HazNet - Coastal Hazard Program Activities and Accomplishments

HazNet
Sea Grant's Coastal Hazards Program Area:
Selected Activities and Accomplishments

University of Alaska Sea Grant College Program:

Earthquake web site: operates a web site titled “The next big earthquake in Alaska may come sooner than you think!” Provides information about risks of geologic hazards (earthquakes, tsunamis, etc) in the state, and what can be done by individuals to reduce the risks these hazards pose.

Applied research in the area of tsunami hazards, ‘ Tsunami Propagation and Run-up at Selected Ports in Cook Inlet, Alaska’. The goal of this study is to make a contribution to the hazard assessment for Mt. St. Augustine Volcano to allow advising the public about the nature of the volcanogenic tsunami hazard.

California Sea Grant:

Surfzone Drifters: Coastal tourism is the largest economic component of ocean related industries in California. However, many sandy California shorelines are eroding and pollution from land runoff and outfalls frequently results in beach closures. Despite the enormous economic and recreational value of beaches, models for their behavior are crude and the underlying relationship between waves, currents, and sediment response are poorly understood. Abruptly changing coastline orientation, irregular bathymetry (e.g. headlands and submarine canyons) and man-made structures are believed to cause particularly strong and complex surfzone circulation, but these flows are largely unstudied. This project will develop and test drifters designed specifically to survive and function in breaking surfzone waves.

Coastal Cliff Erosion in San Diego County, California: With significant advancements in shoreline mapping technology over the past few years, the Coastal Geology team at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), interested in the determination of high-resolution coastal cliff erosion rates, recently developed a $100,000+ state-of-the-art, softcopy photogrammetric imaging lab, funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Earth Sciences Department and the Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and the United States Geological Survey (USGS). As part of FEMA’s program to assess the feasibility and economics of adding erosion-prone ocean- front property to the federal flood insurance program, high-resolution coastal erosion maps were created for San Diego County, from the Mexican international boarder to Oceanside Harbor. This project has provided an extremely valuable data set for coastal scientists, planners, and decision-makers. It is particularly unique in that coastal erosion rates have never been determined so extensively (both temporally and spatially) with such high precision shoreline mapping techniques. Results have been published in Shore and Beach and Journal of Coastal Research. A subsequent study expanded the research to examine the coastlines in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties.

Delaware Sea Grant College Program:

Shoreline Processes: During the past decade, Delaware Sea Grant’s Coastal Engineering team has developed models of the nearshore environment which have been used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, state agencies, and consulting firms to improve erosion mitigation strategies. For example, the REF/DIF model has provided critical information on hazardous wave conditions in existing or planned inlets. The HBREAK, RBREAK, and SBREAK models can predict sediment transport rates in the swash zone -- critical data for designing sand bypass systems and beach nourishment projects. SHORECIRC can accurately predict mean flows in the surf zone, flow around structures such as groins, and rip current characteristics.

Delaware Sea Grant research was used by the state and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to design the sand bypass system at Indian River Inlet, Delaware. Additionally, our team helped the state evaluate beach fill lifetimes, enabling Delaware to recover $3 million in beach erosion/fill aid from the federal government.

Coastal Planning: Our Marine Advisory Service has taken a lead role in the community-based Project Impact program, a federal coastal hazard mitigation/preparedness initiative sponsored by FEMA. Outreach efforts have included developing workshops on wind and flood mitigation, coastal storm preparedness, hazard risk reduction, and development of pre-disaster business contingency plans.

Coastal planning research undertaken by Delaware Sea Grant has advanced the understanding of the socio-economic information derived from our surveys of recreational beach users, including their attitude towards funding beach nourishment projects, has been an integral component of the mandatory cost/benefit analysis for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ shoreline protection plan in Delaware. An innovative project now underway is integrating economic models with engineering models to provide an analysis of the long-term costs of beach retreat vs. nourishment for Delaware’s ocean coastline.

Florida Sea Grant College Program:

Analysis of shoreline fluctuations in Florida due to the movement of sediments along the shore has been used in beach management and the establishment of coastal hazard zones. The model developed may also be applied to the State’s coastal management needs.

