CZMA CLIMATE CHANGE AND COASTAL HAZARDS E-NEWS UPDATE #16

[Lisa Adams]

In this Issue:

NOAA UPDATES
- NAPA Releases Report on Proposed NOAA Climate Service
- NHC Updates Storm Surge Website with Interactive Risk Maps
- CSC Publication Highlights Climate Change Management Activities

- NOAA Announces Six New Regional Climate Science Collaborations
- Report Finds U.S. Tsunami Detection Improved, But Coastal
Communities Still Vulnerable

OTHER FEDERAL UPDATES
- Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force Releases Report

- FEMA Study Estimates Coastal Population Subject to 100-Year
Coastal Flooding
- FEMA Examines Green Building in Context of Natural Hazards
Resistance
- Corps Releases Report on National Water Resources Challenges
- New Circular Guides Corps’ NFIP Levee System Evaluations

ADDITIONAL UPDATES
- Florida Releases Guide on Post-Disaster Redevelopment Planning
- Decision Tree Guides Shoreline Management in Virginia
- Massachusetts StormSmart Coast Community Adopts New Floodplain
Bylaw and Regulations
- Handbook Helps Mississippi Homeowners Prepare for Hazard Events

- Maryland DNR Issues Climate Change Policy
- Michigan and Wisconsin Form Climate Cooperation Partnership
- Interdisciplinary Team Maps Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge in
Chesapeake Bay
- Report Quantifies Climate Risks along U.S. Gulf Coast
- National Climate Adaptation Summit Committee Releases Report

CONFERENCES, TRAININGS, EVENTS
- Webinar: Creating Resilient Communities EBM Tool Demonstration
Project
- Webinar Series: Change Adaptation for State and Local
Governments
- Webinar: CanVis Visual Simulation Tool Demonstration

NOAA UPDATES

NAPA Releases Report on Proposed NOAA Climate Service
http://www.napawash.org/publications-reports/building-strong-for-to...


Last fall, Congress asked the National Academy of Public
Administration (NAPA) to assist NOAA with a study and analysis of
the organizational options for a National Climate Service within
NOAA. In September, NAPA released the report, “Building Strong for
Tomorrow: Recommendations for the Organizational Design of the
NOAA Climate Service” (124 pp.), which “strongly supports the
creation of a NOAA Climate Service to be established as a line
office in NOAA.” The report calls on NOAA to play a leadership
role in the coordination and delivery of climate science and
services across the federal family and provides guidance on
internal reorganization options and specific strategies to ensure
successful implementation.

*NHC Updates Storm Surge Website with Interactive Risk Maps*
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ssurge/risk/index.shtml?gm


NOAA’s National Hurricane Center (NHC) has updated its storm surge
website to include educational storm surge risk maps that provide
a national snapshot of maximum potential storm surge from
hurricanes of varying strengths. The maps are based on model
simulations taking into account hypothetical storms with different
combinations of storm forward speeds, landfall locations, storm
tracks, storm sizes, storm intensities, and astronomical tides.
They should be used for outreach, education, and awareness, but
are not appropriate for planning, mitigation, or real-time
applications. Additional site content includes an overview of
storm surge and the Sea, Lake and Overland Surges from Hurricanes
(SLOSH) model, which is used to estimate storm surge heights, and
an educational storm surge video.

*CSC Publication Highlights Climate Change Management Activities*


http://www.csc.noaa.gov/magazine/climatechangestrategiesVol2.pdf


The NOAA Coastal Services Center (CSC) has released “Local
Strategies for Addressing Climate Change: Volume Two” (44 pp.), a
compilation of 12 articles recently published in Coastal Services,
the center’s trade journal for coastal resource managers. The
publication focuses on what coastal resource managers around the
country are already doing, directly and indirectly, to address the
impacts of climate change.

