Building Resilience to Challenges and Disruptions

Providing coastal climate resilience internships, fellowships, and early career opportunities has been a key programmatic feature of the Program for Local Adaptation to Climate Effects (PLACE) and has led many to further careers in resilience related jobs. Project PIs reimagined the standard pipeline to the coastal climate resilience workforce and developed a fellowship program to increase inclusion of underrepresented groups in resilience fields.
Six young adults are participating in a year-long fellowship where they are placed with a host organization in coastal Mississippi. Additionally, the fellows are attending a series of lunch-n-learns to gain an understanding of the threats our local environments are facing. Through this learning series, they will be introduced to a variety of resilience topics and learn how to effectively use climate tools in their work. This learning series will equip them with the skills needed to tackle the unique climate-driven challenges facing the Gulf Coast. Taking the knowledge gained through working with their host organization and the lunch-n-learns, the fellows will work as a group to develop a communication campaign. This campaign will be targeted towards their young adult peers.
In this presentation, some of the fellows will present the environmental resilience work they are engaged with at their host organization. Through their work, the fellows are contributing to the development of more sustainable and resilient coastal environments, paving the way for a more inclusive future in environmental stewardship.

The Future Coastal Leaders Fellowship is a groundbreaking initiative aimed at addressing the lack of diversity and limited opportunities in the climate resilience workforce. Designed for young adults (ages 18-24) from traditionally underrepresented groups, this fellowship offers six early-career professionals hands-on experience in coastal climate resilience. Each fellow is placed with a host site, where they work on a range of projects tailored to enhance community resilience and meet the specific needs of their local environments.
Throughout the fellowship, the fellows receive comprehensive training in coastal climate resilience, empowering them to develop innovative strategies and lead communication campaigns that engage and educate their communities on these critical issues. 
During this presentation, the fellows will present their current work on community resilience, showcasing the diverse strategies and projects they have developed in collaboration with their host sites. These presentations will highlight the approaches each fellow has taken to address the specific needs of their communities, reflecting the fellowship's emphasis on practical, community-based solutions. By sharing their experiences and insights, the fellows will contribute to a broader understanding of effective community resilience practices, demonstrating the importance of diversity and equity in climate resilience efforts.

March 23, 2023 was a dark day in the Mississippi Delta. On that day, three tornadoes struck the communities of Rolling Fork, Mississippi and surrounding communities. The tornadoes in Rolling Fork resulted in 22 deaths and 225 injuries. Sixteen of the 22 fatalities were sheltered in mobile/manufactured homes and fifteen of the 22 fatalities were people of color. The devastation prompted the deployment of multiple emergency service agencies as well as researchers trying to understand the impacts and improve risk communication for future events.
The Verification of the Rotation of Tornadoes Experiment Southeast (VORTEX-SE) Outreach and Engagement Team were part of the data collection in Rolling Fork and again involved in the one-year anniversary event. As part of this effort, VORTEX-SE project team members interviewed 43 individuals including NWS forecasters, emergency managers, broadcast meteorologists, and members of the public focused on the flow of information (including reception and distribution of forecasts and warnings and the decision-making process that followed) in the immediate aftermath of the tornadic event. 
Through the post-tornado interviews with members of the public, we investigated warning reception, risk perception, individual preparedness, and protective actions in a socially vulnerable community. We discovered that despite efforts made by the NWS and partners across the weather enterprise to warn the public, a majority of Rolling Fork residents we interviewed (n=11; 61%) did not recall receiving warning information through more traditional sources (i.e., Wireless Emergency Alerts or broadcast meteorologists). Instead, they described receiving warning information from friends and family. We also found that weather saliency helped some individuals evaluate risks quickly and plan a swift course of action. For others, the lack of public sheltering choices, especially among the most socially vulnerable, added stress during and beyond the event. 
Returning to Rolling Fork one year later, we were able to strengthen connections with the community and offer resources detailing the results of the interviews, hand out fact sheets to assist with preparedness, and gain support for future trainings focused on skill building so community members can assist with first aid, debris removal, and risk communication messages in the future.

The City of Mobile has implemented an innovative floodplain management strategy that integrates floodway optimization with the continuing development of the Mobile Greenway Initiative along Three Mile Creek. A complicated project, the greenway provides a 12-foot wide multi-use Trail amenity that spans 18 miles across the City. Built in multiple phases with federal and City funding sources, the project includes complex easement and real estate transactions, but provides a valuable recreational resources for the 70,000 people within 1 mile of the Trail, while maintaining the flood carrying capacity of the floodplain. This presentation will provide an overview of how the City coordinated a technical update to the FEMA model in the area of the proposed Trail, evaluated the impacts of the project to ensure no negative impacts, and the resulting narrowing of the floodway to allow for the construction of the trail under multiple railroad trestles. Importantly, this approach enhances resilience by utilizing a flood-prone area without exacerbating flood risks. The forthcoming FEMA Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) will formally update the flood maps, offering the dual benefit of more accurate flood risk assessments and improved community awareness.

In early 2020, the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium (MASGC) and NOAA's National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) collaborated to develop a model for a regional extension program that combines physical and social science research from the VORTEX-SE program and apply it to a broader audience.


The VORTEX-SE Outreach and Engagement Program aims to 
establish regional partners and determine their priorities related to supporting a tornado-related extension program 
recognize our target audience's needs and current research findings that can continue to inform this extension program
implement the Education, Outreach, and Engagement (EOE) Plan developed as part of the pilot phase to enhance the resilience of vulnerable communities to severe weather (i.e. elderly, those living in unsafe structures, etc.). 


Using a Theory of Change approach, we identified key stakeholders and knowledge brokers to help identify populations who are vulnerable, marginalized, and underserved. We experimented with various outreach events and engagement activities to learn from target audiences what was well received and actionable, which allowed us to understand gaps and needs of different communities on a practical level.


Building an outreach and engagement program around severe weather has revealed some unexpected findings regarding both existing and emerging needs. We want to demonstrate that while our programs have targeted vulnerable audiences, they have also attracted an array of professional audiences seeking practical ways to protect themselves and help their neighbors. This indicates greater demand for basic skill training and discussions of complex actions and decisions during severe weather events. 


Future goals include training a cadre of librarians and/or volunteers to provide severe weather information to their local audiences. We also want to share how to address other issues and knowledge gaps through virtual seminars for individuals who can't attend local trainings. Ultimately, our goal is to make Weather Wise training accessible to as many Southeasterners as possible and equip them with the skills to help themselves and others.