A new report looking at the risk of homes exposed to hurricane-driven storm surge damage in ten major urban areas along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts finds that the majority of homes in those communities that are in designated surge zones are not included in local flood zones.
In Virginia Beach, for example, 87 percent of surge-inundation zone properties, »read moreTags: case study, hazard identification, Mapping, research
Tags: case study, emergency services, technology
Hard truths from a local official facing sea level rise in his community.
"Fighting a losing battle with the sea" The Boston, »read moreTags: case study, infrastructure, planning, sea level rise, weather & climate
Tying in with their Climate Ready Water Utilities program, the EPA has released four case studies looking at specific adaptation steps communities are taking. The communities are East Bay (CA), New York City, Seattle (WA), and Spartanburg (SC). You can download the case study from EPA's, »read moreTags: adaptation & mitigation, case study, infrastructure, planning, publications
A new paper looking at structural shore protection in Massachusetts and Hawaii finds a few things to like, and a lot to cause consternation.
Among the benefits:
Stabilizes the upland
Protects infrastructure
Maintains property values for some
. . . And the detriments:
Source sediment impoundment resulting in increased erosion of the fronting and, »read moreTags: adaptation & mitigation, Building, case study, infrastructure, research
Louisiana State University has released a great brochure on best practices for communicating about hurricane risks. It's short, simple, and it makes sense. Here's the meat of it, broken down by audience:
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
Be Proactive in Educating the Public: Gaining compliance during a hurricane requires year-round efforts. Waiting until the storms hit, »read moreTags: case study, emergency services, publications, research, training & outreach, weather & climate
Tags: adaptation & mitigation, case study, infrastructure, planning, weather & climate
We acknowledge that this regulation wasn't passed in Mississippi (or even in one of the Gulf of Mexico states) but we think it might still be worth a look here as a model to draw on if your community is considering passing a regulation designed to promote safe development in your coastal floodplains.
Here's the blurb from the Massachusetts Office of, »read moreTags: case study, legal, planning, regulations
The New York Times has created a mesmerizing and troubling (and clever) webpage that allows you to virtually drive down two streets in New Orleans's Lower Ninth Ward in 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2010. The animation stops at various properties along the way, so you can see how certain buildings have fared (some gone, some repaired, some still sitting much as, »read moreTags: case study, funding & assistance, Insurance
The Red Cross has released the results of a survey of just over 1,000 respondents on how people use and expect to use social media during a disaster. The results are pretty striking.
A couple of highlights:
Nearly 3-in-4 respondents use at least one online community or social network. Facebook was by far the most popular (58%). And MySpace still has a, »read moreTags: case study, emergency services, technology, training & outreach
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