How Bangladesh is supporting climate refugees

Community land trusts, like the Florida Keys Community Land Trust (FKCLT) help people access affordable housing and aid in disaster recovery by stopping land from entering the real estate market and increasing in price. FKCLT rents land trust units to families earning 80% or less of the local median income at about $1,000 per month.

Community land trusts are nonprofits that buy land, build homes, and ensure the long-term affordability of the homes they build. A trust in Florida is not only ensuring homes stay affordable after natural disasters it is also focused on building units that can withstand storms so families do not need to rebuild.

The city of Houston is changing its approach to measuring the full scope of damage from Hurricane Harvey so it can get help where it is most needed and improve future flood mitigation. Using data from numerous sources, Civis Analytics found unmet housing needs were far greater than initially recorded and low-income areas were hit disproportionately harder, even though recovery funding often goes to areas with higher housing values. Now city officials are working to implement solutions based on the data in order to allocate limited funds where they will be most effective.

Groups like the Mutual Aid – New Orleans Facebook group take a community-focused approach to disaster response and gather volunteers to deliver supplies to those in need in the aftermath of disasters like hurricanes and flooding. Frustrated by slow and oftentimes nonexistent government aid, these communities are taking matters into their own hands to effectively provide relief to fellow residents when disaster strikes.

After Hurricane Maria, shipping container houses gained popularity in Puerto Rico because of their affordability and faster build times.

After the Camp Fire that destroyed several homes and misplaced residents, the U.S. Department of Agriculture offered low-interest home loans and payment assistance for low-income families who wished to rebuild or repair a home after a wildfire. Several other organizations and agencies also emerged with solutions and research studies that present ways to reshape how Californians rebuild after wildfires, with attention paid to mitigating future fires and the destruction they cause.

Designing room for rivers and coastlines can mitigate catastrophe. Following a massive flood in 1953, the Dutch government reallocated its resources toward disaster prevention and mitigation. Through measures like building surge barriers and reservoirs into recreational spaces, the Dutch have moved implemented defensive design methods. Additionally, by lowering some dykes, practices have moved from flood control to controlled flooding. The Dutch Water Ambassador serves a global role advising the UN and other countries about the Dutch engineering and design methods.

Affordable housing for Florida Keys residents is often vulnerable to damage or destruction by extreme weather. The Monroe County Land Trust has created housing that is both affordable for county residents and built to withstand floods and wind.

Following a devastating hurricane in the early 1960s, Cuba created a model disaster preparedness infrastructure that includes excellent forecasting, education in schools and promoting a culture of nationwide training where everyone has a role to play. The country also focuses on caring for the most vulnerable in disasters and there have been far fewer deaths in many storms compared to other countries. But the size of Hurricane Irma has challenged Cuba's ability to deal with larger, faster storms.

One group of women roams shelters searching for Puerto Rican vets after Hurricane Maria, where there are “around 75,000 US Army veterans living.” “This is Americans helping Americans. These veterans were stationed in the US, went to war with the US. I think that’s the thing that people forget.”