Using community case studies to test the Equitable Resilience Builder
Citation:
Kiessling, B., E. Eisenhauer, K. Maxwell, S. Julius, M. Fry, M. Matsler, L. Oliver, I. Reilly, M. Shacklette, AND K. Roemer. Using community case studies to test the Equitable Resilience Builder. 2023 EPA International Decontamination Research and Development Conference, Charleston, SC, December 05 - 07, 2023.
Impact/Purpose:
This is a poster presentation on testing the Equitable Resilience Builder (ERB) using community case studies for an audience of specialists and decontamination waste management personnel. It will display how the ERB used case studies to develop and test the content within the tool.
Description:
The US Environmental Protection Agency’s newly released tool, the Equitable Resilience Builder (ERB), guides practitioners through a resilience planning process that provides support for communities in the face of climate change and disasters. The ERB process is specifically designed to address a wide range of disaster types, including contamination incidents, and is customizable depending on a community’s priorities. The ERB includes information and activities to help planners form a team, engage their community, assess local resilience indicators, prioritize actions, and get started with solutions. The content of the tool was developed through extensive iteration and input from potential end-users, helping to fine-tune its usability. This iteration involved three community case studies, taking place in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Buffalo, New York, and Augusta, GA/Aiken, SC. This poster details the process and outcomes of each of these case studies. Specifically, the poster highlights key findings such as the importance of local partnerships and trusted facilitators in the implementation of resilience planning, as well as the need for a trauma-informed approach to engagement. The poster offers lessons learned that may be applicable to other tool development, especially tools and resources related to incident response, disaster recovery, and preparedness.