Relatively high risk. That’s where Davidson County falls on FEMA’s national index for climate-driven disaster.
If that’s the storm, here’s the rainbow: Metro’s new climate resilience story map is a resource Nashvillians can utilize to understand weather patterns, down to the street level, and learn more about the city’s response plan.
How the tool works
Officials said the story map, which launched this fall and is designed to level up the community’s awareness + preparedness, is just one component of Metro’s larger environmental plan.
The first tab looks at the indirect impact severe weather has on quality of life. From there, you’re introduced to what leaders have identified as Nashville’s top five hazards:
- Flooding | Satellite imagery shows the city pre and post-2010 flood + a map identifies flood risk zones.
- Tornadoes and thunderstorms | A line graph outlines Nashville’s tornado activity over time, while two more maps track tornado patterns and severity of damage caused by hail storms.
- Extreme heat | Shaded areas indicate where neighborhoods fall on the heat vulnerability index.
- Extreme cold | Written data focuses on the connection between winter temperatures, electricity demand, and rising costs.
- Growth as it relates to climate risk mitigation | This section discusses the pressure growth puts on infrastructure, limited resources, air quality, and more.
Where do we go from here?
Metro Nashville has two plans in place to respond to the hazards it has identified: The 2021 Climate Action Plan focusing on mitigation of climate impacts via decarbonizing + the 2024 Climate Adaptations and Resilience Plan, implementing a course of action to combat existing changes.
“The CARP outlines a high-level strategic plan under four goals, which are supported by 14 objectives and 60 strategies.”
Next steps involve establishing a governmental leadership structure, introducing community engagement programming, identifying performance measurements, and incorporating resilience planning into budgeting processes. A number of actions could be taken to offset hazard-specific issues.
