Climate Adaptation News | Hudson River Estuary | August 2020

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Climate Adaptation in the Hudson River Estuary

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Climate Adaptive Design stakeholder meeting, 2011, Photocredit L. Zemaitis

Community connections and resilience in the Village of Piermont

What makes a community resilient? The Hudson River Estuary Program’s Climate Change Team has been thinking about this question in the context of COVID-19.  Our work typically focuses on community resilience to flooding. But the principles of resilience transcend any one hazard. 

More and more, we are realizing the importance of resilient societies, communities, and individuals that stay connected no matter what threat they face. 

Communities are enriched by relationships. Networks of relationships and real-world connections between families and individuals help build a community’s social capital.  Communities with strong connections and feelings of trust are known to recover faster when a disaster strikes

Today, we’d like to bring you an example of a local government that is fostering strong community relationships.

The Village of Piermont’s name derives from its two most prominent features: nearby Tallman Mountain and the large Erie Railroad pier extending from the village into the Hudson River.  This proximity to the Hudson means Piermont is facing significant flood risk.

One way the village thought to address this was through a Neighbor to Neighbor (N2N) program created by the Piermont Waterfront Resiliency Commission.  Neighbor to Neighbor programs vary by community but can include a range of services from check-ins and phone calls to ridesharing and grocery delivery.

The original intent of the Piermont program was to provide check-ins for vulnerable community members in the event of a flood.  The program also offers an alert system for residents that, to date, has over 65 subscribers. 

By providing ways for residents to communicate outside their immediate social networks, the Neighbor to Neighbor program is improving community connectedness and growing social capital.

This improved connectedness will help the residents of Piermont in the event of another flood.  But improved social relationships are valuable in any crisis. This has proved true for Piermont in the wake of COVID-19.  According to Waterfront Resiliency Commission chair Nathan Mitchell, the program has helped residents stay connected and carry the emotional burden of social distancing by offering telephone conversations to N2N subscribers. 

A phone call might sound simple, but at a moment when we are forced to remain apart it is important to celebrate connection.  And if this crisis has taught us anything, it’s that connectedness is a fundamental aspect of resiliency. 

Piermont Marsh

 Piermont Marsh, Photocredit L. Zemaitis

Read more about Piermont’s efforts to adapt to climate change…

ARTICLE LINK: The Consensus Building Institute invites residents in the Village of Piermont to a candid discussion of flood risk

WEBPAGE LINK: The Flood Resilience Network helps communities like Piermont plan for a changing climate


News and Projects from around New York


Local climate data from Mohonk Preserve weather station

 

Month

Temperature

Precipitation

Snowfall

April, 2020

1.1° below average

0.93 inches below average

2.86 inches below average

 

Check out the Mohonk Preserve weather data for yourself!

 

The Climate Change Team Inspires Hudson Valley Communities to Plan, Adapt, and Reach towards a New Climate Future

 

 

Visit DEC’s website or email us at hvclimate@dec.ny.gov

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