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Geos Institute helps communities build resilience in the face of climate change
Climate Ready America

Southeast Navigator Network

In October 2023 we launched a Navigator Network across four states in the southeast – Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. This network will help under-resourced communities that have Community Disaster Resilience Zone (CDRZ) designations build climate resilience.

About the Project

This project establishes Navigators in four states to serve as trusted partners to CDRZ communities and help them take advantage of funding sources, identify capacity building opportunities, and secure the technical support necessary to create tangible resilience benefits. The Navigators will also network and support each other, fostering collaboration between communities and across the four states. 

These Navigators will be hosted by project partners in each of the states: the Georgia Conservancy, the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency, the Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities at Furman University, and the Florida Climate Institute. And Project IN-CORE and the Resilient Cities Catalyst will offer direct technical support to communities across the four states.

Meet the Navigators

A Regional Support Team, organized and led by the Geos Institute, will provide Navigators with information and connection to resilience resources and programs. Members of this Regional Team will come from various federal agencies and regional organizations. In addition to assisting Navigators, the Regional Support Team will share the needs of CDRZ communities to help inform the next generation of resilience tools and resources.  

This project also serves a larger role within the climate resilience field by developing a measurement and evaluation framework that can be used by organizations helping CDRZ communities nationwide. EcoAdapt will lead the effort to measure progress toward resilience goals in CDRZ communities as a result of Navigator assistance. This element of the project will align with NOAA’s Climate Smart Communities Initiative – an effort that the Geos Institute is also involved with as a core team member.  

Project Timeline

A series of progress arrows pointing left to right

A Climate Ready America Demonstration Project

In addition to supporting CDRZ communities, this initiative serves as a foundation for the Climate Ready America initiative. Climate Ready America is a broader structure that will help communities build resilience through a nationwide system of state-specific Climate Innovation Centers. These Centers will integrate adaptation, mitigation, and equity to help communities build short- and long-term climate and disaster resilience. This project supports the planning phase for the first Climate Innovation Center in Georgia, one of the five states chosen to pilot the initiative. 

This civic infrastructure system will work in conjunction with federal agencies and other resilience organizations, ensuring tools and programs reach the communities where they are needed most. Likewise, it also provides a mechanism to communicate community needs to those who provide technical support services and develop new tools. This project includes an assessment and understanding of how to build a network to support this work, led by Ari Sahagún.

News & Media

Project Support

This project is supported by funding from the Walmart Foundation. 

Partner Resources

View the partner resources page (password required)

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