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Risk Communication: Best Practices

The folks over at the NOAA Coastal Services Center recently released a two-page summary of risk communication specifically for those working in coastal hazards. In addition to explaining the concept of risk and why our behavior in the face of risk is so complicated, it provides six best practices for those trying to communicate risk. […]

Coastal Adaptation Planning Webinar: Feb 25th [EVENT]

To help inform and engage coastal communities on coastal climate preparedness, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA will be hosting a monthly webinar series focused on all issues surrounding coastal climate adaptation in the Southeast U.S. This month’s webinar will be on February 25th from 12 – 1 (Eastern) […]

NOAA Improves Forecasts for Coastal Flood Impacts

The National Weather Service has created a new way to help coastal decision makers better project damage from coastal flooding through an experimental forecast technique they’re calling the “Coastal Flood Nomogram”. Unlike some other models which rely solely on predicted damage from still water, the Coastal Flood Nomogram considers the combined effects of storm tides […]

Sunday: Scheduled StormSmart Coasts Site Work [UPDATED]

Just a heads-up: we’ve got some exciting work to do on the StormSmart Coasts site. We think you’ll like the results, but in the meantime, we’re going to pull the site down for a few hours Sunday evening and put our robots to work. If you visit then, there’s no telling what you might find. […]

Impact of Climate Issues, Feb 24, Mobile [EVENT]

One last event for this week’s news: “Please join us for the Impact of Climate Issues on America’s Energy Coast hearing taking place at 9:00 am – 11:30 am on Wednesday, February 24, 2010 at the Battle House in Mobile, AL. For more information or to register to attend this free event, please email Lisa […]

Hurricane Center Takes Storm Surge Out of Intensity Categories

NOAA’s National Weather Service has just announced that it will use a new hurricane scale this season called the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. The new scale keeps the same wind speed ranges as the original Saffir-Simpson Scale for each of the five hurricane categories, but no longer ties specific storm surge and flooding effects to […]

Building Resilience Workshop: Feb 25-27, New Orleans [EVENT]

This just across our desks: “The challenge of living with water is one shared by cities and communities around the world. Nowhere is this more true than in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region, where people live with a daily awareness of the threat, and opportunity, of water. Please join us at the Building […]

EPA Releases Water Quality Scorecard

Dealing with storms means dealing with stormwater. EPA has just released a new resource for local governments to help them do just that. In their words: “EPA has released a first-of-its-kind water quality scorecard designed to help communities in rural, suburban and urban settings incorporate green infrastructure practices to protect local water quality and improve […]

2010 Coastal Resilience Symposium: May 26, Houston [EVENT]

Just announced: the 2010 Coastal Resilience Symposium will be held at Rice University (Houston) on May 26th. From the event’s new webpage: “Hurricane Ike was not the “Big One” for the Houston area, but it gave us a much clearer picture of what we might expect should a large hurricane make landfall to our southwest. […]

Texas Appellate Court Finds No Taking in State's Open Beaches Act

From the always useful Ocean and Coastal Case Alert Newsletter: “A Texas appellate court struck down a challenge from several beachfront property owners to the Texas Open Beaches Act. The homeowners filed the action seeking a declaratory judgment for their right to repair, maintain, and access their houses, as well as for damages for the […]