September 2024

The Resilience Roundup highlights announcements and events along with links to the previous month's state, regional, and national resilience news. 

Learn more about CIRCA at circa.uconn.edu

and the Resilient Connecticut Project at resilientconnecticut.uconn.edu

Now Accepting Applications:

CIRCA's Climate and Equity Grant Program 2024

In collaboration with CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation (CIRCA) requests grant proposals for projects that increase the capacity of vulnerable communities to mitigate, plan for, and respond to climate change impacts. This funding supports the recommendations of the Governor’s Council on Climate Change (GC3).

This grant program is open to community-based organizations, tribal governments, and tribal organizations. Funds can be used for planning, capacity-building, or education projects that advance community-scale climate adaptation and/or climate mitigation efforts. Applications close September 30th, 2024. This year, for the first time, additional funding is available to support participation from community-based organizations in state climate planning meetings.

Please visit the Climate & Equity Program Webpage to find the full Request for Applications, an FAQ document, an Examples and Explanations document, a template work plan, a template budget, and a recording of a webinar held in August about the program.

CT Sustainability and Climate Week:

September 23rd - 27th

CIRCA will be participating in an event as part of Connecticut’s upcoming Sustainability and Resiliency Week. On Tuesday, September 24, 2024 from 10:30 to 11:45, members of CIRCA will participate in a virtual panel discussion about our recent work with Resilient Fair Haven, the CIRCA resilience road map, and what next steps our state can take to improve state and local policy for climate resilience. See the session description and registration link below:

Roadmap to Resilience: Driving Resilience Improvement and Investment in Fair Haven—and Beyond

As extreme weather events become more frequent and severe, Connecticut residents, businesses, and municipalities must urgently invest in climate resilience. Over the past decade, municipalities like the City of New Haven have taken initial steps to plan for the impacts of climate change. This session will highlight Resilient Fair Haven, hearing from the City of New Haven and its partners—including the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation (CIRCA) and Connecticut Green Bank—about challenges and opportunities to address issues of flooding, extreme heat, and to increase climate resilient investments in vulnerable communities. We’ll hear about lessons learned from those efforts as well as new tools and solutions like "Resilience Improvement Districts" to accelerate climate resilience action in the next decade.

Register for this event Here.

Resilience Roadmap

Over the course of developing the Resilient Connecticut project, including the pilot project in the 1.0 area and the expansion through the 2.0 area, CIRCA and its partners documented lessons learned and recommendations for the future. These recommendations can provide a pathway forward for the state as we continue to experience the impacts of climate change. For a full discussion of lessons learned and detailed recommendations for the following overarching themes, please see the Resilience Roadmap Report.

Announcements

Call for Presenters: Connecticut

Associations of Flood Managers

Call for Presenters: September 10, 2024

The Connecticut Association of Flood Managers (CAFM) will convene its 11th Annual Conference and Meeting at Central Connecticut State University Student Center in New Britain, Connecticut on Wednesday, November 13, 2024. A

cornerstone of CAFM’s mission is to educate a broad range of professionals regarding recent flooding concerns and other issues and problems associated with managing flood risk, making communities more resilient, disaster recovery, and the

protection of floodplains. Our goal for this conference is to examine the current challenges facing Connecticut and share experiences and lessons learned as flood managers and municipal officials.

For many years, our presenters have covered a broad range of riverine and coastal flooding topics, including project case studies, hazard mitigation planning, municipal grants overview, and field enforcement of floodplain regulations. CAF encourages you to share your knowledge of these and other related topics with Connecticut’s floodplain management community.

CT DOT Developing Statewide Resilience Improvement Plan

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) is developing a Resilience Improvement Plan (RIP) to help identify climate-related vulnerabilities and prioritize solutions across the agency’s multi-modal transportation network.

The plan will be conducted in two phases. Phase one will conduct a risk-based vulnerability assessment that draws on existing and future climate data to rank vulnerability of state-owned assets. In the second phase, CTDOT will develop an implementation plan identifying potential projects, timelines, and cost-estimates.

A survey is open to the public to provide feedback on what types of projects CTDOT should consider to improve resiliency across the state.