*NOAA Announces Six New Regional Climate Science Collaborations*
http://www.climate.noaa.gov/cpo_pa/risa/


In September, NOAA announced six new Regional Integrated Sciences
and Assessments (RISA) awards totaling $23.6 million over five
years. The regional teams will work closely with natural resource
managers and land planners, nongovernmental organizations, and the
private sector within each region to advance research on how
climate variability and change will impact the environment,
economy, and society and develop innovative ways to integrate
climate information into decision making. The awards went to
(leads in parentheses) the Consortium on Climate Risk in the Urban
Northeast (Columbia University), Pacific Northwest Climate
Decision Support Consortium (Oregon State University), Great Lakes
Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments Center (University of
Michigan and Michigan State University), Pacific RISA: Climate
Adaptation Partnership for the Pacific (East-West Center in
Hawaii), Southeast Climate Consortium (University of Florida), and
Western Water Assessment (Universi
ty of Colorado).

*Report Finds U.S. Tsunami Detection Improved, But Coastal
Communities Still Vulnerable*
http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12628


The National Research Council has issued a congressionally
requested report on the nation’s tsunami efforts. “Tsunami Warning
and Preparedness” (350 pp.) explores the advances made in tsunami
detection and preparedness since the 2004 tsunami in the Indian
Ocean and identifies challenges that still remain. It finds that
progress has been made in the ability to detect and forecast
tsunamis, and various federal and state activities have increased
tsunami safety, but work remains to be done to minimize future
losses. Specifically, it calls for persistent progress across the
broad spectrum of efforts, including risk assessment, public
education, government coordination, detection and forecasting, and
warning center operations. The report can be purchased or read for
free online.

*OTHER FEDERAL UPDATES*

*Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force Releases Report*
http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/adapta...


On October 14, the Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task
Force, co-chaired by the White House Council on Environmental
Quality, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and NOAA,
released its report to President Obama for how federal agency
policies and programs can better prepare the United States to
respond to the impacts of climate change. The recommendations
include ensuring scientific information about the impacts of
climate change is easily accessible and building strong
partnerships to support local, state, and tribal decision makers
in improving management of places and infrastructure most likely
to be affected by climate change.

*FEMA Study Estimates Coastal Population Subject to 100-Year Coastal Flooding*
http://www.floods.org/PDF/JCR_Est_US_Pop_100y_CFHA_2010.pdf


The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently completed
a coastal demographics study of the United States and its
territories that estimated the population subject to the 100-year
coastal flood. The results are published in “An Estimate of the
U.S. Population Living in 100-Year Coastal Flood Hazard Areas” (11
pp.) in the March 2010 issue of the Journal of Coastal Research.
The findings suggest that approximately 8,651,000 people (3% of
the U.S. population) live in areas subject to the 100-year coastal
flood and about 24,662,000 people (8.6% of the U.S. population)
live in census block groups that border the open ocean coast or
that contain 100-year coastal flood hazard areas. Excluding the
territories, the Atlantic coast has the greatest density of
population living in areas subject to the 100-year coastal flood
(433 persons/sq mi), followed by the Great Lakes (372 persons/sq
mi), Gulf (145 persons/sq mi), and Pacific (23 persons/sq mi)
coasts.

*FEMA Examines Green Building in Context of Natural Hazards
Resistance*
http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=4347


“Natural Hazards and Sustainability for Residential Buildings” (48
pp.) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) examines
current green building rating systems in a broader context. It
identifies green building practices that are different from
historical residential building practices and that, unless
implemented with an understanding of their interactions with the
rest of the structure, have the potential to compromise a
building’s resistance to natural hazard events. This document
discusses how to retain or improve natural hazard resistance while
incorporating green building practices.

*Corps Releases Report on National Water Resources Challenges*
http://building-collaboration-for-water.org/


The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) recently released the
“National Report: Responding to National Water Resources
Challenges” (104 pp.), which documents the results of their
two-year assessment of national water resources needs and critical
priorities. The goal of the assessment was to identify and
leverage opportunities for collaborative efforts and to create a
joint national dialog for water priorities between states, tribes,
and federal resource agencies. The report provides general
recommendations and suggested actions in nine overarching themes,
which include integrated water resources management and managing
extreme events.

