Among the report's highlights, on infrastructure, technology and capacity, it suggested officials “design protective infrastructure to do more than protect and explore the potential of soft infrastructure to supplement hard infrastructure.”

On finance, investment and insurance, the report suggests “implementing creative extramunicipal financing mechanisms;” noting that there needs to be a “much more coordinated approach to close the gap between funding provided through federal, state, regional and local governments.”

In the same category the report also recommends that “climate risk” be accurately priced into property value and insurance, noting that “flood insurance pricing should be examined to determine whether market distortions are occurring because of a misunderstanding of climatic events.”

Additionally, the report suggests an allowance for “partial compliance and mitigation measures in order to create flexibility in insurance premiums for low-income households and small businesses. The rebuilding and recovery process for lower-income households and small businesses could be eased,” the report notes, “if FEMA permitted partial compliance with flood zone building requirements to qualify for insurance, perhaps at a lower amount or with a premium surcharge to reflect increased casualty risk.

On leadership and governance, the report recommends that villages, townships and cities be granted the authority to manage and implement federal and state funds, and that programs are created to “provide knowledge sharing and professional training on the effects of climate change.”

Presenter William Lashbrook, SVP of PNC, representing the experts who created the finance, investment and insurance recommendations, noted that area residents and businesses impacted by Hurricane Sandy initially said they wanted to rebuild things exactly as they were. To that, he said, “Let's build it back not the way it was but the way it will survive.”