Step 2: Assess
Vulnerability and Risk
CRANE partnered with New York Sea Grant to adapt New York’s Coastal Resilience Index (CRI) tool and and make it specific to Erie. The Erie County Coastal Resilience Index provides community leaders with a simple and inexpensive method of predicting if their community will reach and maintain an acceptable level of functioning after weather disasters. The Erie County CRI consists of six sections, including critical infrastructure and facilities, transportation, community plans and agreements, mitigation measures, business plans, and social systems. Upon completion of each section, a resilience index score is calculated, allowing the sections to be classified as low, medium, or high resilience.
A climate change vulnerability assessment focuses on species, habitats, or systems of interest, and helps identify the greatest risks to them from climate change impacts.
How It Works
The steps in the vulnerability assessment process
Fill out the Assessment
Analyze results
Plan for action
Summary of Results
CRANE met individually with seven Erie County shoreline municipalities to facilitate the completion of the CRI:
The City of Erie
Fairview Township
Girard Township
Harborcreek Township
Millcreek Township
North East Boro
Springfield Township
Themes that arose from the meetings included a generally low resilience score for critical infrastructure during heavy rains and high winds (over 78% of municipalities shared these concerns), and critical facilities during blizzards (57% of municipalities shared this concern).
Another theme that arose during the CRI assessment was specific concern over Erie’s power grid and aging power infrastructure.
Transportation issues, including any impacts or disruption to roads, bridges, evacuation routes, and snowplows, as well as the physical capacity to move residents in times of emergencies were also top concerns.
These results and themes were used to help inform the scenario planning workshop discussed in Step 3.
