# Presentation: 827954

## Hazard Resilient Coastal Communities

- Margaret A. Davidson
- Director, NOAA’s Coastal Services Center
- May 8, 2007

- Sea Grant Regional Workshop

## ChallengeCreating Hazard Resilient Coastal Communities

- To harness and leverage NOAA and community resources to create hazard resilient coastal communities.
- Residents of coastal counties expected to increase to 160M by 2008
- 56.3% of U.S. National GDP contributed by coastal watershed counties (National Ocean Economics Program)
- Threats to coastal communities from extreme natural events including hurricane and coastal storms; coastal inundation and erosion; tsunamis; sea level rise
- Economic losses from the 2005 hurricane season were $200 billion (costliest ever)
- Insured U.S. weather-related losses are growing 10x faster than premiums and growing industry trend of policy cancellations increases coastal community vulnerability
- Natural features (e.g., wetlands) can reduce storm surge impacts on coastal communities

- SES Summit 2007: Hazard Resilient Coastal Communities

**Notes:**
Insured U.S. weather-related losses are growing 10x faster than premiums and the overall economy (Source: Washington Post, Dec 2 2006)

2005 hurricane season was the costliest ever, with losses estimated at $200 billion, due to the impacts of storm surge, flooding and wind associated with the storms

Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Conservation and Restoration Task Force and the Wetlands Conservation and Restoration Authority. 1998. Coast Proactive planning including habitat conservation can mitigate losses from hazards and decrease area of influence - data from Hurricane Andrew suggested a storm-surge reduction at a spot along the Louisiana coast of 3.1 inches per linear mile of wetlands
2050: Toward a Sustainable Coastal Louisiana. Louisiana Department of Natural Resources. Baton Rouge, La. 161 p. 

## ChallengeDefining Community Resilience

- Resilience/resilient:  The capacity of a system, community, or society potentially exposed to hazards to adapt, by resisting or changing, in order to reach and maintain an acceptable level of functioning and structure.
- OSTP/CENR Subcommittee for Disaster Reduction (June 2005)

- SES Summit 2007: Hazard Resilient Coastal Communities

## Challenge: Defining Community Resilience

**In short...**
**Resilience is about building the capacity to bounce back**
- Rather than reacting exclusively to easily identified vulnerabilities. . .
- The concept of resilience emphasizes local strengths   and capabilities – **Cultivating those community elements that can make the biggest difference between a crisis and a catastrophe**

- SES Summit 2007: Hazard Resilient Coastal Communities

**Notes:**
What does Resilience really mean, on a community level

## ChallengeDefining NOAA’s Role

- How does NOAA help coastal communities become resilient?
- Communities have the data, models, tools & training to understand their vulnerability to coastal hazards and how to reduce it.
- Communities have information (e.g., land use, natural resource) and understand best practices to minimize development in high hazard risk areas (e.g., floodplains, tsunami inundation zones, etc)
- Communities have training and capacity building to effectively translate information about coastal hazards and how to avoid their impacts to the public and key decision makers.

- SES Summit 2007: Hazard Resilient Coastal Communities

## NOAA Regional DimensionKey Hazard-Related Issues Identified by Regional Collaboration Teams

- Alaska:  Climate change and associated loss of sea ice, impacting:  coastal erosion, fisheries management, marine mammal management, shipping, offshore oil and gas development, subsistence lifestyles, and ecosystem conditions
- Pacific Islands:  Potentially catastrophic coastal hazards (e.g., coastal storms, flooding, tsunamis, drought), requiring improved planning and response
- Western:  Climate change and active geologic features impacting an extensive coastline with large population centers

- SES Summit 2007: Hazard Resilient Coastal Communities

**Notes:**
State Coastal Zone Management Programs
In 2006, all (34) identified Coastal Hazards as  a priority issue in self assessments of key coastal management issues (Sect. 309 Assessments).  Flooding, erosion, storm surge were rated highest risk.

## Southeast & Caribbean:  Major storm events and their impact on communities and ecosystems
North Atlantic: Severe storms, population/development pressures, coastal inundation and regional scale impacts of climate change
South Atlantic:  Population/development pressures, changing social and economic environment, severe storms, coastal inundation 
Great Lakes: Weather impacts on commerce and transportation, severe storm events, and changing ecosystems

- North Atlantic: Severe storms, population/development pressures, coastal inundation and regional scale impacts of climate change
- South Atlantic:  Population/development pressures, changing social and economic environment, severe storms, coastal inundation
- Great Lakes: Weather impacts on commerce and transportation, severe storm events, and changing ecosystems

- NOAA Regional DimensionKey Hazard-Related Issues Identified by Regional Collaboration Teams

- SES Summit 2007: Hazard Resilient Coastal Communities

**Notes:**
State Coastal Zone Management Programs
In 2006, all (34) identified Coastal Hazards as  a priority issue in self assessments of key coastal management issues (Sect. 309 Assessments).  Flooding, erosion, storm surge were rated highest risk.