Grants

CLCC: Climate Smart Land Stewardship Grant Program

The overarching goal of the Climate Smart Land Stewardship Grant Program is to increase the number of acres in Connecticut that are managed using climate smart land stewardship practices and encourage the use of climate smart practices among Connecticut’s land trusts. This grant program, and CLCC's accompanying outreach and technical assistance, will elevate the role of conserved lands in providing natural climate solutions by integrating climate mitigation, resilience, and adaptation into the stewardship of conserved lands throughout the state. This program will award $500,000 over multiple years for both planning and implementation grants. In 2024, grants will be awarded quarterly. In 2024, applications will be reviewed quarterly. Submission deadlines are at 5:00pm on: March 1, May 1, August 1, and November 1. Funding decisions are anticipated approximately six weeks after application deadlines.

EPA: Healthy Communities Grant Program for New England

Application Deadline: November 1, 2024

The Healthy Communities Grant Program, led by EPA New England, is a competitive grant initiative designed to help communities reduce environmental risks and improve human health and quality of life. This program funds projects that support at-risk communities, including those needing to build resilience, areas of environmental justice concern, and sensitive populations such as children, the elderly, tribes, and urban and rural residents. The program aims to assess, understand, and reduce environmental and human health risks, promote partnerships, and increase the capacity of communities and institutions to address these issues.

Eligible projects must be located in or directly benefit one or more of the Target Investment Areas and demonstrate how they will achieve measurable environmental and/or public health results in one or more of the Target Program Areas. Detailed descriptions of these target areas are available in the annual Request for Applications (RFA). The program seeks to achieve tangible benefits through community-based projects and collaborative efforts.

EPA: Community Change Grants

Application Deadline: November 21, 2024

The Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grant program (Community Change Grants), created by the Inflation Reduction Act, offers an unprecedented $2 billion in grants under this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). The Community Change Grants will fund community-driven projects that address climate challenges and reduce pollution while strengthening communities through thoughtful implementation. This historic level of support will enable communities and their partners to overcome longstanding environmental challenges and implement meaningful solutions to meet community needs now and for generations to come. There will be two tracks of funding under this opportunity. Track I will fund approximately 150 large, transformational community-driven investment grants of $10 million - $20 million. Track II will fund approximately 20 meaningful engagement grants of $1 million - $3 million. Grants cannot exceed 3-years in duration. Please review the NOFO for further information about the exciting opportunities under the Community Change Grants program and details about the application process.

CT DEEP: Urban Green and Community Gardens Grant Program

Through December 2, 2024, the Department is currently accepting applications to the Urban Green & Community Grant Program (UGCG). The Department's Urban Green and Community Gardens Grant Program (UGCG) is available to distressed municipalities, targeted investment communities, registered non-profit organizations, and municipalities that are an environmental justice community. The program provides funding assistance to develop or enhance urban green spaces for public enjoyment and/or environmental education. Promotion of open space in an urban setting may include, but may not be limited to, the development of a community garden or reclaiming and enhancing existing open space for the public's use. Grants are awarded to projects that demonstrate the highest ability to benefit urban communities in close proximity to population centers.

CT DEEP: Open Space and Watershed Land

Acquisition Grant Program

Through December 2, 2024, the Department is currently accepting applications from municipalities, non-profit land conservation organizations, and water companies to the competitive Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program. Yellow Book appraisals and appraisal reviews can be submitted by no later than January 6, 2025. DEEP will be awarding grants to projects that offer the highest conservation and recreational value and that leverage the greatest percentage of private and municipal funding.  

The Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition (OSWA) Grant Program provides financial assistance to municipalities and nonprofit land conservation organizations to acquire land for open space, and to water companies to acquire land to be classified as Class I or Class II water supply property.

Awards are granted to projects that offer the highest conservation and recreational value and that leverage the greatest percentage of private and municipal funding.  

Events

CLEAR Geospatial Webinar Series: Introducing the GIS Office and All about Image Services

The Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR) is pleased to announce the launch of a new webinar series focused on topics related to Connecticut’s statewide geospatial data – what’s new, how to access it, who is doing what with it, and more. The first webinar, “Introducing the CT GIS Office and All about Image Services” will be held on Thursday, September 12th at 1:00 p.m. ET. Registration is free. 

This series is a collaboration between CLEAR and the CT GIS Office. Webinars will be held every 2-4 weeks. 

NOAA Funding and Financing Coastal Resilience: Spotlight on Public-Private Partnerships

September 26, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Join to learn about the Clean Water Partnership, a community-based, public-private partnership. Roland Jones, market director for the mid-Atlantic region of Corvias Infrastructure Solutions and former director of the Office of Central Services for Prince George’s County, helped develop this initiative. He will define public-private partnerships and share how the Clean Water Partnership was formed to address stormwater challenges and build green jobs for community members.

