Our climate resilience analysis and plan project are a combination of climate hazard identification and mitigation work along with climate justice-focused community-based efforts

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) awarded a $1,000,000 Project Grant under the Congressionally Identified Awards and Projects program (CFDA 11.469) to the Providence Resilience Partnership, Inc. The grant aims to support a combination of climate hazard identification, mitigation, and community-based efforts focused on climate justice. Key activities include:

1. Conducting technical analysis and climate risk modeling in areas of the city not currently being assessed.
2. Collaborating across citywide projects to consolidate data and information into a central repository.
3. Developing a climate resilience plan to help the city reduce the impacts of climate threats.
4. Engaging local communities through co-learning processes to increase awareness of weather/climate risks and gather input to inform the resilience plan.

The grant period runs from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2026.

As mentioned above, critical to our work is the collection and synthesis of data and information from across the city into one climate resilience assessment. This assessment will help US see not only the big picture of climate impacts across the city but also identify collective strategies that can help ensure that the residents, infrastructure, property, and the economy can continue to thrive despite the impacts. Funds from this FY24 climate program office earmarks program will allow PRP and its partners to 1) conduct technical analysis work in areas of the city not currently being assessed, 2) collaborate among all of the citywide projects to funnel data and information into one central repository, and 3) develop a plan that will help support the city in its efforts to reduce impacts of climate threats. Specifically, funds will be used to 1) hire a consultant to conduct the citywide technical analysis, 2) create modeling tools and climate risk analysis tools, 3) engage local communities through CO-learning processes, and 4) provide high-level oversight and guidance across the entire network of projects. The assessment will examine structural, health, socio-economic, and other weather and climate change impacts using the latest emerging climate resilience modeling and analysis. Critical to the complete collection of information is to ensure equitable and inclusive community engagement that will address the needs of socially vulnerable and under-represented populations in understanding these risks. This is why CO-learning processes will be built into the project with the goals of 1) increasing overall community awareness of weather/climate risks and 2) gathering community input and support to inform future tasks in the development and implementation of a climate resilience plan. This work will be conducted in phases, which are outlined below.