*New Circular Guides Corps’ NFIP Levee System Evaluations*
http://140.194.76.129/publications/eng-circulars/


“Engineering and Design: USACE Process for the National Flood
Insurance Program (NFIP) Levee System Evaluation” (104 pp.) guides
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (Corps) procedures for levee system
evaluations in support of the National Flood Insurance program
(NFIP) as administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The purpose of an NFIP levee system evaluation is to determine how
flood hazard areas behind levees are mapped on flood insurance
rate maps, which are used to determine flood insurance rates;
federal, state, and local floodplain management requirements; and
other floodplain management decisions.

*ADDITIONAL UPDATES*

*Florida Releases Guide on Post-Disaster Redevelopment Planning*
http://www.dca.state.fl.us/fdcp/dcp/PDRP/


Florida requires coastal counties and communities to produce
post-disaster redevelopment plans. In response to this
requirement, the Florida Department of Community Affairs and
Division of Community Planning, in partnership with the Florida
Division of Emergency Management, initiated a post-disaster
redevelopment plan pilot planning initiative to create planning
guidance. The initiative was funded by the Florida Coastal
Management Program and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s
Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. The purpose of the initiative and
the “Post-Disaster Redevelopment Planning: A Guide for Florida
Communities” (152 pp.) is to encourage vulnerable communities to
undertake the preparation needed to ensure long-term
sustainability and guide them through pre-disaster planning and
post-disaster implementation.

*Decision Tree Guides Shoreline Management in Virginia*

http://ccrm.vims.edu/decisiontree/index.html

With funding from the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program,
the Center for Coastal Resources Management at the Virginia
Institute of Marine Science is developing tools to help
regulators, property owners, and others make decisions regarding
coastal resources. The first component is a shoreline management
decision tree for undefended shorelines and those with failed
shoreline structures (such as bulkheads and riprap revetments). A
tree-like graph of questions and answers about shoreline
characteristics leads the user to the environmentally preferable
approach for management of that shoreline. Comparable tools are in
development for other activities/actions affecting tidal
shorelines and waters, such as shorelines that are already
defended, dredging projects, boat ramps, and marinas.

*Massachusetts StormSmart Coast Community Adopts New Floodplain
Bylaw and Regulations*
http://ma.stormsmartcoasts.org/2010/05/05/stormsmart-coast-communit...

http://www.mass.gov/czm/stormsmart/resources/oak_bluffs_regs.pdf


As part of the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management’s
StormSmart Coasts program, Oak Bluffs has adopted a new floodplain
overlay district bylaw. The new bylaw prohibits new residential
development and expansion of existing development in V, VE, and AO
zones as depicted on flood insurance rate maps. The bylaw also
establishes a special permitting process for new development in
other areas of the mapped special flood hazard area. New
regulations clarify the process and parameters for development
within the district.

*Handbook Helps Mississippi Homeowners Prepare for Hazard Events*

http://ms.stormsmartcoasts.org/handbook/


Developed by the Gulf of Mexico Alliance’s Coastal Community
Resilience Team, the Mississippi “Homeowners’ Handbook to Prepare
for Natural Hazards” (84 pp.) was created to help homeowners
reduce risks to people and property from natural hazard events.
Handbooks are currently in the works for other Gulf of Mexico
states. For information about developing handbooks for coastal
states outside of the Gulf, contact Dennis Hwang, University of
Hawaii Sea Grant, at [e-mail].

*Maryland DNR Issues Climate Change Policy*
http://dnr.maryland.gov/dnrnews/pdfs/climate_change.pdf

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is actively
engaged in advancing the scientific understanding of Maryland’s
vulnerability to climate change and in advocating for sound
planning to avoid or minimize the anticipated impacts. A new
policy, “Building Resilience to Climate Change,” guides the
department’s investments in and management of land, resources, and
assets in the context of climate change. It establishes practices
and procedures related to new land investments, facility siting
and design, habitat restoration, government operations, research
and monitoring, resource planning, and advocacy.

*Michigan and Wisconsin Form Climate Cooperation Partnership*
http://www.icleiusa.org/library/documents/dnre-climatechange-MI-WI_...


