May 27, 2020
Storytelling works better than facts alone when motivating people to act. Stories allow people to form an emotional connection, to learn from other communities’ challenges and solutions, and to wonder, “How could this work in my community?”
Level Up Audio Project Homepage |
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region IX produced the Level Up Audio Project to support local conversations about hazard risk and resilience, empower communities to advance resilience, strengthen a network of hazard mitigation and climate adaptation professionals, and inspire action. Level Up discusses themes including:
The Georgetown Climate Center is partnering with FEMA Region IX to make the audio series available. This collaboration grew out of the natural connections between FEMA’s mission to reduce impacts of disasters, and the Georgetown Climate Center’s work to help state and local leaders make their communities more resilient to changes in the climate that exacerbate disaster impacts. As a resource to states and local governments on climate change adaptation, GCC helps policymakers and practitioners identify best practices in adaptation policy, including in hazard mitigation and post-disaster contexts through legal and policy analysis, and through GCC’s Adaptation Clearinghouse.
The Level Up series features 10- to 15-minute conversations with individuals on the United States’ West Coast who are making hazard mitigation planning and action a priority in communities. Tune in to hear how:
Listen to all five Level Up episodes on the GCC website, or via podcast distributors like Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Spotify. If you have topics to suggest for future episodes or would like to get involved, please contact FEMA Region IX at fema-r9-mitigation-planning@fema.dhs.gov or GCC Senior Associate Annie Bennett (bennett@georgetown.edu).
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. (Click here to learn more about FEMA assistance programs and eligibility.)
Themes: Climate change; disadvantaged communities, equity, and social resilience; mitigation planning