COMMUNITY RESILIENCE & ADAPTATION WORKING GROUP (CRAWG)

The Community Resilience and Adaptation Working
Group (CRAWG) is working towards proactively fostering
communities in Central Appalachia where there is
widespread acceptance and implementation of strategies
for resilience, adaptation, and mitigation.

visit the care rESOURCE HUB

CRAWG’S GUIDING GOALS

  1. Develop a comprehensive understanding of existing models and tools to enhance community resilience planning, adaptation, and mitigation in rural communities.
  2. Establish coordinated structures for resource sharing, research collaboration, funding opportunities.
  3. Create a comprehensive outreach strategy to reach and effectively onboard engaging contractors. and joint projects.
  4. Ensure the availability of accessible models and tools that effectively engage communities in resilience planning and response, informed by research and gap analysis.
  5. Create a comprehensive outreach strategy to reach and effectively onboard engaging participants.
  6. Implement and assess the resilience planning and response model through a regional pilot program.

CRAWG CO-CHAIRS

Co-chairs play vital roles in leading Working Groups and serve on CAN’s Leadership Team. Co-chairs are regional leaders in the just economic transition of Central Appalachia.

Betsy Whaley
Director of Strategic Initiatives at Mountain Association
Dr. Natalie Kruse Daniels
Professor and Director, Environmental Studies at Ohio University

COMMITTEES

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COMMUNICATIONS
MINI-GRANTS
RESEARCH & RES DEV
TRAINING

Central Appalachian Network was awarded a grant from the 2024 Mosaic Environmental Fund.

Through the support of Mosaic, CRAWG has been able to: 

  • Add coordination capacity for the working group and projects
  • Create an online resource hub for communities
  • Develop and implement regional training workshops
  • Invest in local projects and capacity through catalytic mini-grant funding
  • Develop a communications campaign that highlights climate resilience successes and strategies in the region. 

COMMUNICATIONS, ARTS, & CULTURE

Stories of Resiliency

Combining oral history, community engagement, and performance art, this production spotlights the strength, courage, and creativity of people who have weathered personal, environmental, and economic storms. Find out more about the Tri-County Mystery Meets
FCFC helps neighboring communities clean up debris, which it then donates to firewood banks. This not only helps communities recover from past disasters, but it can also help limit the spread of potential forest fires! You can donate to FCFC here to help the mission: fullcircleforestry.org/donate
Gwen Johnson discusses the disaster response work that Hemphill has done to date, and how they plan to use their new resources going forward. To find out more about the Hemphill Community Center and Black Sheep Bakery, or to donate visit: https://hemphillcenter.org/
Black By God’s Folk Reporters Program aims to increase statewide access to information by enlisting citizen journalists to fill the reporting gaps that stem from the limited coverage capacity of the state’s traditional media.
The Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization is boosting resident preparedness for when heat waves, floods, and tornadoes barrage their town. The project not only provides resilience information and to-go kits to locals, they also survey community members to understand their needs and provide support when disasters strike. You can help the Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization continue to sponsor a social worker who checks on disaster-impacted residents by donating: https://www.sharpsburgneighborhood.or…
Watch this discussion about Floyd County, Kentucky, and its innovative solutions to mounting hardships. Floyd has faced devastating flooding and an economic downturn from a dwindling coal industry. But residents aren’t backing down. Instead, they’re focusing on economic growth and innovation as part of their resilience plan. Floyd is also a case study for a uniquely Appalachian approach to resilience.
Solid Ground School in Athens, Ohio, is teaching children about climate resilience and adaptation by fostering first-hand experiences in nature. You can support the school’s mission by donating or subscribing to their newsletter here: https://www.solidgroundschool.com/
The Invisible Ground project is a place-based storytelling initiative that teaches community history using interactive augmented reality. But this project also has an immediate existential use: teaching people about the dangers of flooding by showing shocking flood levels of the past. Learn more about The Invisible Ground at https://findinvisibleground.com/about/

MINI-GRANTS

Our 2025 Appalachian Community Resilience + Response (ACRR) Mini-Grant Recipients

RESEARCH & RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

Central Appalachian Resiliency Exchange
(CARE)

Check out our new Community Resilience Resource Hub

VISIT THE CARE Hub

Explore our resource hub that contains information curated for use in the region to cut through the noise and allow our communities to move towards implementation and resilience building. This toolkit is organized topically by potential users and is focused on those resources that are ready for implementation by communities, local businesses, households, farmers, and other organizations. Resources are all publicly available.

Who can benefit from these resources:

  • Homeowners & Residents
  • Community Groups & Non-profits
  • Business & Commerce
  • Planners, Engineers & Emergency Managers
  • Local Government & Tribal Leaders

TRAINING

CAN teamed up with our friends at the ReImagine Appalachia to offer a new virtual series that explores effective disaster response in depth. From causes to mitigation; resilience to recovery; resources to first-hand survivor advice, we’ll help you get equipped with region-specific disaster resilience tools and knowledge.

Webinar Series
Watch recordings of a new series that explores disaster resiliency in Appalachia
Vivid orange flames and sparks dance against a mysterious black backdrop.

If you are interested in joining CRAWG, click below.
JOIN A WORKING GROUP

For more information about CAN, visit these pages:

HOW WE WORK

OUR FRAMEWORK

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