Case Studies | U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit

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.

Aerial view of the San Francisco Bay with the Bay Bridge in foreground.

Engaging Stakeholders in Planning for Sea Level Rise

Sea level rise is changing the shoreline of San Francisco Bay, endangering homes, habitats, and vital infrastructure. Stakeholders from a diverse array of sectors around the Bay are participating in preparations through a regional partnership.

Recreational boats on quiet water with seaside homes in background.

Exploring Adaptation Options for Water Infrastructure at Sea Level

In Massachusetts, Manchester-by-the-Sea's wastewater treatment plant is located right on the coast. The town's water utility is working with the EPA's Creating Resilient Water Utilities program to consider its adaptation options.

Mill River Culvert, Old Croton Aqueduct, Tarrytown, New York

Extreme Rainfall Analyses Can Point to Right Size for Culverts

Across most of the United States, the heaviest rainfall events have become heavier and more frequent. New tools can help decision makers choose culverts with appropriate capacities for the future.

Residential trees and one of Chicago's elevated commuter trains

Fortifying Chicago's Urban Forest

Trees within a city can help reduce urban heat, control stormwater, and provide habitat to local wildlife. As climate conditions change, a Chicago group is working to enhance its urban forest so that the city can continue to receive these benefits.

Green or Gray? Choosing to Preserve Water Quality

Faced with the potential of a large expense related to water quality, the Portland (Maine) Water District performed a thorough analysis of their options. Their choice came down to making an investment in conservation or concrete.

Greening Boston: The Climate Change Preparedness and Resiliency Checklist

To build the city's resilience, Boston requires that new buildings and renovation projects follow best practices for climate change adaptation.

Photo of plume of smoke is seen rising from the North Fork fire in Jefferson County, Colorado

Health Care Facilities Maintain Indoor Air Quality Through Smoke and Wildfires

When smoke from wildfires swirls around health care facilities, prepared hospitals in California and Colorado use air quality tools to keep the indoor environment safe for patients and staff.

Home Elevation Program Helps Demystify The Process

Click the link below to read the Peer-to-Peer Case Study by NOAA's Digital Coast: Home Elevation Program Helps Demystify The Process

Hospital Plans Ahead for Power, Serves the Community Through Hurricane Sandy

The combined heat and power system at Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut kept the lights on through Hurricane Sandy, and the system continues to support community resilience.

How New Battery Capacity Helped California Avoid Another Blackout

Levee holding flood waters in Fargo, North Dakota

Improving Communication of Flood Forecasts

When a flood is forecast for the Red River of the North, community leaders, emergency responders, and residents around Fargo, North Dakota, and Moorhead, Minnesota, can gauge their need for preparation by accessing visualizations showing the extent, depth, and timing of expected flooding.

Improving Water Quality by Dealing with the First Inch of Rain

The suburban city of Mount Rainier, Maryland, is doing its part to improve the water quality of a polluted river in its region: residents and organizations are using green infrastructure to reduce stormwater runoff.

In the Dark of Monday Morning: Waves Inundate a Pacific Island Community

People who live on low-lying islands are reminded daily of the threat they face from coastal flooding. An unexpected disaster prompted a community in the Republic of the Marshall Islands to consider how to notify people of potential events and help them know how to respond.

Increasing Transportation Resilience in the Gulf Coast

A federal study assessed vulnerabilities of transportation infrastructure to extreme events in Mobile, Alabama. The effort also resulted in tools and approaches that other transportation departments can use to assess and address their own vulnerabilities.

Innovative Green Infrastructure Project Has Diverse Funding And Financing Portfolio

Once a defunct golf course, Exploration Green is now a 200-acre urban green space providing the community with an innovative solution for their stormwater flooding and recreational needs.

Bridge over the Huron River, Bandemer Park, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Integrating Education and Stormwater Management for Healthy Rivers and Residents

The City of Ann Arbor recognized stormwater runoff as a growing threat to the quality of their water supply. They're addressing the issue with two complementary strategies.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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,

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Planning for the Win! Using a Role Play Simulation to Plan for Climate Adaptation

Following a role play simulation on community planning for climate adaptation in Georgetown County, South Carolina, participants reported increased empathy for differing viewpoints and a high level of support for stakeholder engagement in planning processes.

Preparing for La Niña

O'ahu's busy construction industry depends on being able to dispose of demolition and construction wastes. Forecasts for a developing La Niña—often accompanied by heavy rains in Hawai'i—alerted managers at the island's main construction landfill to their climate vulnerability.

Protecting Critical Infrastructure in the Nation’s Capital

Changing conditions spur a utility in Washington, D.C., to consider and address its future climate vulnerabilities.

Protecting People from Sweltering City Summers

Federal, state, and local agencies are working to provide more advanced warnings and services to help people better prepare for—and respond to—extreme heat events

Quantifying Risk Shows Value of Replacing Highway

Louisiana’s Highway 1 carries a significant fraction of the gas and oil that comes from the Gulf of Mexico to distribution points in the United States. Faced with rising seas and sinking land, would the cost of rebuilding the road be worth the investment it required?

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