RainReady℠ is a trademarked initiative of the Center for Neighborhood Technology, a national nonprofit headquartered in Chicago. We help people manage flooding and drought in a time of climate change.
How does RainReady work?
Tidal Flooding is an educational, online, narrated presentation provided by the NOAA Office for Coastal Management that describes tidal flooding and the risks communities may face with increased tidal flooding from heavy rains, sea level rise, and continued coastal development. The presentation outlines the formation of extreme high tides, potential impacts of extreme high tides, and how flooding will change with sea level rise.
The atlas serves as an information sharing tool for communities and organizations interested in implementing low-impact development projects and addressing stormwater and growth-related issues that impact water quality. The tool allows user to enter data regarding existing low-impact development projects. These projects are displayed on a regional map that shows existing projects and provides information about the project type (e.g., swale/bioswale, permeable pavement, water conservation), location, land use type, construction date, and links to additional information about the project.
The Federal Support Toolbox is an online portal that connects and provides resources for individuals interested in or working on water resources issues in the United States and abroad. The toolbox is a useful resource for all phases of adaptation, as well as for visitors from different sectors. This toolbox facilitates both education and collaboration among the water resources community.
The Drought Management Database collects and provides examples of how different U.S. regions and sectors are responding to and mitigating drought. This online database can be useful for various levels of government looking to engage in drought preparedness and response planning, as well as for sectoral decision makers looking to undertake similar planning efforts, as it provides real-world examples and lessons learned.
Coastal County Snapshots is an online tool that produces user-friendly reports identifying and describing three categories of coastal hazards and change — flooding risk, wetland impacts, and ocean jobs impact — for selected coastal counties in the United States. Users select a coastal county, and the tool generates reports for the three categories identifying and describing changes that have occurred (e.g., changes in land cover, job trends) and important sectoral information (e.g., amount of coastal infrastructure at risk from flooding, how wetlands can be used to reduce flood impacts).
Land managers, natural resource managers, local authorities, planners, engineers, scientists, community members
The Coastal Hazard Wheel is a universal coastal adaptation system to address all coastal challenges simultaneously. It can be used as a complete coastal language and aims to boost adaptation action and bridge the gap between scientists, policy-makers and the general public. It is based on a new coastal classification system and functions as a key for classifying a particular coastal location, determining its hazard profile, identifying relevant management options and communicating coastal information.
Hundreds of US mayors have signaled their intent to assume a leadership role in combating climate change following President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord. The challenge now for these local leaders is to go beyond the pledge and implement substantial climate action. STAR Communities developed the Climate Change Guide with support from local leaders and members of its technical and governance committees.
This national briefing paper examines the interconnections between water management and vulnerable communities in the United States. Too often, when we think of vulnerable communities that struggle with water-related challenges, we think of places like sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and other developing regions. The overall high quality of water systems in America—one of our most monumental achievements as a nation—obscures the fact that water challenges are a daily reality for some communities.
The US Water Alliance developed this briefing paper to expand national understanding of the water-related challenges that vulnerable communities face. This paper is inspired and informed by the contributions of diverse stakeholders—utility managers, policymakers, community leaders, advocacy coalitions, direct service providers, and more. It spotlights the promising practices that have emerged to make water systems more equitable, and offers recommendations for their implementation.
When it comes to implementing climate change solutions, local communities are powerfully positioned to create an undercurrent of momentum and ambitious pathways to change that our national and global leaders cannot easily ignore. Yet in many communities, there are significant gaps in climate literacy, political will, and awareness of tangible climate action opportunities. To bridge this gap, Climate Generation has developed a best practices guide that shares our model and method for hosting public convenings on climate change at the community level.