Prioritizing Resilience Decisions with Data – Federal data such as FEMA’s National Risk Index and Census Bureau surveys can be mined to identify areas—down to the census tract level—that have elevated natural hazard risks, low community resilience, and high socioeconomic vulnerability. This data should be used to craft government programs designed to assist the most vulnerable and at-risk communities, such as bond programs that support community resilience measures or individual financial assistance to strengthen the resilience of homes.
Making Relevant Data Public and Accessible – Using FEMA’s OpenFEMA portal as a model, federal departments and agencies—including USDA, HUD, and SBA—should make census tract data relevant to current and future climate risks, economic impacts, and resilience opportunities available to the public. This will allow the private sector to analyze and, where possible, supplement the data in support of community resilience.