By Cincade Drudge
As extreme weather events grow more and more frequent and devastating, the question shifts from how to prevent climate disasters to how to prepare for when they strike.
Around the world, weather-related disasters have already affected more than 2.5 billion people, caused 2 million deaths, and resulted in over $4 trillion in economic losses the last fifty years.
Floods, droughts, and heat waves are intensifying, and their effects are rarely consistent. A region may face drought one year and flash flooding the next. These unpredictable swings make preparedness one of the most complex challenges in the fight against climate change.
Preparation for climate change may be complex, but it is not an optional venture; it is vital. Because climate change cannot be fully prevented, adaptation and resilience efforts are now a core part of protecting at-risk communities. Preparedness now means developing plans, strengthening infrastructure, and improving response systems before disaster hits.
These actions can take many forms: updating stormwater systems, building cooling centers, restoring wetlands, expanding urban tree cover, or ensuring emergency alerts reach residents in multiple languages. The question then becomes, where will the money to fund all this come from?
The cost of funding preparedness is a frequent complaint of opponents. However, it has been found that every dollar spent on climate preparedness yields a $13 return in avoided damages and cleanup costs. In other words, investing in resilience pays off even if a disaster never occurs.
Federal agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Homeland Security, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have all developed adaptation plans that integrate climate data into their operations and emergency planning.
Funding programs such as FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance and the EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants help turn these plans into reality, supporting states and cities with the resources to build resilience.
Federal legislation like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act further bolsters clean energy and climate resilience investments, helping to fund clean energy projects and develop a federal climate planning strategy.
But these positive efforts have not been without political friction. The current administration has signaled its intent to scale back environmental regulations and limit the authority of federal agencies, threatening to undo years of progress.
Some of the agencies that lead on preparedness have even faced existential threats through budget cuts, workforce reductions, and policy rollbacks. In addition, the administration has imposed new limitations on scientific bodies such as NOAA, restricting data collection and suppressing climate-related research. These moves have extended even to the political policing of language; agencies were reportedly discouraged or outright banned from using terms like ‘climate change’ in official documents.
That tension is especially visible at the state level, where climate preparedness can depend heavily on politics. In Indiana, for example, climate planning has faced major obstacles.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) recently created a Priority Climate Action Plan under an EPA grant, identifying vulnerabilities like flooding, extreme heat, and agricultural disruption.
However, that work came to an abrupt halt. Governor Mike Braun ordered the agency to cease developing federal climate plans without his or the legislature’s approval—effectively freezing the project. IDEM returned the remaining federal funds, leaving no clear path forward.
Regional organizations, like the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC), have tried to fill the gap with localized climate documents and community engagement. Yet, without state-level backing, these efforts often lack the resources and authority to create widespread change.
This leaves much of the responsibility to local governments, who often face the steepest challenges and the greatest need, with fewer resources.
Leaders have tried to step up here locally in Fort Wayne; under the Sustaining Fort Wayne Initiative, the city developed its Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP), a blueprint for both emissions reduction and resilience.
The plan outlines practical steps such as improving stormwater management, expanding urban forestry to combat extreme heat, and protecting waterways from contamination during severe storms.
Inclusion is a core focus of Fort Wayne’s strategy. Emergency communications are being adapted to reach non-English-speaking residents, and the city uses the Hoosier Resilience Index to measure progress and identify vulnerable populations.
These actions demonstrated that meaningful preparedness can happen from the ground up, even when higher levels of government falter.
However, while these efforts marked meaningful groundwork, movement appears to have slowed in recent years. Since the second Trump administration began, there have been few visible updates or expansions to the city’s climate plans, raising concerns that momentum has stalled at a time when local leadership is increasingly critical.
Still, the road ahead is anything but simple. Many local governments lack the funding, staffing, and expertise to carry out large-scale adaptation projects. Federal support fluctuates with each election cycle, and state politics can either bolster or block local action.
The result is a patchwork of preparedness across the country; some regions are building up preparedness and resilience with strong leadership and investment, while others remain dangerously unprepared.
The stakes could not be higher. Climate preparedness isn’t about distant future threats; it’s about protecting lives, homes, and communities right now. Investing in preparedness saves money, prevents loss, and ensures a safer, more stable future for everyone.
While Fort Wayne has already made a meaningful attempt at preparedness, we can always push for more support for these efforts and encourage similar preparedness efforts in surrounding communities and on a federal level.
Cincade Drudge is a student journalist at Purdue University Fort Wayne and a Waterfield Environmental Intern at the Environmental Resources Center on campus.