This guide helps coastal communities envision what a changing climate means for the community and to lay the foundation for developing strategies to address emerging challenges. 

The guide uses free online tools and datasets to step users through a risk and vulnerability assessment for their coastal community. It is intended to be used by local officials and government staff, community groups, or other stakeholders, and is flexible enough to facilitate conversations around a broad spectrum of resilience-related issues.

Working through this guide's Community Self-Assessment and Community Reflections can help start the conversation and establish a foundation for understanding current and future challenges. It is from this foundation that communities can begin to prioritize actions as they develop strategies to build resilience over the long term.