March 21, 2023
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In November, the American Flood Coalition and the Aspen Institute Energy and Environment Program brought together senior state resilience leaders from 15 states in Aspen, Colorado, for the first-of-its-kind State Resilience Leaders Retreat.
This month, the American Flood Coalition again brought together these leaders for a flood resilience event in Miami Beach, giving them another chance to bond, trade notes, and learn from one another on flood solutions. The event, held during the Aspen Ideas: Climate Summit, was closed-door to encourage the free exchange of ideas.
At a time when historic levels of federal funds are available for flood resilient infrastructure, the sessions allowed leaders to share challenges and opportunities with accessing funding. Leaders learned about ways to apply for and use funding from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, as well as different federal programs.
“There’s more funding than ever before in any of our lifetimes, and we’re getting innovative with how to put it to use,” said one event participant.
Experts from the American Flood Coalition dove deep into how the infrastructure law changes federal programs — related to environment and natural resources, emergency management, and transportation — and what that means for communities applying for funding.
In November, the American Flood Coalition introduced its State Flood Resilience Framework, which helps state leaders identify focus areas and develop policy. At the Miami event, leaders unpacked the framework, discussing state-level planning to address flooding, sustainable ways to fund flood resilience, and watershed-scale approaches to managing flood risk. They also discussed resources from the State Resilience Partnership, a network of organizations led by the American Flood Coalition that brings together the best practices and expertise in state-level flood resilience.
Part of the session also focused on strategic planning, where leaders learned more about challenges and opportunities that emerged from the November meeting. Such opportunities included ways to balance long-term strategy with action, translate state priorities to the local level, and plan for the future.
Though some leaders had met before, both AFC events gave state leaders the opportunity to trade ideas with their peers from all over the country. Because the event was part of the four-day Aspen Ideas: Climate Summit, state leaders joined over 1,000 attendees at various events throughout the week, brainstorming with one another and other attendees.
As an organization that works at the local level, across states, and on the Hill, the American Flood Coalition is uniquely positioned to bring together so many senior state leaders and provide expertise and guidance at a time when they need it most.
“As these federal programs unfold, we have to seize the opportunity to learn from these types of forums,” said one leader. “This is our opportunity to make transformational change.”
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More photos from the event
