U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit

These graphs illustrate two levels of resilience. On the left, a community asset or service operates at a steady state (business as usual) until an acute hazard occurs. If the level of service drops below a tipping point, the system attempts to recover, but experiences a permanent loss. On the right, actions taken to improve overall conditions prior to an acute hazard increase the system's functional level. From this higher baseline, the same acute hazard still requires a period of recovery, but no irreversible damage occurs. Building resilience means improving conditions so that the system can accommodate future disruptions.