Building a climate-resilient Maryland together

Maryland and the Netherlands are joining efforts to help empower communities to become resilient, to prepare for climate change impacts, and to work in an integrated manner to reduce vulnerabilities.

Both regions will be affected by seasonal droughts and heatwaves, frequent thunderstorms, an increased risk of flooding, and sea-level rise. Maryland and the Netherlands are working together to proactively implement adaptation strategies, exchange lessons learned and best practices, and look for more opportunities to collaborate on climate resilience.

On 26 January 2021, over 200 experts in Maryland and the Netherlands joined to exchange on topics including urban resilience, adaptation for small communities, coastal resilience, nature-based solutions, public-private partnerships, resilience for ports, citizen engagement, and the cooperation between Rijkswaterstaat and US Army Corps of Engineers on Engineering with Nature.

This event was organised by the Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP) in partnership with the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), the Maryland Department of Commerce and the Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee, and supported by the Partners for Water programme and the Embassy of the Netherlands in the United States.

Programme and slides

• Meeting kickoff by the Netherlands Water Partnership

• Opening remarks by Signe Pringle, Assistant Secretary of Commerce, State of Maryland Department of Commerce

• Opening remarks by André Haspels, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Embassy of the Netherlands in the United States

• Building a Climate-Resilience Maryland Together: Russell J. Strickland, Executive Director of the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA)

• Plenary presentations 
  • Adaptation for Small Communities by Saskia Pardaans, Embassy of the Netherlands in the United States | slides
  • Building Resilience in Urban Areas by Klaasjan Raat, KWR Water Research Institute | slides
  • Coastal Adaptation and Resilience by Edwin Welles, Deltares
  • Q&A session & panel discussion | slides
• Breakout Sessions
  • Group 1: Nature-Based Solutions: Experiences using natural Features for Resilience and Adaptation Strategies
    • Henk Nieboer, Director at EcoShape | slides
    • Kelly Leo, Resilient Coasts Program Director at The Nature Conservancy | slides
    • Moderator: Janett Tapia, Dutch Resilience Hub Manager at NWP
  • Group 2: Public-Private Partnerships for Resilience: The How’s and Why’s
    • Allegra Tartaglia, Business Engagement Program Manager at Maryland MEMA | slides
    • Marcel Ham, Principal at Rebel | slides
    • Moderator: Andrew Kreinik, Regional Manager, MD Dept of Commerce
  • Group 3: Citizen Engagement for Resilience Projects: How Firms and Public Agencies Can Improve Community Participation
    • Jaleesa Tate, State Hazard Mitigation Officer/Branch | slides Manager at Maryland MEMA
    • Kyle Overly, Director Disaster Risk Reduction at Maryland MEMA
    • Nanco Dolman, Leading Professional in Urban Resilience at Royal HaskoningDHV | sides
    • Moderator: Kayhla Cornell, Senior Hazard Mitigation Specialist at Maryland MEMA
  • Group 4: Resilience Adaptation Manual for Small Communities: Strategies for Rural Communities | slides
    • Edgar Westerhof, Associate Vice President at Arcadis
    • Anne Baker, Outreach Director at American Flood Coalition
    • Moderator: Lieske Streefkerk-Arts, Counselor for Infrastructure, Transportation at the Embassy of the Netherlands in the United States
  • Group 5: Knowledge exchange and international cooperation between Rijkswaterstaat and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) on Engineering with Nature: Infrastructure Projects that Use Natural Features for Better Results
    • Hans Pietersen, Senior Advisor International Affairs at Rijkswaterstaat, and Guillermo Mendoza, International Programme Manager at the USACE-Institute of Water Resources  | slides
    • Moderator: Arjan Braamskamp, Regional Manager for the Americas at NWP
  • Group 6: Climate Resilience for Ports
    • Marc Eisma, Advisor on Environmental Management, Port of Rotterdam Authority. Port of Rotterdam | slides
    • Jill Lemke, Manager of Strategic Planning and Special Projects. Maryland Ports Administration | slides

1on1 Chats Resilience Experts and Businesses in Maryland and the Netherlands

This event brings the opportunity for organisations in Maryland and the Netherlands to join 1on1 digital video meetings to mutually introduce and learn from each other's work and approaches, exchange best practices, identify synergies of work, and create a lasting connection with counterparts across the ocean.

Recommended: To participate on the 1on1 chats with resilience experts and businesses and booking meetings, with Dutch or Maryland resilience experts, please use this matchmaking platform until 28 February via this link.

Webinar recordings