of drought, beetle kill, and wildfire are transforming forests in southwestern Colorado. Using satellite data products to monitor the region helps forest caretakers identify vulnerable locations.

Purdue Extension educator Hans Schmitz.

Motivating the Agricultural Community to Build Climate Resilience

Climate change adaptation isn’t always welcome as a topic of conversation, even among those who could benefit from it. A recent study hints at a possible path forward.

Upper Snake River at Massacre Rocks

Moving Forward Together: Building Tribal Resiliency and Partnerships

The four member tribes of the Upper Snake River Tribes Foundation collaborated on a Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment, resulting in a quantified assessment of their shared concerns and establishment of a common foundation for future adaptation efforts.

Photo of Dr. Hiza Redsteer and students on dunes

Navajo Nation: Hotter, Drier Climate Puts Sand Dunes on the Move

Sand dunes cover roughly one-third of the Navajo Reservation in northeastern Arizona. Higher temperatures and lower precipitation totals projected for the region have researchers monitoring dune motion and considering solutions.

Zoomed in view of someone preparing a report. Someone is reaching across the papers with a pen.

NC Climate Risk Assessment and Resilience Plan

Skyline of Norfolk, VA

Norfolk Establishes Strategy for Coastal Resilience

At the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, the city of Norfolk, Virginia, lies within ten feet of sea level. It's taking steps to envision and implement a resilient future.

Sandy beach and blue sky

North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality

Local governments often lack capacity to implement coastal resilience projects. This department provided voluntary incentives for communities to partner with their local governments in developing and implementing resilience strategies.

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Okanagan, British Columbia: Regional Adaptation Strategy

Salmon jumping a fall

Our Spirits Remain Tied to This Land

The Puyallup Tribe conducted a climate change impact assessment for their ancestral lands along the Puyallup River and the coasts of Puget Sound—and improved tribal and regional adaptive capacity.

Close-up of oyster bed

Oyster Growers Prepare for Changing Ocean Chemistry

As the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide, ocean acidity changes—inhibiting the growth of oysters. A new tool may be able to help oyster growers understand how they will be affected.

A type one heavy air tanker takes off from air command to fight the Hayman fire southwest of Denver.

Partnerships Promote Healthy Forests and Clean Water

Two major fires and subsequent flooding events wreaked havoc on a critical watershed and reservoir that supplies Denver with water. Now, a public-private partnership is working to ensure a clean, reliable water supply.

Zoomed in view of someone preparing a report. Someone is reaching across the papers with a pen.

Phoenix, AZ Climate Action Plan

Skyline city view during the day

Pittsburgh Unifies its Approach to Updating Stormwater Management

When city planners realized the majority of their water quality and flooding issues were all symptoms of ineffective stormwater management, they eliminated departmental silos and adopted an integrated plan closely tied to how the city grows.

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