Climate hazard and mitigation planning (CHaMP): Tool background and guidance for users

This user guide describes the motivation, structure, data, and outputs of Version 1.0 of an interactive website called the Climate Hazard and Mitigation Planning (CHaMP) Tool. CHaMP is designed to provide timely and clearly communicated information on place-specific past and projected climatic trends, weather-related hazards, and extreme events. CHaMP integrates climate-relevant information into a form that can be easily incorporated into hazard mitigation plans (HMPs), which are required for all grantees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The Climate Hazard and Mitigation Planning (CHaMP) online tool is designed to:

1. Communicate potential vulnerabilities to the public and authorities responsible for allocating resources for hazard mitigation activities; and
2. Help local hazard mitigation, infrastructure, and land use planners integrate climate information into their hazard mitigation and other planning efforts.