Climate Adaptation Plan

A Vision for a Resilient Hastings-on-Hudson 
 
 
In 2019, a Committee was formed to focus on climate vulnerability and resilience. The goal of the Committee was to help identify, analyze, and prioritize the effects of changing climate conditions on our Village, and to begin to plan for climate adaptation in a cost-effective and efficient manner. More on the Committee’s work can be found HERE. 
 
In early 2020, The Committee set about identifying key threats to the Village and identifying which Village assets are most vulnerable to climate change. An online Climate Vulnerability Assessment survey was sent to residents of the Village in March 2020, to which over 10% of the adult population of the Village responded. Respondents provided feedback on their perceptions of the current state of the Village’s climate resilience, and how prepared they perceived the Village was to address climate related vulnerabilities. A range of detailed comments and recommendations were also provided. For a copy of the original survey see the Climate Vulnerability Assessment Survey. 
 
The Village sponsored two online interactive workshops on June 3rd and June 23rd, 2020 focused on the climate threats the Village should anticipate experiencing in the coming decades. Participants discussed the likely effects of those threats on our key assets such as structures, services, parks, and populations in our Village. They explored why those assets may be particularly threatened, and shared personal perceptions and experiences related to those assets and their vulnerabilities. Members paired top climate hazards with priority assets in the categories of infrastructure, environmental, and social assets. Participants also discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic has already exposed some of these vulnerabilities, and identified which actions and solutions we should prioritize to best adapt to and mitigate climate change. The discussions were open to all residents. See links to background material for both workshops:
 
The Committee also reviewed a range of climate projections to identify potential impacts to Village assets and systems. Drawing on all of this input, the Committee has drafted a Climate Vulnerability Assessment Report that aims to address major climate hazards to the Village. The final Climate Vulnerability Assessment Report can be found HERE.
 
Key stakeholders in this process have included local elected officials, the Village Manager and department heads, the Village Emergency Management Team, as well as various Village boards and commissions, including the Climate Smart Communities Task Force, the Conservation Commission, the Parks and Recreation Commission, and residents of the Village.
 
In 2019-2020, the Village also began to develop a Heat Emergency Plan and to update  Emergency Preparedness protocols. Following the survey results and analysis, three online workshops were held, the first with the Village’s Emergency Management Team on May 20, 2020. The Emergency Management Team was presented with the climate projections from Temperate, and all relevant climate hazards were discussed as they related to Village assets. Feedback from this Workshop, and from the Community Survey, were used to inform the Climate Smart Resiliency Planning (CSRP) and in  updating the Village’s emergency preparedness website.  For a direct link to an “Emergency Preparedness” page see HERE and the Village’s official Heat Emergency Plan. These efforts were all carried out in coordination with the Hastings-on-Hudson Office of Emergency Management (“HOHOEM”), which oversees all types of emergencies that affect the welfare of the citizens of the Village. 
 
In  September 2020, in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Isaias, Village residents were invited to attend a community workshop to improve resiliency for individuals, families and neighborhoods; improve the response of the Village, as well as utility and internet providers; and to help create a climate resiliency vision. The event was organized by the Climate Smart Communities Task Force, and the Village took an active role in planning, promoting and managing the event, with Mayor Armacost leading portions of the workshop.The presentation can be found HERE, the video of the meeting can be found HERE and meeting minutes can be found HERE. 
 
Together, the group created the framework and priorities for a climate resiliency vision. As specific input into the Vision, Workshop attendees were asked to complete the sentence below.
 
“A storm and flood resilient Hastings-on-Hudson will ….”
 
Recommendations related to:
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  • Municipal operations 
  • Funding and decision-making 
  • Communications and public outreach 
  • Improved planning and zoning codes 
  • Business and economic revitalization 
  • Emergency management plans 
  • Site-specific recommendations
 
Feedback from this meeting, as well as from the Climate Vulnerability Assessment workshops, produced the following key themes, which will be used to continue to guide the process and future recommendations:
 
  1. Secure infrastructure and critical systems
  2. Promote the use of renewable energy
  3. Prioritize economic revitalization
  4. Protect vulnerable populations 
  5. Promote natural solutions to reduce flood risk and to preserve biodiversity
 
Taking into consideration all of this input, the Committee drafted the following overarching community Vision statement: “We are committed to addressing climate adaptation and leaving no one behind.” The vision statement was discussed, and feedback sought, from a diverse group of stakeholders at a climate adaptation planning meeting in May, 2021. Next steps for the creation of a Climate Adaptation Plan and Climate Action Plan were also discussed. Meeting minutes can be found HERE. 
 
This Vision reaffirms the Village’s commitment to an inclusive and educational climate resilience process. This vision is informed by key stakeholders from the Village Staff and its Emergency Team mentioned above, as well as by relevant reports, meetings, and feedback from over 85 residents who attended the public workshops, and 530+ residents who provided feedback via the survey. The Vision was shared with the Village’s Climate Smart Communities Task Force, the Conservation Commission and the Board of Trustees in the spring of 2021.
 
Next steps will include a series of outreach events aimed at educating the public on climate adaptation and resilience, on our actions and findings to date, and soliciting input into the planning process.