This compendium is intended to help Alaskan communities identify federal resources that can support local efforts to gather and evaluate information about the risks posed by coastal erosion and other hazards. The resources can help communities build their capacity to mitigate weather- and climate-related risks, implement on-site measures to increase their resiliency, and—if necessary—relocate community assets.

The guide was compiled by the Arctic Executive Steering Committee’s Community Resilience Working Group, which includes representatives from the Executive Office of the President as well as ten federal agencies. The Arctic Executive Steering Committee (AESC) was established in January 2015 by Executive Order 13689, Enhancing Coordination of National Efforts in the Arctic. The AESC was charged with guiding executive departments and agencies and enhancing coordination of federal Arctic policies across agencies and offices with state, local, and Alaska Native tribal governments and stakeholders. The Community Resilience Working Group, co-chaired by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of the Interior, was established to examine opportunities for improving federal actions that address the imminent threat of coastal erosion and flooding impacting Alaskan Arctic coastal communities.