AMS: State of the Climate

An international, peer-reviewed publication released each summer, the State of the Climate is the authoritative annual summary of the global climate published as a supplement to the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. the report, compiled by NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, is based on contributions from scientists from around the world. It provides a detailed update on global climate indicators, notable weather events, and other data collected by environmental monitoring stations and instruments located on land, water, ice, and in space.

CT Climate Change Focus Moves To Inland Towns That Will Be Hit Hard. Here’s Why.

Hartford Courant - August 18, 2024

Researchers at the University of Connecticut also are now turning their attention to inland Connecticut and places that are not anywhere near the coast or even a large waterway such as the Connecticut River. Scientists at the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation are examining how more sudden, intense rainstorms are overwhelming decades-old drainage systems, leading to more frequent flooding.

Devastating Flood Highlights Need for Climate Resiliency

NBC CT - August 20, 2024

The state of Connecticut is trying to help towns adapt to climate change as severe storms become more frequent, including a potentially historic rainfall Sunday for towns in the Naugatuck River Valley. This includes the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Climate Resiliency Program, which gave out $8.8 million in its first year and expects to provide another $75 million in aid this year.

In a Summer of Severe Flooding in New England, a 1,000-Year Storm Hit Connecticut. Here’s How.

Boston Globe - August 21, 2024



On Sunday, August 19, 2024, southwestern Connecticut was hit by a "1-in-1,000-year storm," delivering 13 to 16 inches of rain in just a few hours and surpassing the record set by Hurricane Diane in 1955. The storm, fueled by a combination of deep tropical moisture and a slow-moving weather system, resulted in deadly flash floods, particularly in Oxford, where two people lost their lives. Meteorologists noted that the storm's intensity was amplified by "training" rainstorms, where thunderstorms repeatedly moved over the same area. Climate scientists have linked the increasing frequency and severity of such extreme weather events to climate change.

How Can Connecticut Prepare for a 1,000-Year Flood? It Can’t, but Strategy Is Changing

CT Insider - August 21, 2024

The devastating storm that flooded parts of Connecticut and swept away roads was far more than infrastructure could handle. Twelve-plus inches of rain fell in a short period, or three months worth of rain for the state. But what exactly is a 1,000-year flood? No, it's not a flood that happens once only every 1,000 years, but instead a flood that has a one in 1,000 chance of happening in any given year, as the U.S. Geological Survey explained. That calculation — how often flooding events are likely to happen, is part of how flood risk maps are derived.

Summer Heat Smashed CT Records. A New Look at Neighborhoods Seeks Those Suffering The Most

Hartford Courant - September 2, 2024

This summer's soaring temperatures in Connecticut shattered records going back 75 years, another troubling sign that more extreme hot weather may be poised to take an increasingly heavier toll on the state in the future. This is particularly true in densely-populated cities like Hartford. Now, researchers at the University of Connecticut are taking a closer look at just how hot it is at street-level in Hartford with the deployment of more than a dozen heat sensors in neighborhoods throughout the city. Daily readings have been recorded since the sensors were installed in May, and researchers hope to assemble a picture not only of heat but how it may vary by neighborhood. Scientists at the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation expect to compile the results in a report next year along with previous heat sensor studies in New Haven, Norwalk and Danbury.

The Oceans Are Weirdly Hot. Scientists Are Trying to

Figure Out Why

NPR - August 14, 2024



The oceans are extremely warm right now. Worldwide, average ocean temperatures were in record-breaking territory for 15 months straight since last April.That’s bad news on multiple fronts. Abnormally hot ocean water helps fuel dangerous hurricanes, like Hurricane Ernesto, which is expected to rapidly gain strength this week in the Atlantic, and like Hurricane Debby, which dumped massive amounts of rain along the East Coast of the U.S. last week. And when the water gets too hot, fish and other marine species also struggle to survive.

Extreme Rain Is a Growing Climate Threat to the Northeastern US

Bloomberg - August 27, 2024

As high temperatures break records around the US and wildfires rip through the West, another climate-driven weather hazard — extreme rainfall — is pummeling the country’s Northeast and scientists say it will get worse as the climate changes. That will bring more rain-induced flooding to a region of millions that isn’t prepared. 

The latest example played out on Aug. 18, when a slow-moving storm system approached Northeastern states from the Great Lakes. A patch of low pressure high above Connecticut and New York drew all that wet air upwards, creating perfect conditions for rain. Remnants of Hurricane Ernesto also arrived, slowing down the movement of air masses across the region into a kind of “traffic jam,” according to AccuWeather Inc.