Abstract
Under-served and impoverished communities can be exposed to the worst climate and environmental hazards. Community managers must identify these potential hazards and build resilience to withstand them. Enhancing community resilience requires three major steps: (1) Examining available information, (2) Conducting community engagement and assessing local knowledge, and (3) Developing and implementing reasonable strategies to enhance resilience. Previously available information was examined for St. Helena Parish, Louisiana. This study examines the second component of this three-step approach by engaging the St. Helena Parish community to assess issues that might be improved to enhance community resilience. First, information concerning existing county-level resilience to climate hazards, including well-being and climate/social equity, was presented to the community (local government and knowledgeable community members) and the group assessed their agreement with the identified issues. Secondly, community knowledge was examined to identify any additional issues that might be of importance. Finally, the five issues of greatest importance to community relating to climate-related natural hazards were determined by community members and a plan to develop strategies to address and, potentially, fund them were ascertained. These climate hazards included inland flooding, variations in temperature, landslides, tropical storms, and other potential natural climatic hazards in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States.
Presenters
James Kevin SummersSenior Research Ecologist, ORD/CEMM/GEMMD, US EPA, Florida, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Community Engagement, Resilience, Climate-Related Natural Hazards
