Coastal Community Resiliency
Priorities for Resilient Coastal Communities
The bayous, sloughs, and swamps support an abundant population of the crawfish, which have become an important aquaculture venture. Photo: Paul Wallace, NRCS
Resilience is the capacity of human and natural/physical systems to adapt to and recover from change. To continue to enjoy living and receiving the benefits these coastal areas have to offer, there is a need to make the natural, built, and social environments more resilient. Enhancing resilience requires adjustments to day-to-day living, as well as adjustments to processes of long-term settlement and development of coastal areas. Louisiana’s Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast captures this need for change, stating that “...wiser land use practices must govern the way we live in this dynamic landscape if we are to create safe communities that thrive over the long-term.” Building resilience is an economic imperative for the Gulf region – individuals, businesses, communities, and ecosystems all need to be more resilient in order to sustain and grow the region’s economic prosperity.
Long-term Goals
- Provide enhancements for coastal communities, ecosystems, and economies to become more resilient to coastal hazards
- Increase the understanding of coastal hazards risks associated with living, working, and doing business in the Gulf region by residents and visitors
- Incorporate state-of-the-art mitigation methods for reducing risks and enhancing resilience
- Encourage growing numbers of communities, businesses, and individuals to adopt new methods for risk mitigation and resilience
ACTIONS
Coastal Community Resilience 1: Risk and Resilience Assessment
Action: Provide tools to coastal communities to better understand the risks and impacts associated with coastal hazards, including climate changes. In addition, the Alliance will assess the risks of coastal hazards to the natural, built, and social environments of the Gulf Coast and increase infrastructure to better quantify these risks in the future.
Coastal Community Resilience 2: Risk and Resilience Management Toolbox
Action: Prepare an inventory of existing capabilities and tools to address coastal hazards in the Gulf region, identify important gaps, and, where needed, develop new methods to enhance regional and local resilience.
Alabama Homeowners Handbook for Natural Hazards
The Alabama Homeowners Handbook was created by the Gulf of Mexico Alliance Coastal Community Resilience priority issue team to help homeowners prepare for natural hazards to reduce risks to family and property. While it is never possible to eliminate all damage from a natural hazard, homeowners can take action and implement many small and cost-effective steps that could significantly lower risk. The handbook includes sections on how to prepare before the storm, mititgation measures to increase residential resilience, and insurance options available to homeowners in Alabama.
Project Contact:
Rhonda Price
rhonda.price@dmr.ms.gov
GOMA’s Clean & Resilient Marina Initiative
Just released as part of the Coastal Community Resilience Team's Clean & Resilient Marina Initiative, the Clean & Resilient Marina Guidebook calls for the promotion and expansion of resilient and environmentally responsible operations and best management practices at marinas. It builds on the Gulf of Mexico States' proven Clean Marina Certification Programs. This improved program complements Clean Marina practices already in place and provides additional recommendations to strengthen local marinas' ability to withstand natural and man-made disasters. GOMA's Clean & Resilient Marina Guidebook is a three document set that provides marina owners and operators with useful information on tools and recommended practices. In addition, a Clean & Resilient Marina Policy Guide and an Educational Tri-fold Brochure are available. Click below for downloads:
Clean & Resilient Marina Guidebook Document Set:
Clean & Resilient Marina Guidebook-at-a-Glance (pdf, 1 MB)
Clean & Resilient Marina Guidebook Volume I (pdf, 2 MB)
Clean & Resilient Marina Guidebook Volume II-Appendices(pdf, 42 MB)
Other Documents:
Clean & Resilient Marina Policy Guide (pdf, 500 kb)
Educational Tri-fold Brochure (pdf, 250 kb)
Click here for all documents in zipped format. (zip, 40 MB)
Project Contact:
Rhonda Price
rhonda.price@dmr.ms.gov
Louisiana Homeowners Handbook for Natural Hazards
The Louisiana Homeowners Handbook was created by the Gulf of Mexico Alliance Coastal Community Resilience priority issue team to help homeowners prepare for natural hazards to reduce risks to family and property. While it is never possible to eliminate all damage from a natural hazard, homeowners can take action and implement many small and cost-effective steps that could significantly lower risk. The handbook includes sections on how to prepare before the storm, mititgation measures to increase residential resilience, and insurance options available to homeowners in Louisiana.
Project Contact:
Rhonda Price
rhonda.price@dmr.ms.gov
Mississippi Homeowners Handbook for Natural Hazards
The Mississippi Homeowners Handbookwas created by the Gulf of Mexico Alliance Coastal Community Resilience priority issue team to help homeowners prepare for natural hazards to reduce risks to family and property. While it is never possible to eliminate all damage from a natural hazard, homeowners can take action and implement many small and cost-effective steps that could significantly lower risk. The handbook includes sections on how to prepare before the storm, mititgation measures to increase residential resilience, and insurance options available to homeowners in Mississippi.
Project Contact:
Rhonda Price
rhonda.price@dmr.ms.gov
Resilient Coastal Development through Land Use Planning
Like land use planning, community resilience begins at the local level. How does the community envision itself in 20, 40, 50 years? Who lives here in the future? What type of businesses does the community want to attract? What are the existing identified challenges? What might be future challenges? The answers to all these questions and more help local communities develop a comprehensive approach for the future, and in doing so, improve the resilience of the community as a whole.
