Coastal Hazards Resilience
The Coastal Hazards Resilience Committee is one of three NROC Standing Committees. This committee was established to inform and recommend to the Council how best to approach regional issues and coordinate activities related to coastal hazards resilience and climate adaptation in New England. Download the committee’s 2024-2028 Work Plan .
Current Activities
Resilient Shorelines – Living Shorelines Group
To facilitate knowledge sharing around resilient shorelines, especially living shorelines and coastal green/natural infrastructure.
Supporting a national resource for coastal decision makers looking for information on how to protect their communities from weather and climate hazards.
Municipal Coastal Resilience Initiative
Working with coastal communities to identify and implement resilience solutions.
Committee Goal
Build resilience to impacts of coastal erosion, flooding, storms, and climate change through region-wide dissemination of data, tools, and case studies, as well as fostering collaborative actions.
Building Resilience to Climate Impacts: Storms, Sea Level Rise and Shifting Ecosystems
New England coastal communities have experienced coastal storm events that have led to loss of life and major damage to homes, businesses, infrastructure, and shorelines. Coastal hazards information and tools can assist state and local officials to better plan for impacts of storms and sea level rise and implement strategies to prevent recurring future damages. Data such as detailed terrestrial contours, shallow water bathymetry, and mean high water positions are needed throughout the region to support efforts to identify potential inundation zones from storm surge, erosion and sea level rise. A companion to data is the need to develop user-friendly tools to access and analyze data and support management decisions and recommendations.
Strategies
The committee has determined three strategies for working toward its goal. During 2013-2014, the committee will:
- Promote regional dialogue on broad-scale adaptation strategies for responding to the effects of sea-level rise.
- Act on data acquisition priorities and user-friendly tools needed to support planning for and responses to coastal hazards.
- Partner with academia, industry and public agencies to develop a plan for an Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) that supports storm surge and inundation forecasting and response.
Committee Members
Julia Knisel, Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (State Co-chair)
Dani Boudreau, NOAA (Federal Co-chair)
Gavin Jackson, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (State Co-Chair)
Patricia Bowie, Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management
Steve Couture, New Hampshire Coastal Program
Stephen Dickson, Maine Geological Survey
Edward Fratto, Northeast States Emergency Consortium
Sherry Godlewski, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
Kirsten Howard, New Hampshire Coastal Program
Katie Kahl, UMASS Amherst
Regina Lyons, EPA Region 1
Ellen Mecray, NOAA
Paul Morey, FEMA Region 1
James O’Donnell, Connecticut CIRCA
Lisa Rector, NESCAUM
Peter Slovinsky, Maine Geological Survey
Tonna-Marie Surgeon-Rogers, Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
Adam Whelchel, The Nature Conservancy
Jeff Willis, Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council