Like most of us, I’d like to think that getting people the best information will drive them to make the right decisions. Certainly that’s been a big drive behind StormSmart Coasts. Unfortunately, the evidence suggests that things aren’t that simple. It’s easy to find examples in our own lives of knowing better but still making […]
Author Archive | Wesley Shaw
Are You an Emergency Manager? Why You Need Social Media (and it needs you)
Posted on April 19, 2011
A new article from USA Today takes another look at how emergency management officials are using social media. We’ve seen these before, but each one adds new evidence to this simple idea: If you’re working in emergency management and NOT using social media, you’re hampering your ability to do you job. This study from the […]
Want to Protect Your Community from Sea Level Rise? Protect Your Wetlands
Posted on April 15, 2011
When we first assembled the conceptual framework for StormSmart Coasts back in 2006, we made a deliberate decision to not focus on ecological and habitat issues. This wasn’t because we didn’t think these topics were important—clearly they were and are—but because we wanted to really zero in on hazards without getting entangled on all the […]
Great New Publication on Elevating Existing Homes
Posted on April 14, 2011
We all know that the best way to keep buildings out of flood waters is to keep them out of areas that flood. The reality for most communities, though, is that homes and other structures are already in areas that flood. What to do then? There are many options, of course. You could somehow acquire […]
Another Radio Show on Massachusetts’s Rising Sea Levels
Posted on April 8, 2011
This time, from WGBH: Rising Sea Levels Threaten Massachusetts Coast, Sea Walls There’s no question about it. Sea levels are rising. 65 acres of Massachusetts coastline is taken back by the sea each year. Over the last century, ocean waters have crept up a full foot along the New England coast and new research shows […]
Massachusetts StormSmart Coasts Pilot Project Communities Now Online
Posted on April 7, 2011
The Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management has added informational pages about each of their 2009-2011 StormSmart Coasts Pilot Projects. You can read about them here: * Boston – Coastal Inundation Mapping and Regulatory Review * Hull – Freeboard Incentive and Storm Surge Visualization * Duxbury, Kingston, and Plymouth – Coastal Hazards Awareness * Falmouth […]
Radio Show Clip on Sea Level Rise in New England
Posted on April 5, 2011
From WBUR.org: “Many Worry About Rising Sea Levels In The Northeast” (Click on the “listen now” button, then skip to 4:15.) Not a lot of good news here, but interesting to see how the “retreat” option is now a standard part of these discussions. Could we be seeing the start of a mind-shift?
“Not everything we love can be saved’’
Posted on April 4, 2011
Hard truths from a local official facing sea level rise in his community. “Fighting a losing battle with the sea” The Boston Globe
Winthrop Struggles with Failing Seawall
Posted on April 4, 2011
The Boston Globe reports on the continuing struggle Winthrop has with its aging and failing seawall along Winthrop Beach. While funding has been secured to rebuild the beach, concerns over the effects of gathering sediment from off-shore has stymied that approach, and the alternative—trucking sand in—would mean a huge influx of traffic (an estimated 33,000 […]
Four New Case Studies on Climate Change Adaptation for Water Utilities
Posted on March 29, 2011
Tying in with their Climate Ready Water Utilities program, the EPA has released four case studies looking at specific adaptation steps communities are taking. The communities are East Bay (CA), New York City, Seattle (WA), and Spartanburg (SC). You can download the case study from EPA’s website.