Main Street Disaster and Resilience Toolkit
This publication is designed to help Main Streets and commercial district organizations better prepare for and respond to more frequent and severe disasters.
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The National Park Service Main Street Community Disaster Preparedness and Resilience Program is funded through generous support from the Emergency Supplemental Historic Preservation Fund administered through the National Park Service.
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From record-breaking hurricanes to quick-spreading fires, disasters are all too common occurrences in Main Street communities across the country. Despite their frequency, there are very few disaster preparedness and resilience-related resources available to commercial district revitalization organizations. Without a comprehensive preparedness plan in place and tools to support both short- and long-term recovery efforts, the physical and economic aftereffects of disasters can be devastating, especially to the residents, local businesses in Main Street communities, historic structures, and public spaces.
To address the need for more resources, Main Street America (MSA) has launched the National Park Service Main Street Community Disaster Preparedness and Resilience Program, funded through generous support from the Emergency Supplemental Historic Preservation Fund (ESHPF) administered through the National Park Service. Over the next three years, MSA will create a suite of resources that provide immediately useful information for Main Street revitalization organizations to use in preparing for and responding to catastrophic events.
Specifically, through this program, MSA will convene experts and stakeholders, create a clearinghouse of curated resources, create a toolkit with strategies and worksheets for the most frequent disasters, and hold workshops and trainings related to disaster preparedness and resilience.
This publication is designed to help Main Streets and commercial district organizations better prepare for and respond to more frequent and severe disasters.
Marion, IA © Uptown Marion
Manuel T. Ochoa shares some reflections after a devastating flood in Ellicott City, Maryland.
In honor of National Disaster Preparedness Month, we are providing some practical steps that Main Streets can take to prepare for the next, inevitable disaster.
Main Street America is proud to announce the release of a new resource to help Main Streets and commercial district organizations better prepare for and respond to more frequent and severe disasters.
Main Street America welcomed the National Association For Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB) to our Twitter channel to share stories of resiliency in Latino communities.
Main Street America welcomed to our Instagram Stories the Allapattah Collaborative CDC, a Main Street program in Miami, Florida.
Four recommendations that Main Street districts can apply right now to start preparing for the next natural disaster.
Katherine Beck, Florida Main Street Program, Bureau of Historic Preservation, Tallahassee, Florida
Katharine Burgess, Smart Growth America, Washington D.C.
Mileyka Burgos-Flores, Allapattah Collaborative, Miami, Florida
Shonterria Charleston, Housing Assistance Council, Atlanta, Georgia
Jamie Crawley, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, Texas Main Street/THC, Austin, Texas
Amanda Elliott, California Main Street Alliance/MSA, Richmond, California
Madeline Fraser-Cook, LISC, Government Investments and Technical Assistance, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Diana Luna, Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Jan Opper, Opper Strategies and Solutions, Alexandria, Virginia
Joseph Quinata, Guam Preservation Trust, Hagatna, Guam
Ivonne Sanabria, Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Laurie Schoeman, Enterprise Community Partners, New York, New York
Ray Scriber, Louisiana Main Street/LA DHP, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Rhonda Sincavage, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Washington D.C.
Jake White, National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders, San Antonio, Texas
Thank you for your interest in staying connected with the National Park Service Main Street Community Disaster Preparedness and Resilience Program! If you are interested in attending one of our workshops or in being added to our stakeholder mailing list, please complete this survey. If you want to recommend any disaster preparedness and resilience plans, reports, or other resources, please complete this survey.