Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo has created a new position called “chief resiliency officer” to help the Ocean State better prepare for climate change.
Raimondo signed an executive order Friday morning assigning Shaun O’Rourke to the position. O’Rourke currently works for the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank finding ways to fund projects to prevent flooding and improve water quality.
O’Rourke will be responsible for working with environmentalists to come up with a strategy for the state on how to be better prepared for major storms, such Hurricane Irma.
Irma hit Florida this past Sunday and is strongest Atlantic basin hurricane ever recorded outside the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, according to CNN’s meteorology team.
Raimondo said it’s necessary for Rhode Island to have someone dedicated full-time to climate resiliency.
“Twenty-one out of 39 communities are coastal. We are uniquely vulnerable to the dangers of climate change, it’s real, and (coming up with a climate resiliency plan) important as anything else we do,” Raimondo said.
Developing that strategy will start Sept. 27 with a series of community roundtables hosted by Save the Bay, an environmental nonprofit.
O’Rourke has until June to present the governor with a state-wide, comprehensive plan.
