Activate the First 16 Feet
This webinar will help you focus on the area where shared human experiences are most felt and learn small interventions to unlock the energy of the First 16 Feet in your district.
Downloads
- MSA NPS DISASTERPREPTOOLKIT (PDF) 11.9 MB
Marion, IA © Uptown Marion
Supporting Resilient Main Streets
Climate change and climate change-related disasters are an important and pressing issue: their impacts are harmful, accelerating, and disproportionately harm BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) communities. As of June 2024, 68% of designated Main Street districts are located within census tracts identified as climate vulnerable. We have an urgent need to understand local risks, create plans to mitigate their impacts, and respond to events as they occur.
Created in partnership with the National Parks Service through the Main Street Community Disaster Preparedness and Resilience Program, this publication is designed to help Main Streets and commercial district organizations better prepare for and respond to more frequent and severe disasters.
Plan, Prepare, Respond, and Recover
The Main Street Disaster and Resiliency Toolkit is organized into three sections. Each section provides small steps, incremental advice, and comprehensive guidance to help Main Streets plan, prepare, respond, and recover.
Plan
Part one helps local leaders assess important baseline information for your organizations and communities to avoid duplicating past disaster planning efforts and, most importantly, to find a disaster planning process that suits your Main Street’s current planning needs. Explore here >
Prepare
Part two provides steps you can take now to ensure your community will respond more effectively when a disaster occurs. This section also features activities and best practices on how to alleviate or mitigate future disaster damage and disruptions to Main Streets. Explore here >
Respond and Recover
Part three explores the tools and strategies that communities can utilize following a natural disaster. This includes guidance on how to navigate the recovery process and how to address critical, longer-term rebuilding needs, such as repairing damaged historic resources, restoring small businesses, and renewing social connections. Explore here >
Montpelier, VT © Katie Trautz, Montpelier Alive
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