Resources for Resilience and Adaptation in New England (RAINE)
- General information about climate change
- Adaptation and resilience case studies and tools
- Programs and tools used in the RAINE database
General information about climate change
EPA Climate Change Website
EPA's official climate change site that provides climate change science, impacts in the US, what we can do and more.
Climate Ready Estuaries
This EPA program works with National Estuary Programs and coastal management community to: assess climate change vulnerabilities; develop and implement strategies; and engage and educate stakeholders. You can find tools, guides, checklists, reports, and more.
EPA Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation
Includes impacts and adaptation by geographic region and sector along with tools and resources for public officials.
Federal and EPA Adaptation Programs
This page provides actions that are being taken by EPA program offices and other federal agencies to help American's adapt to current and potential risks from climate change.
FEMA Climate Change Exit
This page provides information about emergency management in a changing climate and related links for tools and data, knowledge and capacity, and strategy and policy.
The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) Exit
This program coordinates and integrates federal research on changes in the global environment and their implications for society. Thirteen departments and agencies, including EPA, participate in the USGCRP. The USGCRP is currently develops and updates the National Climate Assessment.
Adaptation and resilience case studies and tools
Climate and Adaptation Exchange CAKE Exit
CAKE includes case studies of on-the-ground adaptation efforts, a library of resources to support your work, a community forum with an expert advice column
Georgetown Center Adaptation Clearinghouse Exit
The Adaptation Clearinghouse seeks to assist state policymakers, resource managers, academics, and others who are working to help communities adapt to climate change.
Mitigation Planning Status for New England Exit
This site developed by FEMA provides updated status of New England communities' hazard mitigation plans. It shows jurisdictions with approved, appproval-pending-adoption, plans that will expire and expired plans.
Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flood Web Tools Comparison Matrix Exit
Climate Central created this matrix to provide the planning and coastal management communities with an expandable chart to compare the functions and methods of publicly available sea level rise and coastal flood web tools.
US Climate Resilience Tool Kit Exit
The Climate Resilience Toolkit provides resources and a framework for understanding and addressing the climate issues that impact people and their communities.
Programs and tools used in the RAINE database
Programs: What programs have communities engaged with, for example: Community Energy Challenge or 100 Resilient Cities
- 100 Resilient Cities Exit
Rockefeller Foundation supported effort - Climate Ready City Exit
Center for Disease Control (CDC) program for state and city health departments - Climate Ready Estuaries
A partnership between EPA and the National Estuary Programs (NEPs) to address climate change in coastal areas - Community Energy Challenge
An EPA New England challenge focusing on mitigation efforts - Community Rating System Exit
A voluntary incentive program through FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program for communities who exceed minimum requirements for flood protection - Compact of Mayors Exit
An international coalition of city leaders addressing climate change by pledging to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, tracking their progress and preparing for the impacts of climate change. - ICLEI Exit
A non-profit member based organization that has adaptation tools for members - Massachusetts Green Communities Exit
The Green Communities program assists cities and towns find clean energy solutions that reduce long-term energy costs and strengthen local economies. - Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement Exit
Supported by U.S. Conference of Mayors, committing communities to reduce ghg emissions - National Estuary Program
A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) place-based program to protect and restore the water quality and ecological integrity of estuaries of national significance - New England Municipal Sustainability Network
A network of municipalities throughout New England (includes Albany, NY) - Resilient Communities for America Exit
A challenge program for community leaders to commit to resiliency, sponsored by ICLEI, National League of Cities, World Wildlife Fund and US Green Building Council - StormReady Exit
A program of the National Weather Service that uses a grassroots approach to help communities respond to extreme weather— from tornadoes to hurricanes. It provides emergency managers with clear-cut guidelines on how to improve their hazardous weather operations. The program is targeted to communities, universities and businesses.
Tools: Tools used during the process for developing information for products or plans
- Being Prepared for Climate Change: A Workbook for Developing Risk-Based Adaptation Plans
The workbook provides guidance for conducting risk-based climate change vulnerability assessments and developing adaptation action plans. It is an ideal tool for organizations that manage places, watersheds or coastal environments. - Beyond the Basic - Hazard Mitigation Planning Exit
This website helps local governments prepare a new or update and existing hazard mitigation plan. - CanVis Exit
Enables users to visualize impacts of future management decisions. - Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool (CREAT)
CREAT is a software tool that assists drinking water and wastewater utility managers in understanding potential climate change threats, assessing the related risks at their individual utilities, and developing adaptation strategies. - Climate Smart Strategy Toolbox - Water Managers (PDF)(37 pp, 513 K, About PDF) Exit
This provides climate change preparedness strategies for water managers and consumers, which is organized according to sector and goals or outcomes the strategy achieves. - COAST Exit
COAST predicts damages from sea level rise and storms of various intensities. It evaluates relative benefits and costs of response strategies using a stakeholder process. - Coastal Resilience Tool Kit Exit
The toolkit offers advanced decision-making for coastal risk assessment. This interactive suite of tools allows users to examine storm surge, sea level rise, natural resources and economic assets. It also allows users to develop risk reduction and restoration solutions. - Digital Coast Exit
This data viewer provides coastal managers and scientists with a preliminary look at sea level rise and coastal flooding impacts. It is a screening-level tool that uses nationally consistent data sets and analyses. - Flood Resilience Guide: A Basic Guide to Water and Wastewater Utilities
Targeted to small and mid-size utilities, the Flood Resilience Guide outlines a simple, 4-step assessment process to help any water utility know their flooding threat and identify practical mitigation options to protect their critical assets. - HAZUS Exit
Hazus is a nationally applicable methodology that contains models for estimating potential losses from floods, earthquakes and hurricanes. - ICLEI - ADAPT Exit
This planning process for climate adaptation uses five milestones; from vulnerability assessment to monitoring resiliency. ADAPT is available as part of ICLEI's Climate Resilient Communities Program. - National Stormwater Calculator
EPA's National Stormwater Calculator (SWC) is a desktop application that estimates the annual amount of rainwater and frequency of runoff from a specific site anywhere in the United States. Estimates are based on local soil conditions, land cover, and historic rainfall records. - Resilient Community Scorecard Exit
Vermont created this checklist for communities to assess their resilience in key areas including land use, transportation, energy, and healthy community design. - Road Map for Adapting to Coastal Risk Exit
The Roadmap uses a stakeholder approach to help communities characterize their exposure to current and future hazard and climate threats and incorporate relevant data and information about hazards and climate into existing planning and decision-making efforts. - Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM) Exit
This model simulates the dominant processes involved in wetland conversions and shoreline modifications during long-term sea level rise. - Sea, Lake and Overland Surges from Hurricanes SLOSH Exit
SLOSH estimates storm surge heights resulting from historical, hypothetical, or predicted hurricanes by taking into account the atmospheric pressure, size, forward speed, and storm tracks. - Sea-Level Change Curve Calculator Exit
An online tool to evaluate sea level and climate change for coastal projects using local tide gauges. - U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit Exit
The site is for citizens, communities, businesses, resource managers, planners, and policy leaders. It provides scientific tools, information, and expertise to manage climate-related risks and opportunities, and improve their resilience to extreme events.