Defining and Building Capacity for Disaster Mitigation
Watch On-Demand
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Counties and other local governments are at the frontlines of extreme climate-related events, leading the immediate disaster response and recovery, whatever the availability of internal infrastructure and resources. While disaster resilience is an intergovernmental responsibility, the capacity of local governments to prepare, respond and recover is critical to mitigating the loss and damage caused by disasters.
For National Preparedness Month, this webinar offered an engaging discussion of the key elements of capacity for disaster resilience. Speakers highlighted how to build and sustain local capacity to secure funds, staffing and partnerships, drawing on findings from an intergovernmental roundtable convened by NACo and The Pew Charitable Trusts. The webinar recording is now available on this page.
Watch Recording
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Resource
2024 National Preparedness Month: County Participation Toolkit
Featured Initiative
Resilient Counties Initiative
NACo works to strengthen county resiliency by building leadership capacity to identify and manage risk, and allow counties to become more flexible and responsive.
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Milwaukee County showcases beach renovation
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FAA-NACo Airport Land Use Compatibility
Wednesday, December 10, 2025 | 3:00 p.m. - 4:300 p.m. ET
Counties play a crucial role in our nation’s aviation system, owning and operating hundreds of airports across the country. And even in places where the county may not own the airport, county planning departments and development organizations work to maximize the value of this asset to the community’s economic and overall wellbeing. Join NACo and staff from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Office of Airports Planning and Programming to learn more about the FAA’s “Advisory Circular on Airport Land Use Compatibility Planning,” which will enable counties work smarter to integrate airports into broader planning efforts for land use, economic development and more. FAA staff will also be available to answer questions from county leaders about planning needs in their community and how the Advisory Circular can guide those efforts.
Speakers:
- Jacqueline Essick, Associate Director, Jacobsen|Daniels
- Amber McNair, Founder & Principal Investigator, AV McNair, LLC
- Michael (Mike) Hines, Manager of Airports Planning and Environmental Division, FAA
- Jean Wolfers-Lawrence, Manager of Environmental Planning Branch, FAA
Speakers
Mathew Sanders
Hon. Archie Chaisson, III
Megan Houston
