2019 Workshop, St. Thomas, Usvi
Asset Mapping
Weeks 4 & 5
The Asset Mapping Game
Using labeled pushpins, participants located important assets on large–scale maps of St. Thomas. They were challenged to identify:
Which assets are most important;
Where those assets are located in relation to their homes;
Which assets are in danger of flooding;
Which assets are most susceptible to hurricane damage;
How far would they have to travel to get to key assets; and
How can a community’s asset be made less vulnerable?
Putting personal vulnerabilities, assets and challenges into perspective in this way helps build individual resilience and allows for better hurricane planning.
Green Infrastructure
"Green infrastructure practices provide ecological, economic, and societal benefits that play a critical role in making coastal communities more resilient to natural hazards.”
NOAA National Ocean Service Green Infrastructure Tools
Green infrastructure are natural and nature-based solutions to making coastal zones more resilient. Well considered green infrastructure has become particularly more relevant with the increase in extreme weather events resulting from climate change.
In the USVI, healthy mangrove forests, vibrant seagrass meadows and flourishing coral reefs are some of the natural green infrastructure that help reduce storm surge impacts. Storm Strong participants enjoyed a hands on presentation that demonstrated just how effective these elements are for managing storm surge and protecting coastlines. According to NOAA, storm surge causes the most damage during hurricanes.
Decisions about how we build and conserve natural coastal ecosystems directly impact how major storms affect our coastlines, and our communities.
Learning from Others, Learning Together
An important goal of the USVI Storm Strong program is building participant’s personal leadership skills. These are skills like motivating others, effective delegating and confidence with public speaking. One way to accomplish this is by encouraging participants to tell their story. Program participants were asked to share with the group why they were called to participate in the USVI Storm Strong workshop, what they learned, and how they plan to become more prepared for future storms.
