The Trump Administration’s cost-cutting efforts through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are impacting federal agencies tasked with providing disaster relief and preparedness resources to communities nationwide. For example, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and other critical agencies now have less funding, fewer staff, terminated programs, and lost institutional expertise that collectively provide communities across the country with the assistance they need to prepare for and recover from natural disasters. Historically marginalized communities– the most vulnerable to the increasingly severe consequences of climate change– will be most affected by the cuts to these critical services, especially people living along the coast. This panel will discuss examples of how communities at the local level can apply lessons learned from previous coastal natural disasters, mobilize efforts to defend existing disaster relief programs at the federal level, and adapt to climate change impacts.