The Associated Press is reporting on the aftermath of Xynthia, the storm that slammed into Europe last weekend. The hurricane-force winds and huge storm surge destroyed seawalls and killed dozens there. The article focuses on the past, present, and future challenges of devastated historic towns along the French coast. New homes have cropped up chaotically […]
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Disaster‐Resilient Homes Webinar Series [EVENT]
Posted on March 3, 2010
The Resilient Home Program has just announced a new (free) webinar series on resilient homes. The first two webinars are co‐sponsored by FEMA and will be: Home Evaluation after Storms and Floods March 9, 2010 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM (Eastern) Presented by Bill Coulbourne, Director of Wind and Flood Mitigation Applied Technology Council (ATC) […]
Top 10 Reasons to Buy Flood Insurance NOW
Posted on February 25, 2010
While this list was written by FEMA for the general public, most of it applies to your municipal properties, too (and it’s not a bad outreach tool, either). The Top Ten Reasons to Buy Flood Insurance Now Spring flooding is almost here and there is a 30-day waiting period before coverage begins. Coverage is relatively […]
Risk Communication: Best Practices
Posted on February 24, 2010
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]
Posted on February 23, 2010
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) […]
Debate Continues Over Morganza-to-the-Gulf Hurricane-Protection System
Posted on February 23, 2010
Houma Today reports that the debate continues in Terrebone and Lafourche parishes over whether or not it’s sensible and reasonable to build the Morganza-to-the-Gulf hurricane-protection system. Proponents argue that the proposed system is critical to protecting the communities in the area. As the Terrebonne Levee Director put it: “Without Morganza, soon we’ll have water on […]
NOAA Improves Forecasts for Coastal Flood Impacts
Posted on February 23, 2010
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 […]
State Launches $10 Million Program to Improve Resiliency in Parishes Hit by Gustav and Ike
Posted on February 22, 2010
We just heard some more great news: Louisiana has launched a $10 million program to help communities affected by hurricanes Gustav and Ike create plans to be more resilient in the event of future disasters. From the press release: The competitive Comprehensive Resiliency Program is a $10 million pool of federal Community Development Block Grant […]
St. Bernard Parish gets $200k to Update Coastal Plan
Posted on February 19, 2010
The Times Picayune is reporting that St. Bernard Parish has been awarded a $199,999 Minerals Management Service grant to update its coastal management plan. The plan was first approved in the 1970s. “St. Bernard Parish gets $200,000 federal grant to update coastal plan” (via NOLA.com)
Sunday: Scheduled StormSmart Coasts Site Work [UPDATED]
Posted on February 19, 2010
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. […]