In September, Wisconsin and Michigan announced an agreement to
cooperate on climate change adaptation and mitigation. In the
memorandum of understanding between the Michigan Department of
Natural Resources and Environment and the Wisconsin Department of
Natural Resources, the states agree to exchange information and
data; enhance coordination and cooperation along state borders,
within watersheds and the Great Lakes; communicate opportunities
for joint projects and programs; share research results; provide
technical assistance for environmental and engineering
evaluations; and propose action plans and explore funding options
to address global warming and climate change adaptations.

*Interdisciplinary Team Maps Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge in
Chesapeake Bay*
http://www.chesapeakeadaptation.org/


In 2008, with funding from NOAA’s Sectoral Application Research
Program, the Conservation Fund assembled and coordinated the
interdisciplinary Chesapeake Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge
Awareness and Response team to develop prototype tools and
products that visualize the effects of sea level rise and storm
surge inundation in the Chesapeake Bay region. Specifically,
innovative computer modeling techniques were used to demonstrate
how sea level rise and storm surge in the Chesapeake Bay will
affect natural resources, such as wetlands and coastal forests,
and public infrastructure, such as roads, emergency services,
hospitals, schools, and residential structures. The results have
been used in visually oriented education tools that include a
website and a printed map, which was distributed to schools in
Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

*Report Quantifies Climate Risks along U.S. Gulf Coast*

http://www.entergy.com/gulfcoastadaptation/

Entergy Corp. has released the results of a study to quantify
climate risks along the U.S. Gulf Coast (Texas to Alabama) and
help inform economically sensible approaches for addressing this
risk and building a resilient Gulf Coast. The study found that by
2030 economic losses, driven by economic growth, subsidence, and
the impacts of climate change, will increase by 50-65 percent and
cumulative economic damages could approximate $350 billion. Given
these potential losses, the report, “Building a Resilient Energy
Gulf Coast: Executive Summary” (11 pp.), reinforces the financial
benefits and opportunities provided by investments in climate
change adaptation.

*National Climate Adaptation Summit Committee Releases Report*
http://www.joss.ucar.edu/events/2010/ncas/summit_report.html


In September, the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
released a report about national and regional preparations for
adapting to a changing climate. Based on the National Climate
Adaptation Summit, the report (26 pp.) states that the United
States must adapt to a changing climate now and prepare for
increasing impacts on urban infrastructure, food, water, human
health, and ecosystems. It urges local, regional, and federal
decision makers to develop and coordinate climate change
adaptation measures across levels of government and with the
private sector. The report includes seven high priority near-term
actions that can help prepare the nation for climate change.

*CONFERENCES, TRAININGS, EVENTS*

*Webinar: Creating Resilient Communities EBM Tool Demonstration Project*
November 17, 2010
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/796010449


*Webinar Series: Change Adaptation for State and Local
Governments*
November 18, 2010—Climate Impacts and Risk Communication
December 9, 2010—Adaptation Planning and Implementation
January 13, 2011—Federal Resources and Support for Climate Change
Adaptation
http://www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate/web-podcasts/local-webcasts-by...


*Webinar: CanVis Visual Simulation Tool Demonstration*
December 14, 2010
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/863446240


*Share Your Thoughts*
If you have news that you would like to include in future updates
or suggestions about the type of information you would like to see
here, please e-mail [e-mail].


*About the CZMA Climate Change and Coastal Hazards E-News Update*

The Coastal Programs Division of NOAA’s Office of Ocean and
Coastal Resource Management distributes this CZMA Climate Change
and Coastal Hazards E-News Update to keep state and territory
coastal program managers and climate change/coastal hazards staff
informed about climate change (as it pertains to coastal hazards)
and coastal hazards activities. Messages for the subscriber base
may be sent to [e-mail].
If you do not wish to receive future updates, or you would like to
add someone to the list, please e-mail [e-mail].
To read previous issues, visit the archive at http://coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/news/climatenewsletter.html.


November 9, 2010