California struggles with bigger waves and falling homes. Click on the picture to head over to their site for the video. “Debate Emerges on How to Fight Coastal Erosion” via KGO-TV.
Tag Archives | adaptation & mitigation
Chatham Faces Increasing Erosion
Posted on February 4, 2010
Chatham Coastal Resources Director Ted Keon told the board of selectmen last week that the mix of high water in Pleasant Bay (from the change in tides caused by the new inlet) and high surf from coastal storms provide all the necessary ingredients for erosion. The Cape Cod Chronicle covered the event: “With this new […]
Case-Study: Freeboard Pays Off for Office/Condo
Posted on February 4, 2010
In 2008 a developer in North Dakota opted to spend an extra $2,000 to elevate a mixed business/condo structure 3 feet higher than the height required by the National Flood Insurance Program (i.e., he incorporated freeboard). “We realized the land was low-lying and we didn’t want to risk having the building flood,” he said. “Elevating […]
Community Threatens to Fine Homeowners Over Renourished-Beach Access
Posted on February 2, 2010
The New Jersey Star-Ledger has published a fascinating story about a barrier island community struggling with whether or not the Township can nourish private beaches within its jurisdiction without the blessing of its waterfront landowners. The debate, distilled into one paragraph: “Mayors want to keep beaches and dunes wide, attractive and safe. Waterfront homeowners balk […]
Two Communities on Two Coasts Move to Adapt to New Climates
Posted on February 1, 2010
Two new articles from two different areas on two different coasts. Both Neskowin, Oregon and the Norfolk-Virginia Beach metropolitan area are working to move beyond debating a changing climate to discussing what they’re going to do about it. Neskowin: a community with a disappearing beach An article in OregonLive describes how this small community (population […]
New Levee Outreach
Posted on December 16, 2009
The brainy folks over at the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) have released a little handy outreach booklet designed to help folks living behind levees understand their risks. It’s called, appropriately, So, You Live Behind a Levee! The 28-page booklet answers such questions as: What does it mean to live behind a levee? Are […]
FEMA Clarifies Sand Replacement and Public Assistance Funding
Posted on November 20, 2009
FEMA has released a 4-page PDF called “Eligible Sand Replacement on Public Beaches” which clarifies the availability of public assistance funding for the replacement of sand on damaged public beaches. Briefly? Under certain conditions, funding may be available for both emergency and permanent work, but it needs to meet certain requirements and not be in […]
Preventing Human-Caused Disasters (Editorial)
Posted on November 17, 2009
“The best disaster response and recovery policy is advance planning, land use, and building codes to prevent a disaster from happening in the first place. Society has the experience and tools at its disposal to prevent many of the devastating impacts disasters have on humans.” In this month’s Natural Hazards Observer (PDF), Edward A. Thomas […]
FLOAT House Suggests New Approach to Floodplain Living
Posted on October 14, 2009
No matter what you’re trying to do, it rarely hurts to have Brad Pitt on your team. When Make It Right, a group founded by Pitt after he saw the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans’s Lower Ninth Ward, revealed its new FLOAT House last week, the announcement received a fair amount of media […]
Corps of Engineers Mandates Consideration of Sea Level Rise
Posted on October 13, 2009
In a new public document, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) has announced that it will immediately require all COE Civil Works projects in coastal and estuarine areas to consider sea level rise in all phases of its projects. The short document continues with specific explanations of which rates of sea level rise must […]