Archive | Gulf of Mexico

Florida Takes Hard Look at its Future Climate

The State University System of Florida has released Climate Scenarios: A Florida-Centric View, a serious look at what future climate conditions might mean for the sunshine state. From the intro: The purpose of this document is to provide an informed opinion on future climate scenarios relevant to Florida. It offers a primer on Florida’s vulnerabilities […]

Mississippi to be Dropped from the National Flood Insurance Program?

A troubling article from the Bolivar Commercial spells out why Mississippi may be removed from the National Flood Insurance Program as early as this spring. The issue is over a state law prohibiting counties and cities from enforcing building codes, including local floodplain management ordinances, against qualified hunting and fishing camps. The NFIP requires that […]

Check out the New and Improved Coastal Community Resilience Index

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

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 […]

No Budget? No Problem. Group Makes Hurricane Safety PSAs on a Shoestring Budget

With no funding (and a little help from the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium), Mississippi’s C-HOST (Coastal Hazard Outreach Strategy Team) group has created some great quick public service announcements. Below is one example, see the C-HOST videos page for more. (Does your group or community want its own StormSmart.org site? Let us know.)

EPA Announces $3 Million in Grants to Improve Health of Gulf

A new Gulf-Based funding announcement in from the EPA: Gulf of Mexico Regional Partnerships Request for Proposals (RFP) 2011 On, August 16, 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the release of the Gulf of Mexico Regional Partnerships RFP 2011. The RFP is posted on the Gulf of Mexico Program’s website at: http://www.epa.gov/gmpo/, and at: […]

US Army Corps of Engineers Uses Facebook for 2011 Mississippi River Flood Updates

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Mississippi Valley Division and its districts have launched a new Facebook page to provide accurate, timely information on the 2011 flood. The page provides updates on the Corps of Engineers’ flood-fighting activities, to include videos, photos and tweets; links to local emergency management resources and federal coordinating agencies assisting […]

Easiest Wind Speed Maps in the Gulf

So you’ve figured out your flood risk with the LSU Ag Center’s flood map tool, but now you need an estimate of your wind risk. Why not check out their Wind Speed and Elevation Map? It just doesn’t get any easier. (Nice work, LSU). (Added to our Finding and Using Additional Hazard Information page.)

The Easiest Way to Find Louisiana Flood Maps

Click on your parish and get an interactive flood map. Wish all states had this resource. Have a look on the LSU Flood Maps site. (Added to the Interpreting FIRMs and FIS Reports page.)

New Funding Opportunity from Gulf of Mexico Sea Grant Programs

This notice on a new funding opportunity just in from our good friends at the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium. The Gulf of Mexico regional Sea Grant programs and their partners (Ocean Research Priorities Plan, NOAA Coastal Storms Program, NOAA Coastal Services Center, and the EPA Gulf of Mexico Program) are pleased to announce a multi-disciplinary […]