Tackling Flood Mitigation with Federal Resources: Best Practices for Community Resilience

Climate change is causing more frequent and intense flooding events. To ensure communities are safe and can thrive in a climate-impacted future, cities and towns are pursuing improved flood mitigation. Recent and pending legislation has created new and expanded existing resources aimed at helping communities plan for these impacts and invest in a variety of solutions.

During this webinar hosted by the Alliance for a Sustainable Future, a joint effort of the US Conference of Mayors and the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, Mayor Brad Cavanagh of Dubuque, Iowa, and his team will share lessons and strategies to successfully fund a comprehensive flood mitigation effort. Chief among these strategies is “stacking” various federal funding sources with state and local resources to implement a multi-faceted plan that integrates green and grey infrastructure solutions for maximum benefit. This strategy is featured in the Alliance for a Sustainable Future publication, “Cities Advancing Climate Action: Federal Funds for Local Impact,” in which a variety of other funding strategies for maximizing impact is explored.

Drawing on Dubuque’s approach as inspiration, this webinar will also feature representatives from key federal agencies and engineering firm AECOM to highlight the new and existing resources that local governments can leverage in accelerating climate-smart investments in their own communities.

Opening Remarks

Mayor Brad Cavanagh
City of Dubuque, IA
Judy Sheahan
U.S. Conference of Mayors | Assistant Executive Director

Discussing the Bee Branch Creek Flood Mitigation Project

Teri Goodmann
Director of Strategic Partnerships | City of Dubuque, IA
Alexis Steger
Housing & Community Development Director | City of Dubuque, IA
Deron Muehring
Civil Engineer | City of Dubuque, IA

Discussing Federal Resources for Flood Mitigation

Bill Abolt
Vice President, Energy | AECOM
Zach Schafer
Senior Advisor | EPA Office of Water
Ko Barrett
Senior Advisor for Climate | U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration