Resilient structures and buildings are those that have the following characteristics: maintain their primary functions during the anticipated scale of a disruption; allow for variability in scale of disruptions or changing conditions without losing functionality; do not fail catastrophically during extreme events; and help to meet specific community recovery goals after an event occurs. Events, disruptions or shocks to the system can either be naturally-occurring – including wildfires, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and tornados, or man made. Most structures in the built environment need to be adaptable in their operation to changing conditions, whether those changes are economic shifts, population shifts, or climate change related. The key to community resilience is the identification of risks from disruptions and change for the foreseeable future and preparations to address the most urgent risks. Through its diverse mission sets, the Corps can help communities address climate change and many types of hazards.

Follow the resources to the right for more information on identify and addressing natural hazards and climate change. Many more resources exist; this group of resources is a small subset to get visitors to the site started on the subject.