Land use planning is one way that local communities can achieve greater resilience. The tools included in this report represent broad categories of land use issues that local communities may encounter and provide resources for developing resilient land use policies in a variety of areas. As acknowledged by the Gulf of Mexico Alliance’s Governors’ Action Plan II, sustainable coastal development is an essential component of strengthening and enhancing the long-term health of our coastal communities. See attached PDF for more information.
Project Contact:
Rhonda Price
rhonda.price@dmr.ms.gov
Texas Homeowner Handbook for Natural Hazards
The Texas Homeowners Handbookwas created by the Gulf of Mexico Alliance Coastal Community Resilience priority issue team to help homeowners prepare for natural hazards to reduce risks to family and property. While it is never possible to eliminate all damage from a natural hazard, homeowners can take action and implement many small and cost-effective steps that could significantly lower risk. The handbook includes sections on how to prepare before the storm, mititgation measures to increase residential resilience, and insurance options available to homeowners in Texas.
Project Contact:
Rhonda Price
rhonda.price@dmr.ms.gov
Coastal Community Resilience 3: Risk and Resilience Communication
Action: Inform communities about the risks associated with coastal hazards and provide access to the tools necessary to increase their resilience.
Gulf of Mexico Alliance StormSmart Coasts Network
StormSmart Coasts is a Gulf of Mexico Alliance Web resource dedicated to helping decision makers in coastal communities address the challenges of storms, flooding, sea-level rise and climate change. Specifically tailored for Florida, the Florida StormSmart Coasts Website enhances resilience in local communities by assisting with adjustments to day-to-day living, as well as adjustments to the processes and planning for long-term development of coastal areas. The StormSmart Coasts network connects federal, state, and local community decision-makers, giving them a definitive place to find and share the best resilience-related resources and tools available.
Find the Gulf Coast-customized state pages on the StormSmart network here: http://stormsmartcoasts.org/.
Project Contact:
Rhonda Price
rhonda.price@dmr.ms.gov
Resilience Workshops
The Gulf of Mexico Coastal Training effort is a unique regional collaboration designed to deliver relevant information to key stakeholders on issues related to the ecological and economic health of the Gulf of Mexico. Through the framework of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, the five Gulf Coast National Estuarine Research Reserve Coastal Training Programs are now working together to bridge the science, policy and management communities on a regional scale. Recent workshops include those to promote proactive resilience and mitigation measures and to improve coordination between emergency managers, floodplain manager’s natural resource managers, land use planners, and county officials.
Project Contact:
Rosalyn Kilcollins
rosalyn.kilcollins@dep.state.fl.us
StormSmart Coast Network in Florida
http://fl.stormsmart.org/
The state of Florida is the 4th most populated state in the country. With most residents living or working near the shoreline, it is imperative that communities stay informed about the latest in preparedness for natural hazards. The StormSmart Coasts web site for Florida is customized with information relative to Florida, including categories such as "Before the Storm", "During the Storm", "After the Storm", and "Funding." The accompanying professional networking site, StormSmart Connect, allows local decision makers to share information with one another through profiles, groups, and forums.
Project Contact:
Tracie Sempier
tracie.sempier@usm.edu
StormSmart Coasts Network in Alabama
http://al.stormsmart.org/
Being located in the northern Gulf of Mexico, the Alabama coastline has been a target for tropical storms or hurricanes numerous times in the last several years. The Alabama StormSmart Coasts web site is customized with information relative to Alabama, including categories such as "Before the Storm", "During the Storm", "After the Storm", and "Funding." The accompanying professional networking site, StormSmart Connect, allows local decision makers to share information with one another through profiles, groups, and forums.
Project Contact:
Tracie Sempier
tracie.sempier@usm.edu
StormSmart Coasts Network in Louisiana
http://la.stormsmart.org/
Natural hazards such as tropical storms and hurricanes significantly add to the already growing land loss problem in coastal Louisiana. Helping communities stay informed of resilience-related issues, the Louisiana StormSmart Coasts web site is customized with information relative to Louisiana, including categories such as "Before the Storm", "During the Storm", "After the Storm", and "Funding." The accompanying professional networking site, StormSmart Connect, allows local decision makers to share information with one another through profiles, groups, and forums.
Project Contact:
Tracie Sempier
tracie.sempier@usm.edu
StormSmart Coasts Network in Mississippi
After Hurricane Katrina, the Mississippi Gulf Coast understands the need for preparedness. The Mississippi StormSmart Coasts web site is customized with information relative to Mississippi, including categories such as "Before the Storm", "During the Storm", "After the Storm", and "Funding." The accompanying professional networking site, StormSmart Connect, allows local decision makers to share information with one another through profiles, groups, and forums.
Project Contact:
Tracie Sempier
tracie.sempier@usm.edu
StormSmart Coasts Network in Texas
With 367 miles of Gulf shoreline and 3,300 miles of bay and estuarine shoreline, the Texas coast has a need to stay informed about resilience tools. The Texas StormSmart Coasts web site is customized with information relative to Texas, including categories such as "Before the Storm", "During the Storm", "After the Storm", and "Funding." In addition, the Texas web site also contains a "Tools" section which contains helpful features to reduce community risk. The accompanying professional networking site, StormSmart Connect, allows local decision makers to share information with one another through profiles, groups, and forums.
Project Contact:
Tracie Sempier
tracie.sempier@usm.edu
