The USGS Hurricane-Induced Coastal Erosion Hazards site is a great way to get a rough idea of some of the other hazards Gulf of Mexico communities face during hurricanes. The image here is of Corpus Christi (because we had this summer’s Gulf of Mexico Alliance meeting there). The different bands show where the waves will […]
Tag Archives | hazard identification
NOAA Shares Tools for Understanding and Addressing Coastal Inundation
Posted on March 27, 2012
The NOAA Coastal Services Center, as part of their Digital Coast program, has assembled a Coastal Inundation Toolkit. The new “Visualize” section allows users to learn how different types of visualizations can help communities understand their inundation risks and vulnerabilities. The “Picture It” page offers tools and local examples of how photos, maps, and mapping […]
Why Communities Should Consider Total Cost of Ownership When Making Decisions
Posted on March 13, 2012
(From FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate): National Leadership Speaker Series: FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate from U.S. Green Building Council.
QUICK-TIP: Using Google Earth to View FIRMs
Posted on March 12, 2012
Need to quickly check to see which flood zone a property is in? Have Google Earth installed on your computer (it’s free, though you may need administrative rights to install it on your computer)? FEMA has a page explaining how to get those pesky FIRMs into your mapping system. Read about it here: Using the […]
San Francisco Bay Adopts Climate Change Regulations
Posted on October 11, 2011
The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission has voted unanimously to pass a development plan for land within 100 feet of the bay’s coastline. The plan—which requires that decisions about land use in the area consider factors including the latest climate science and the importance of wetland restoration—gives the agency a tool to deny […]
What’s the Relationship Between Climate Change and Extreme Weather?
Posted on October 6, 2011
Some scientists give us the rundown: (From Climate Communication)
What Do People Know About Flood Risk and How Do They Want to Learn More?
Posted on October 5, 2011
Most of the general public (69%) doesn’t believe that they are at risk of flooding, though most (68%) local official know many are wrong to feel so safe. The public wants to hear about flood risk from municipal/county officials (47% want the mayor, 32% the floodplain manager)—unfortunately, nearly half (45%) report that they “never” do. […]
Check out the New and Improved Coastal Community Resilience Index
Posted on September 12, 2011
We at StormSmart are big fans of the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium’s Coastal Community Resilience Index. For those not familiar with it, the Coastal Community Resilience Index (CRI) is a simple tool that provides a snapshot of a community’s resilience, and can help identify opportunities to improve. Designed to take as little as two hours […]
Will the Next Hurricane Put You Underwater? New Site Shows How Deep
Posted on September 8, 2011
Have a look at the new Miami-Dade County Storm Surge Simulator which lets you click on a map to show where you live and then select the severity of the storm before it shows you just how deep that water will be when that next hurricane hits. You can even select whether you want to […]
FEMA Study Finds National Floodplains Projected to Grow by 40-45%
Posted on July 27, 2011
As reported in the New York Times, at last week’s Coastal Zone conference in Chicago, FEMA shared some results from a pending study looking at the projected effects of climate change on the National Flood Insurance Program. The short version? It’s not looking pretty, and the challenges won’t be confined to coastal areas either. Floodplains […]