Level Up Audio Project

Discover how practitioners can encourage mitigation action by understanding how our minds tick.Episode Notes: Availability Heuristic: If a threat has never happened or happened too long ago, people will discount it. We believe what comes to mind most readily that we were impacted by. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0010028573900339 Optimism Bias: We overestimate our chances of winning and of avoiding natural disasters. This mentality leads to inaction or even a disbelief that they are at risk. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1981-28087-001 Confirmation Bias: We accept only evidence that confirms our current beliefs. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1981-05421-001 Status Quo Bias: We prefer to keep existing conditions, even when an alternative option might be better. The longer a condition exists, the more ingrained it becomes. https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/rzeckhauser/files/status_quo_bias_in_decision_making.pdf Chunking: Breaking larger actions or plans into smaller tasks make it easier to complete and the overall process less overwhelming, making action easier to achieve. https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1004592 Georgetown Climate Center: www.georgetownclimate.org  

Journey to Hilo and Honolulu to learn how two practitioners are using storytelling and local knowledge to communicate tsunami risk to communities.Episode Notes: Pacific Tsunami Museum: http://tsunami.org/ Honolulu’s Tsunami Evacuation Mapping Project: http://www.honolulu.gov/site-dem-sitearticles/35781-tsunami.html The following subject matter experts supported the Honolulu’s Tsunami Evacuation Mapping Project: Dr. Kwock Fai Cheung, Dr. Rhett Butler, Dr. Daniel Walker, Dr. Gerard Fryer, Hawaii Earthquake and Tsunami Advisory Committee (HETAC), Atkins North America, Inc. (Group 70, Martin & Chock, Solutions Pacific and UH Sea Grant College Program), and Tetra TechLearn more about tsunami early warning signs: http://itic.ioc-unesco.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1648&Itemid=2690Georgetown Climate Center: www.georgetownclimate.org  

Explore how federal, state, and local agencies are working together to reduce flooding and restore habitat for endangered fish in northern California.Episode Notes: Martin Slough Enhancement Project: http://www.naturalresourcesservices.org/projects/martin-slough-enhancement-project Georgetown Climate Center: www.georgetownclimate.org The following agencies provided grant funding for the Martin Slough Enhancement Project:California State Coastal ConservancyCalifornia Department of Water ResourcesCalifornia Department of Fish and WildlifeCalifornia State Water Resources Control BoardNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Habitat Conservation Restoration CenterUS Fish and Wildlife ServiceThe Ocean Protection Council The California Natural Resource Agency – Environmental Enhancement and Mitigation Program 

Learn how the city is working to alleviate high temperatures by engaging communities in planning a shade-boosting bicycle and pedestrian streetscape project.Episode Notes: Alameda Drive Project: https://www.tempe.gov/government/engineering-and-transportation/transportation/streetscape-projects/alameda-driveTempe Urban Forestry Master Plan: https://www.tempe.gov/government/community-services/parks/urban-forest/urban-forest-master-planTempe Climate Action Plan: https://www.tempe.gov/government/sustainable-tempe/climate-action-planTempe Transportation Master Plan: https://www.tempe.gov/home/showdocument?id=30317 Georgetown Climate Center: www.georgetownclimate.orgGeorgetown Climate Center Green Infrastructure Toolkit: https://www.georgetownclimate.org/adaptation/toolkits/green-infrastructure-toolkit/introduction.htmlGeorgetown Climate Center Preparing for Urban Heat: https://www.georgetownclimate.org/adaptation/urban-heat.htmlGeorgetown Climate Center Adapting to Urban Heat: A Toolkit for Local Governments: https://www.adaptationclearinghouse.org/resources/adapting-to-urban-heat-a-tool-kit-for-local-governments.htmlSustainable Cities Network: https://sustainability.asu.edu/sustainable-cities/ 

In Butte County, California, much of the natural fuel that allows wildfires to spread is found on private property. Communities must approve, and landowners need to agree, to remove brush from these lands and reduce wildfire risk. This is not unusual—many types of mitigation work involve private property! In this episode, Calli-Jane DeAnda from the Butte County Fire Safe Council speaks about her experience with community outreach and protecting communities and infrastructure from wildfire. 

Streambeds are vital ecosystems that can both serve and threaten the communities they run through. Because of the sensitivity of the ecosystems and the potential for increased flooding, stream work requires permits. Securing permits can be time consuming and costly. In this episode, Roland Sanford from the Solano County Water Agency in California shares how his agency works with local landowners to provide microgrants for flood mitigation work and technical assistance to aid in the process to secure permits. 

When you ask emergency managers and city planners what they need to make their community more resilient to disaster, most have the same answer: money. Federal and state grants can help finance projects, but the requirements can be labor intensive and often require a financial match from the community. Carolyn Steffan from the City of Tehama in California stitched together funding from multiple sources—federal and state—to protect residents from flooding by elevating 39 homes in her city. Tune in to learn how she did it! 

Most communities develop numerous planning documents to guide growth and development. These plans are often created and adopted in standalone processes, leading to fragmented implementation. Tiffany Wise West, the Sustainability and Climate Action Manager for the City of Santa Cruz, California, managed to avoid that trap and developed a Climate Adaptation Plan in conjunction with the city’s Local Hazard Mitigation Plan. In this episode, she discusses the benefits and challenges of the plan integration process. 

Hazard mitigation efforts often focus on property and infrastructure, but every community’s most important resource is its people. Lucas Zucker, the policy and communications director for the California-based organization Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy, or CAUSE, talks about ways communities can support low-income and immigrant populations before, during, and after hazard events. To learn more about FEMA assistance programs and eligibility, please visit https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2019/07/16/fact-sheet-financial-disaster-aid-available-us-citizens-non-citizen. 

Learn how Oakland, California worked with its residents to make a Climate Action Plan.  City of Oakland 2030 Equitable Climate Action Plan Racial Equity Impact Analysis WorksheetInclusive Public Engagement Planning GuideRacial Equity Impact Assessment & Implementation Guide OakDOT Geographic Equity Toolbox 

Find out how Clark County, Nevada, took a first step to reduce its risk to earthquakes by making a log of unreinforced masonry buildings.  The Natural Hazard Retrofit Program Toolkit (2021) Clark County URM Database Report (2015)  FEMA P-774: Unreinforced Masonry Buildings and Earthquakes- Developing Successful Risk Reduction Programs (2009) FEMA P-154: Rapid Visual Screening of Buildings for Potential Seismic Hazards (2015) 

Hear how Kaua’i, Hawai’i, made forward-looking policy that protects people and property from coastal erosion and sea level rise.   Kaua'i Shoreline Setback Ordinance (No. 863, Bill 2266, 2008) Adapting Sea Level Rise and Coastal Erosion Hawaii Managed Retreat Toolkit

Learn how the Morongo Band of Mission Indians worked with nearby jurisdictions and tribes to build strength against natural disasters. Tribal Hazard Mitigation Plan – Morongo Band of Mission Indians (2017) Morongo Band of Mission Indians: History & Preservation 

See how Woodland, California built up its water source portfolio to protect against the growing impacts of drought.   Woodland Davis Clean Water Agency EPA: Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness tool (CREAT)  Adaptation Clearinghouse