Coastal Hazards Resiliency

"Rising populations and poorly planned development in coastal areas are increasing the vulnerability of people and property to storms, hurricanes, flooding, shoreline erosion, tornadoes, tsunamis, and earthquakes. In addition, climate change may lead to more frequent storms and sea-level rise, both of which increase coastal susceptibility. Not only can natural hazards have devastating impacts on people and property, but they may also have deleterious effects on the environment, particularly sensitive habitats." – U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, 2004.

Examples of NERACOOS successes include:

  • 2008 Northeast Region Coastal Hazards Workshop - In November, 2008, the Northeast Regional Ocean Council and the NOAA Coastal Services Center hosted a Workshop Towards Regional Coastal Hazards Resiliency. This event was an opportunity for local, state, federal, and private interests from throughout the region to review New England's storm vulnerability, assess our current resilience capacity, and develop strategies to boost both individual state and the region's collective progress towards being "hazard ready" in the future. Participants benefited from presentations from experts in the field (which are available below), networking with colleagues from throughout New England, and the opportunity to guide future NROC partner efforts.

  • NOAA North Atlantic Regional Team (NART) - In late 2007, NOAA/CSC formed a working group to coordinate ongoing regional efforts in the area of inundation. Two pilot communities (Scituate, MA and Saco, ME) were selected for focus, and partners have contributed efforts in the development of real-time storm surge prediction tools.