County governments across America play a critical role in preparing for or recovering from major disaster events. Over the past four decades, the United States has faced 387 climate-related disasters with damages at or exceeding $1 billion, a class of event often referred to as “billion-dollar disasters.” Collectively, these billion-dollar disasters have cost the U.S. economy more than $2.74 trillion and claimed the lives of 16,434 people. With the increasing frequency and severity of these major disasters, counties, states and the federal government need to coordinate efficiently and effectively to serve our communities. NACo with the support of The Pew Charitable Trusts has hosted three intergovernmental roundtable discussions with federal, state and county officials. The first roundtable identified priority challenges in achieving disaster resilience, while the second roundtable focused on defining and building local capacity for disaster resilient communities. The third and final roundtable explored current and potential approaches for funding and implementing solutions to the social and economic risks facing communities including those that are under resourced and underrepresented. The key findings of the intergovernmental roundtable discussions are provided below. 

2024 Intergovernmental Roundtable

In February 2024, federal, state and county officials convened for a third and final roundtable event, exploring current and potential approaches for funding and implementing solutions to the social and economic risks facing communities including those that are under resources and underrepresented. This report features a summary of key findings and emphasizes the importance of taking action prior to a disaster taking place, with the economic costs of investment today dwarfed by those of an unprepared community. Participants highlighted three areas of intervention for intergovernmental partners to prioritize. These are:

  • Streamline access to disaster mitigation, preparedness and relief funding
  • Measure and address the economic risks of disasters, and
  • Incorporate resilient practices in land use planning and development.

Read the executive summary here.

Learn More

2023 Intergovernmental Roundtable

In February 2023, federal, state and county officials convened for a second roundtable event to outline a roadmap for how to define, improve and sustain local capacity for disaster resiliency and the roles intergovernmental partners can play in building resilient communities. This report features a summary of key findings, with disparities in local capacity found to be a top challenge in achieving disaster resilience. Participants agreed that to improve local capacity it must be defined and measured, identifying six key elements and developing solutions for intergovernmental partnerships to use in building and sustaining capacity. These elements are: 

  • Funding: For mitigation planning and project implementation
  • Staffing: Dedicated personnel, and in some instances, dedicated resilience agencies
  • Authority: To enact policy and practice that support mitigation efforts
  • Partnerships: To maximize shared expertise, responsibility and resources
  • Data & Data Analytics: To monitor and assess indicators of resilience for decision making
  • Education: To ensure a reasonable perception of risk, among policymakers and residents

A webinar elaborating on the findings of this report took place on Wednesday, September 20, 2023. More information and the recording of that webinar are available here.

Learn More

2022 Intergovernmental Roundtable

In February 2022, federal, state and county officials convened for a roundtable discussion to discuss roles and responsibilities across levels of government and the private sector for disaster resiliency efforts and identified top challenges in intergovernmental coordination and collaboration. This brief features a summary of takeaways and priority challenges in achieving disaster resilient communities across the country. Key takeaways include:

  • Disaster response is led by local governments and the disasters they face are increasing in frequency and severity.
  • Counties, especially small ones, may lack the capacity to take on an increasing demand for emergency management and recovery services.
  • Disasters are variable and expensive, and spending is spread across multiple levels of government and private sector; this makes them both difficult to forecast and to afford.
  • Federal disaster support is fragmented and in need of interagency coordination.
  • The federal award and reimbursement processes are not designed for equitable allocation of resources, are complex and time-intensive to apply and sometimes awarded 3-4 years after a disaster event (requiring many localities to pursue private loans that incur interest).
  • Emergency management practices that focus on mitigation produce a greater return than those focused on recovery, but uptake of mitigation-oriented practices is slow.
  • Community engagement and education is important for increasing disaster preparedness.
  • State and local leaders need reliable and actionable data for decision-making.

Learn More

Related News

Doing taxes
Advocacy

NACo releases new SALT deduction data for 2022 showing why relief is necessary

On June 11, NACo released profiles of the State and Local Tax deduction, illustrating the percentage of tax returns in a county with itemized deductions in 2022.

ready
County News

Volunteer program trains Florida county staff to help during hurricanes, other emergencies

Orange County, Fla. trains, certifies and deploys non-essential county staff to respond to emergencies.

