In 2003, Hurricane Isabel struck Baltimore, destroying homes and disrupting many lives. Devastation from the resultant flooding cost the city $4.6 million to repair while tens of thousands of residents saw their basements deluged, their power knocked out or the roofs over their heads severely damaged. This was only one of the more dramatic flooding events in recent memory, and these threats have only become more severe as climate change makes weather patterns more unpredictable.

Those who call Baltimore home are no strangers to the toll that flooding from severe storms can have on their neighborhoods, particularly those communities with lower incomes and less access to resources. But it is those citizens who have led a community-driven effort to make our city one of the most forward-thinking and resilient when it comes to flooding damage in the United States, saving thousands of residents hundreds of thousands of dollars collectively in the process.

Tomorrow, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake will accept an award on behalf of the people of Baltimore for achieving a Class 5 Designation under the National Flood Insurance Program's Community Rating System (CRS). Administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), CRS is designed to allow communities to earn flood insurance discounts by mitigating risk and increasing preparedness for flooding to standards well above what is required to be eligible to receive flood insurance from the federal government.

As a result of its new CRS designation, Baltimore residents in the city's flood zones will receive a 25 percent discount on annual flood insurance premiums, and all other residents will receive a 10 percent discount. The citizens of Baltimore currently pay upward of $2.5 million in flood insurance annually. Each of the over 3,000 policyholders affected will now save an average of $153 on their bills, totaling savings of almost half a million dollars a year, every year.

How does a city permanently cut its flood insurance bill by one fifth and dramatically increase its capacity to weather what storms may come? By recognizing and supporting the work of citizens and community leaders as they create neighborhoods that are stronger and healthier, and a Baltimore that is fairer for all. Residents have created household emergency plans, built emergency kits to prepare for the worst, moved furnaces, boilers and other electrical elements to higher ground, and installed backflow prevention devices to stop flood water from flowing into household drains. The result is a level of preparedness that is extremely rare for a city of Baltimore's size, placing it among the top 10 percent of over a thousand communities participating in CRS nationwide.

But perhaps most importantly, community leaders and city planners have worked together to recognize that community strength and cohesion leads to greater resilience for all. Every neighborhood clean-up and after-school program enhances the bonds that make us better able to react in a crisis or emergency; every one of us who looks out for a neighbor when they are sick or in need makes us stronger overall. Our collective achievement in securing the new CRS designation proves once again that the work of sustainability and resilience is not only for climate scientists and city planners; it's about us — about what we do every day as citizens to make our communities stronger and create greater access so that all are included. That's why the Office of Sustainability's initiative to secure a CRS designation forms a key part of our Every Story Counts campaign, which puts citizen initiative at the center of sustainability and resilience.

Every Story Counts is a citywide campaign to engage a greater number of Baltimore's residents in shaping a more sustainable and resilient future, especially those voices that have too long been left out of decision-making and are too often the victim of environmental inequities. Our aim is to show that every action people take to strengthen our communities and help each other succeed brings us closer to creating the just and thriving city all the people of Baltimore deserve. Climate change is making our weather ever more volatile and ecological problems ever harder to address in isolation. To survive and flourish in this era of greater uncertainty, every story truly does count. Baltimore's success in making all of its citizens more secure from the ravages of flood damage — and less burdened by its costs — shows just how powerful an idea that can be.

Sean Davis is chair of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Baltimore District Council and a member of the Maryland Sustainable Growth Commission, Concentrated Growth Workgroup. His email is sdavis@mragta.com.