Great Lakes: Improve hazard prediction through advancement of NOAA meteorological and hydrodynamic forecasting capability (including wind, waves, water levels) 
Improve community resilience and sustainability by applying NOAA's forecasting, modeling, decision support, training, and outreach capabilities to state and local planning decisions involving land and water uses in the coastal zone. 

## National DimensionFederal Priorities

- Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction (SDR): 	 Grand Challenges for Disaster Reduction
- Establishes a framework of priorities and desired outcomes to promote hazard resilient communities.
- Implementation plans in development to address specific disaster related issues (e.g., hurricanes, coastal inundation).
- US Group on Earth Observations (USGEO) & SDR: Improved Observations for Disaster Reduction 	 Near Term Opportunity Plan
- Identifies regionally based pilots to enhance observation capabilities to reduce natural hazard vulnerability and enhance resilience–Southern California & Gulf of Mexico.

- SES Summit 2007: Hazard Resilient Coastal Communities

## National DimensionFederal Priorities

- Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Second Implementation Conference
- Observations for coastal inundation identified as priority need.
- US Climate Change Science Program
- FY2007 Our Changing Planet includes several goals in support of enhancing coastal community resilience.
- Safe transportation theme supports hazard resilient coastal communities.
- Ocean Research Priority Plan Forecasting the Response of Coastal Ecosystems to Persistent Forcing and Extreme Events Near Term Opportunity Plan (FY08)
- Supports end-to-end development and integration of observations, research, and forecast models into decision support tools to address the impacts of coastal storms on both the built and natural environment. Includes regionally based pilots.

- SES Summit 2007: Hazard Resilient Coastal Communities

## NOAA & Sea GrantUnderstanding threats and shaping future decisions about resiliency

- NOAA and Sea Grant are uniquely positioned to:
- Help coastal communities understand changing conditions and threats and shape future decisions to enhance resiliency
- Convene public, private, and non-profit partners collecting and applying resilience-related information and models
- Why?
- NOAA is involved in all aspects of resilience (e.g., data, models, tools, decision support, best practices, education) and serves to integrate them to improve decision-making; Sea Grant integrates science, best practices & outreach to inform public policy.
- As a science and information agency, NOAA is seen as an “honest broker” by partners and users; Sea Grant hold same capacity in education & outreach.
- Exercising its authorities and mandates, NOAA and Sea Grant can influence the comprehensive implementation of state authorities in the nation's coastal areas.

- SES Summit 2007: Hazard Resilient Coastal Communities

## NOAA & Sea GrantUnderstanding threats and shaping future decisions about resiliency

- NOAA and Sea Grant are uniquely positioned to:
- Help coastal communities understand changing conditions and threats and shape future decisions to enhance resiliency
- Convene public, private, and non-profit partners collecting and applying resilience-related information and models
- Why?
- NOAA is involved in all aspects of resilience (e.g., data, models, tools, decision support, best practices, education) and serves to integrate them to improve decision-making; Sea Grant contributes to these capabilities and provides ‘on the ground’ execution.
- As a science and information agency, NOAA is seen as an “honest broker” by partners and users; Sea Grant extends these relationships down to the regional, state and local levels.
- Exercising its authorities and mandates, NOAA and Sea Grant can influence the comprehensive implementation of state authorities in the nation's coastal areas.

- SES Summit 2007: Hazard Resilient Coastal Communities

## NOAA  Hazards TeamRegional representation

- N. Atlantic Region:  Amy Holman, (301) 713-2989 x102
- 	        	      Betsy Nicholson, (603) 862-1205
- Southeast & Caribbean Region: Judy Gray, (305) 361-4306
- Gulf of Mexico Region: Todd Davison, (770) 486-0028
- Great Lakes: Joshua Lott, (301) 713-3155 x178
- 			     Mary Baker, (206) 526-6315
- Western: Becky Smyth, (415) 904-5251
- Pacific:  Eileen Shea, (808) 944-7253

- SES Summit 2007: Hazard Resilient Coastal Communities