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 would lead to a,
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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.,
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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,
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A friend just passed this announcement our way:
The DHS Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives would like to connect you to some of our colleagues in FEMA and share information on specific grant programs to strengthen your resilience against hazards. The call will provide an overview of four programs:
Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI),
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Briefly, FEMA has announced a loan forgiveness program for government agencies that received money after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Under the new regulations, local governments that received Community Disaster Loans from FEMA can apply to have all or part of the loans erased if its revenues in the 36 months after the two major storms were insufficient to,
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A report released yesterday finds that short-term hurricane damage models, designed to project insured losses in the United States from Atlantic hurricanes for the past five-years, have significantly overestimated losses for the cumulative 2006 through 2009 seasons.
From the press release:
“This latest study further supports our previous findings,
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A quick word from the NOAA National Hurricane Center:
NOAA’s National Hurricane Center in Miami will issue watches and warnings for tropical storms and hurricanes along threatened coastal areas 12 hours earlier than in previous years. According to NHC experts, advancements in track forecasts are making it possible for forecasters to provide greater lead,
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The folks over at the Southeast Stormwater Association have set the date and location of their annual conference: October 6-8 at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi.
According to the event's webpage, the organizers aim to "bring quality training to stormwater professionals," specifically targeting local, state and federal government administrators and regulators;,
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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 your home and loved,
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The folks over at Emergency Management have posted a good summary of the newly released 2010 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Grant Guidance.
While the bulk of the $2.7 billion is targeted at terrorism-related security (this is DHS, after all), there's plenty here for those looking for funding to protect coastal communities from weather and climate,
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