How exercises help US communities meet the challenge of climate change: The FEMA National Exercise Division’s innovative exercise tools and resources
Abstract
The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Exercise Division (NED) leads the nation in validating the capabilities of the whole community in support of the National Preparedness System. In response to the increased threat of climate change, the NED has developed new resources to help communities increase preparedness for severe weather and natural disasters in the long term. This paper provides an overview of two such resources to help communities identify and prepare for climate-related events: the Long-Term Community Resilience Exercise Resource Guide (ERG) and the Climate Adaptation Exercise Series (CAES). These resources help communities develop and conduct exercises to increase their climate literacy, develop climate adaptation and mitigation plans, and leverage data on future climate conditions to inform decision-making. Exercises provide an opportunity for communities to build resilience by discussing and better understanding climate change and to plan for, adapt to, and mitigate the associated risks and hazards. The ERG provides guidance, tools and resources, and the CAES provides a consistent framework that FEMA regions can tailor to address unique, region-specific climate concerns. The results collected from these exercises, in turn, identify strengths to leverage and areas to improve, informing plans of action for a path forward for the next 20, 30 and 50 years.
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Author's Biography
Nicole Nation is an emergency management specialist with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Exercise Division. She has over five years of experience performing qualitative analysis and communications as part of FEMA’s National Exercise Program. Nicole has experience in various incident support functions, including work on the Operation Artemis Task Force, for which she was awarded the Department of Homeland Security Secretary’s Award for Team Excellence in 2022.
Catherine Welker leads the development of national disaster resilience guidance for the FEMA National Integration Center. She previously led the development and revision of the Long-Term Community Resilience Exercise Resource Guide and the Cyber Ready Community Game and managed the Senior Officials Exercise Program.
Jessica Stolz is a lead associate at Booz Allen Hamilton, supporting the Federal Emergency Management Agency National Exercise Division. She has over 18 years of experience facilitating the planning process for all levels of government to improve prevention, protection, response and recovery for natural and manmade incidents. Prior to joining Booz Allen Hamilton, she was Deputy Homeland Security Advisor for the State of Vermont.
Melissa French is a strategy and management consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton with extensive experience in programme communications, organisational performance, change management and policy development. In her role supporting the Federal Emergency Management Agency National Exercise Division, she develops programme communications to further its mission and vision and increase stakeholder engagement in exercises to build a culture of preparedness.
Citation
Nation, Nicole, Welker, Catherine, Stolz, Jessica and French, Melissa (2023, September 1). How exercises help US communities meet the challenge of climate change: The FEMA National Exercise Division’s innovative exercise tools and resources. In the Journal of Business Continuity & Emergency Planning, Volume 17, Issue 1. https://doi.org/10.69554/CBPJ7618.
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