Gulf of Mexico Alliance Coastal Community Resilience (CCR) Team

1. Gulf of Mexico Alliance Coastal Community Resilience (CCR) Team Data Management Council Meeting 4 February 2010 St. Petersburg, Florida

2. CCR Members CCR Co-Leads • Tina Shumate and Rhonda Price, MS DMR • Michele Deshotels, LA OCPR DMC Participants • Carol Parsons Richards: LA OCPR • Steve Sempier: MS/AL Sea Grant • Steve Jones: AL Geological Survey

3. Relevant Terms • Resilience = capacity of human and natural/physical systems to adapt to and recover from change. • Coastal hazards = both natural and man-made events (chronic and episodic) that threaten the health of coastal ecosystems and communities. Includes, but not limited to: Hurricanes Erosion Storm surge Oil spills Floods Harmful algal blooms Sea level rise Tornadoes

4. CCR Alliance Action 1 Alliance Action 1: Assessment • Provide tools to better understand risks and impacts associated with coastal hazards, including climate changes • Assess risks of coastal hazards to the natural, built, and social environments • Increase infrastructure to better quantify these risks

5. CCR Alliance Action 2 and 3 Action 2: Toolbox • Inventory of capabilities/ tools to address coastal hazards • Identify important gaps • Develop new methods to enhance regional and local resilience Action 3: Communication • Inform communities about risks associated with coastal hazards • Provide access to tools that increase resilience

6. Action 1: AssessmentAction Steps and Products • Produce/implement Master Plan to enhance region-wide observing system and enable measurement of mm scale changes in land elevations and water levels. (Product: SET/CORS) • Develop data platform that includes existing coastal hazard and climate change information related to coastal habitats, communities, and weather. (Product: unstructured storm surge grid catalog, DMC assistance?)

7. Action 1: Assessment (cont.)Action Steps and Products • Conduct a social climate survey to explore the public’s understanding of coastal hazards and resilience in order to improve the effectiveness of future outreach and education efforts. (Product: NGI Resilience Survey) • Assess risks to natural and built environments and identify models that assess both the economic and environmental consequences associated with coastal hazards and climate changes. (Product: SLAMM) • Assess risks to social environments and develop cultural and heritage projects to demonstrate the connections between healthy ecosystems and healthy social communities. (Product: cultural heritage videos)

8. Action 2: ToolboxAction Steps and Products • Promote the concept of resilience by developing a Resilience Index which will serve as a self-assessment tool for coastal communities helping them identify their vulnerabilities and strength (Product: Resilience Index) • Compile and maintain an inventory of existing resilience-related data, projects, tools, and policies from across the Gulf region. (Product: StormSmartCoasts.org) • Create and package planning and mitigation tools for use in management at the local and state levels. (Product: StormSmartCoasts.org)

9. Action 2: Toolbox (cont.) Action Steps and Products • Research existing policies guiding coastal development and make recommendations to enhance resilience. (Product: legal products) • Promote the expansion of resilient and environmentally responsible operations and best management practices at marinas. (Product: Clean Marinas)

10. Action 3: Communication Action Steps and Products • Develop state-specific guidebooks/handbooks/outreach materials to help local decision makers and citizens prepare for coastal hazards (Product: Homeowner’s Handbook for each state) • Develop an online Resilience Clearinghouse/Web portal ensuring that resilience related information and tools are available to the public. (Product: StormSmartCoasts.org)

11. Action 3: Communication (cont.)Action Steps and Products • Share the results of sea level rise modeling work performed in the Gulf via the clearinghouse and other mechanisms, and exchange information with efforts around the country related to sea level rise and other climate change impacts. (Product: StormSmartCoasts.org) • Conduct workshops 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. (Product: Workshops)

13. Answers to Specific Questions Top two Data management Priorities - Manage the data that we acquire in our PIT in a consistent format and accessible to GOMA and each of the 5 Gulf States - Have access to data collected by the other GOMA PITs Data Acquisition Priorities - Sea level rise data: water levels, elevation, bathymetry - Hurricane data: storm surge, wind, storm damages - Census 2010 data for determining: distribution of people in Gulf region, community assets, risks to communities from hazards, damages - Social data: awareness of risks, etc. Data from surveys CCR Key Data Management Issues: same as priorities

14. Answers to Specific Questions Activities potentially requiring DMC support1. Master Plan to enhance region-wide observing system: changes in land elevations and water levels2. Data platforms: CORS/SET stations3. Catalog unstructured model grids 4. SLAMM modeling results How CCR is addressing data we have: Stormsmartcoasts.org How CCR is addressing data we need CORS/SET stations Acquiring data through public surveys

15. DMC Assistance • Assessment: Subaction 2: Develop a data platform that includes existing coastal hazards information as well as global climate change-related community hazard variables as they relate to coastal habitats, communities, and weather variables. (supposed to be coordinated with EIA PIT). • Assessment: Subactions 4 and 5 Assess risks: Compile current and existing scientific, physical, and natural data from across the Gulf of Mexico States regarding storm surge, salt water intrusion, wind damage, climate change, sea level rise, subsidence, hypoxia, wetland loss, erosion, etc. Information can also include current mapping efforts, GIS layers, land use information, areas of sensitivity, etc.