When it comes to weather-related disasters, Pittsburgh leaders say they want to be proactive, not reactive, so on Thursday, Mayor Ed Gainey announced an executive order to do just that, as we face the threat of more storms like the one that devastated the area last week.

City leaders are calling that April 29 storm a wake-up call.

"I don't want to be in a situation where we're not prepared. This climate change is real, and we have to make sure that we're climate resilient in every aspect of what we do," Gainey said.

Jamil Bey is the director of city planning.

"[It's] a vivid, and painful example of what climate change looks like when it reaches our doorsteps," Bey said.

Pittsburgh families were left without electricity for more than a week, some imprisoned in their homes by downed trees and power lines, and the clean-up is still ongoing.

Leaders said next time could be that much worse. It's why Gainey revealed the city's first 'All-Hazard Mitigation Plan,' made up of five key principles, from comprehensive risk assessment, using science and data, to climate resilience.

"Our plan will incorporate future climate scenarios and adaptation strategies to safeguard our people and our infrastructure," Gainey said.

It will also include integrative planning with the city's goals around sustainability and housing, and will take social equity into consideration, as the most vulnerable are often the hardest hit.

Lastly, it will be constructed with input from the public. They'll play a primary role as Pittsburgh Fire Chief and Emergency Management Coordinator Darryl Jones leads the effort with Bey, collaborating with partners at the local, state, and federal levels, along with utility companies and experts.

It will start with a 90-day review, looking into what they did well last week and what they need to improve, and how.

"What would we do differently in a city that is populated, you know, to sort of secure those things? What are other cities doing? What are some best practices?" Bey said.

Jones said the process won't necessarily be easy.

"They're going to be like, I can't feed my kids today, and you want me to put food away for something that might happen," Jones said.

It will be a work in progress, but one they said they're not going to wait to execute.

"We have to make sure that the people are taken care of," Jones said.

Next week, the city will be having a webinar as they review their storm response, which you can take part in. It will be on May 15 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. 

You can register for it here.