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Hunters Point: Leading the Charge in Hurricane Resilience
Hunters Point, a coastal community in Cortez, Florida, stands as a blueprint for hurricane-resilient development. Purposefully built above code, this net-zero neighborhood features elevated homes, hurricane-resistant materials, and systems that ensure continued operation. During Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024, Hunters Point homes remained powered and undamaged, proving the value of forward-looking design. This story highlights how innovative construction and community-wide mitigation strategies can protect lives, property, and power during even the most severe storms.
Tampa General Hospital’s Implementation of a Deployable Flood Barrier During Hurricanes Helene & Milton
Tampa General Hospital, located in Tampa, Florida, has become a model of hurricane resilience through its strategic investments in emergency preparedness. Central to its efforts is a deployable flood barrier system that successfully protected the hospital during back-to-back hurricanes—Helene and Milton—in 2024. This story showcases how forward-thinking infrastructure, including flood defenses, a raised energy plant, and water and supply reserves, enabled the region’s only Level I trauma center to remain fully operational during two major storms.
Success Story: How El Paso Modernized Its Plan Review Process with Digital Innovation
In 2020, the City of El Paso revolutionized its permitting and development processes by adopting a digital plan review platform, allowing for greater efficiency and collaboration across departments. With around 85% of plan submissions now submitted electronically, the city has seen faster response times and improved accessibility for applicants. This successful initiative has not only streamlined operations but also set a benchmark for neighboring jurisdictions.
Tribal Nations Take the Lead: Creating the First Multi-Tribal Hazard Mitigation Plan
By day, smoke from fires choked out the sun, leaving the land and its people in a suffocating haze. By night, the sky lit up as the flames marched ever closer. Between 2015 and 2018, wildfires burned nearly three-quarters of Lake County, California. The Tribal Nations that live in the area—as they have for almost 12,000 years—dealt with the worst effects of these events. Some of the fires forced the Tribes to evacuate. Other times, both tribal and non-tribal residents sheltered in place to protect themselves.
Thinking Big: How a Small Town Achieves Large-Scale, Long-Lasting Mitigation
Whitestown, New York, is no stranger to flooding. Since the 1950s, flooding has been common. The source of the flooding is Sauquoit Creek, which flows north before ending at the Mohawk River just outside of the town.
Snohomish County Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program (RCPGP) Case Study
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) conducted a grant effectiveness case study with Snohomish County, Washington in 2023 to better understand how the Puget Sound Region used the fiscal year (FY) 2019 Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program (RCPGP) award to build capability related to logistics and supply chain management.
City of Boston Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program (RCPGP) Case Study
In 2023, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) conducted a case study with the City of Boston to better understand how this region used its Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program (RCPGP) award for fiscal year (FY) 2019 to build its capability in the Housing core capability.
Baltimore Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program (RCPGP) Case Study
In 2023, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) conducted a grant effectiveness case study with the Baltimore Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) to increase understanding of how this region used its Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program (RCPGP) award for fiscal years (FY) 2019 and 2020 to build state and local capacity to manage catastrophic incidents.
Bay Area Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program (RCPGP) Case Study
In 2023, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) conducted a grant effectiveness case study with the San Francisco Bay Area Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) to better understand how the region used its fiscal year (FY) 2019 and FY 2020 Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program (RCPGP) awards to build state and local capacity to manage catastrophic incidents.
Wildfire Aftermath Prompts Mitigation Project to Aid Recovery
Wildfire Aftermath Prompts Mitigation Project to Aid Recovery