This Louisiana town moved to escape climate-linked disaster

Officials from Woodbridge Township in New Jersey bought and demolished almost 200 homes to create a flood-absorbing restoration area after Superstorm Sandy. The program assigns each homeowner a case manager to help them through the process from the appraisal to moving. Much of the area is now wetlands, which act as a natural sponge to prevent flooding.

The Quinault Indian Nation is building new housing for its community about a mile from its current village on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. The goal is to relocate the whole village to a place further above sea level to avoid flooding and sea-level rise.

In response to recurring glacial flooding outbursts, Juneau has implemented an early warning dashboard, $8 million temporary flood barriers, and ongoing scientific research. The solutions are too new to demonstrate measurable flood damage reduction, but increased community participation in preparedness activities is one promising impact.

The Nooksack Tribe and the Lummi Nation are working with farmers who are building new floodgates to ensure the systems benefit farmland and local salmon. Farmers are adding gates that protect salmon during flooding and give them safe passageways.

The Center for Neighborhood Technology’s RainReady program is creating flood mitigation projects most suitable for Illinois communities in need by ensuring community members have input. The program designs nature-based solutions, like widening creeks and installing rain gardens, based on demographics and flood data. And community committees are involved throughout.

On its journey to become the first climate-resilient nation, Dominica created an early warning system for extreme weather. Once the warning reaches the national level, the information is distributed to communities where a network of local authorities spread the word. From there, neighbors and friends check in with each other, and traditional conch shells are blown as a warning, too.

Los Angeles organizations and neighborhoods are teaming up to create Green Alleys that mitigate flooding. These alleys consist of permeable pavement and native plants and trees that all help direct water underground, as well as streetlights and murals that make them welcoming community spaces.

The design firm Arup calculates cities' ability to retain water through nature and helps them implement other solutions to flooding, like building rain gardens or public messaging strategies, depending on individual needs.

As climate change increases flooding in the area, residents of Vermont’s Tri-Park Cooperative mobile home community can relocate to safer locations out of the flood zone without increasing their monthly expenses. The offer is part of a program created by the co-op and the local government that will cover the costs of the new homes and buyouts.

Several areas in Texas are using public green spaces and nature preserves as ways to mitigate or reduce flooding. Exploration Green is one example of a project that reclaimed nature in an urban area by creating five ponds, each of which can hold up to 100 million gallons of floodwater while also supporting native plants, animals, and trails for hiking.