Workers reassemble restored pieces of the Old River Bridge May 14 in Saline County, Ark. Photo courtesy of Trevor Villines
County News

Arkansas county expands its future by preserving a 19th-century bridge

Saline County, Ark. is restoring a 134-year-old bridge connecting a 65-mile pedestrian and bike trail spanning from Little Rock to Hot Springs.

Image of supreme court.jpg
Advocacy

U.S. Supreme Court issues unanimous decision in landmark National Environmental Policy Act case

On May 29, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado that will reshape requirements for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) environment impact statements. 

Business along San Carlos Boulevard that were damaged during Hurricane Ian
Advocacy

New disaster recovery grants now open to support county economic development

The U.S. Economic Development Administration has launched the Fiscal Year 2025 Disaster Supplemental Grant Program, making $1.45 billion available to help communities recover from natural disasters and build long-term economic resilience. Counties affected by major disaster declarations in 2023 or 2024 are eligible to apply for funding to rebuild infrastructure, strengthen local economies and prepare for future disruptions. This program goes beyond immediate recovery, aiming to transform local economies and foster sustainable, long-term economic growth. 

Jeff Davis, left, embraces homeowner Houston Rea, who suffered a total toss of his home, after a tornado tore through his neighborhood in Laurel County, Ky. Photo by Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal
News

Deadly tornadoes pummel counties across the South

Southern Kentucky counties bore the brunt of a May 16 tornado outbreak, with at least 17 fatalities confirmed as of last week in Laurel County alone. 

Upcoming Events

A woman speaks into a microphone while others listen in
Webinar

Impacts of Federal Action on Local Jurisdictions: A Conversation on County Administration

In this webinar, you will hear from a panel of county administrators as they unpack their local responses to the current federal and political environment and, ultimately, prioritize good governance and high-quality service delivery.

Image of Flood_2.jpg
Webinar

Eyes on the Surge: Harnessing AWARE Flood Sensors via NACo PPP–Safeware for Hurricane Readiness & Rapid Recovery

Wednesday, June 18, 2025 | 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET

Discover how counties can deploy the AWARE Flood System—rugged, solar-powered IoT sensors available through the competitively bid NACo Public Promise Procurement Safeware contract—to turn rising water into actionable intelligence. We’ll show how each lightweight node tracks depth, temperature and barometric pressure, pushes real-time alerts over cellular or Iridium satellite link, and keeps reporting for seven days even without sunlight. Learn the simple “piggy-back” procurement steps inside Public Promise Procurement (PPP), funding streams that pair with FEMA categories and see a live dashboard demo that lets EOCs map flood conditions before, during and after landfall.
 

Image of Levers-Technology_1.jpg
Webinar

Faster, Smarter Disaster Relief: How LA County Used AI & Geospatial Mapping to Deliver $20M in Aid

Key Takeaways:

  • Strategies for incorporating geospatial technology in disaster planning and response.
  • Techniques for using identity verification tools to balance security and accessibility.
  • Best practices for building public-private partnerships in times of crisis.
Image of Capitol-side_1.jpg
Webinar

Inside Washington: County Impacts from the White House & Congress, June 26

Join NACo’s Government Affairs team for week four of a biweekly series on key developments from the White House and Congress. Discussions will focus on policies and actions that directly impact counties — from federal funding and regulatory changes to intergovernmental partnerships. Tune in for an inside look at how these evolving federal dynamics may shape county priorities, responsibilities and operations.

Image of Capitol-side_1.jpg
Webinar

Inside Washington: County Impacts from the White House & Congress, July 24

Join NACo’s Government Affairs team for week five of a biweekly series on key developments from the White House and Congress. Discussions will focus on policies and actions that directly impact counties — from federal funding and regulatory changes to intergovernmental partnerships. Tune in for an inside look at how these evolving federal dynamics may shape county priorities, responsibilities and operations.

Image of Supreme-Court_3.jpg
Webinar

Supreme Court Review for Local Governments: 2024-2025

Hosted by the Local Government Legal Center (LGLC), join legal experts in a discussion of the Supreme Court’s important decisions of the term impacting local governments.

Contact

Image of Ashleigh-Holand.jpg

Ashleigh Holand

Chief Program Officer