A model funding mechanism for use by local governments to assess coastal development on a risk-adjusted basis for public storm hazard management services is under development (1999). To date, categories of local government expenditures for public coastal storm hazard management services that can be ascribed to the risks incurred by private property owners due to coastal storms have been determined. A method has been devised that will allow local officials to assess property owners for storm hazard management services based on the susceptibility and vulnerability of the property to storm hazards. Practical applications await completion of the project.

A PC-board wave prediction system for Florida with potential application to other US areas (Zarillo) has been developed (1998). The Florida Wave Forecast System developed under this project is now being used in the hindcast model to reconstruct the wave climate of the coastal ocean off east central Florida for the past 50 years. This system has practical applications for determining the effects of human activity on shoreline erosion and monitoring and modeling shore protection projects, among others.

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Georgia Sea Grant:

Georgia Marine Business Association: The Georgia advisory staff is well known for its close working relationships with marine businesses along the coast. They help to organize business meetings and planning workshops where issues such as hurricane preparedness and fires in marinas and dry stack boast storage sheds are addressed.

Georgia Sea Grant extension in conjunction with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources has produced educational programs for marinas and boaters addressing best management practices and hurricane preparation.

Indiana/ Illinois:

Have not been terribly involved in the area of coastal hazards. Are promoting coastal processes as the next thematic area of focus if funding becomes available to support this.

Louisiana Sea Grant:

Underwater Obstructions: In 1978, Sea Grant marine advisory agents with the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service began working with shrimp vessel operators to survey and document damages to shrimping gear that resulted from underwater obstructions. These efforts led to the establishment of a Gear Compensation Fund supported by the oil and gas industry, and administered by the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources. Additional damage to offshore structures by Hurricane Andrew in 1992further exacerbated the “hang” problem. Through the efforts of Sea Grant extension agents participating in the International Workshop on Offshore Lease Abandonment and Platform Disposal, held in New Orleans in 1996, the Gulf of Mexico Underwater Obstruction Clearance Coalition was organized with representatives from the Offshore Operators Committee, fisher organizations, various public agencies, and the extension service. Efforts of this coalition have been exceptionally effective, as an underwater obstruction removal phase has been implemented in Louisiana’s offshore region. DNR serves as the action agency, and funding comes from congressional appropriations for hurricane disaster mitigation.

Oyster Damage Mitigation: In the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew, 8/92, marine advisory personnel with the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service held meetings with U.S. Department of Agriculture officials to acquaint that agency with characteristics of the oyster industry. Subsequently, the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service ruled that oyster leaseholders are farmers, as defined by the USDA, and thus are eligible for certain types of federal disaster assistance. A major hurricane impact for which federal assistance was sought was deposition of silt and debris on oyster beds. The MAS personnel assisted federal representatives in developing guidelines for a program in which the ASCS hired oyster dredge boats to rehabilitate oyster beds, subject to the limitation that a boat owner could not be hired to rehabilitate his own beds.

Maine/New Hampshire Sea Grant:

Presently in the second year of funding for a beach monitoring program. This project has involved the production of a training video on profiling beaches for volunteers in the program, as well as a beach conference to occur in July of this year. It is hoped that the ‘State of Maine Beaches’ conference will become an annual event, and lead to further projects in the area of beach management.

Several projects studying sediment transport have been funded by the Maine/New Hampshire Sea Grant.

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Maryland Sea Grant:

Has not focused on the area of coastal hazards. Hazard issues have mainly addressed areas of marine safety, such as posters on the dangers of rip-tides (a participant with North Carolina SG), posters promoting awareness of diver flags, and pamphlets explaining the risks of lightening strike to boaters. Because the area has not suffered a major ‘hit’ (hurricane) in the recent past, people have become somewhat complacent with regard to coastal hazards.

Minnesota Sea Grant:

1990-Sea Grant together with the North Shore Management Board sponsored a workshop titled "Coastal Erosion on Lake Superior's North Shore" for residents who live along Lake Superior and have erosion problems. The workshop outlined aid available such as a new amendment to the National Flood Insurance Act.

Minnesota Sea Grant has also published articles concerning hazard studies. “Coping with Great Lakes Flood and Erosion Hazards: Long Point, Lake Erie vs. Minnesota Point, Lake Superior” (Journal of Great Lakes Research 1993, Minnesota Sea Grant’s ‘Seiche’ newsletter 1993) compares the reaction of communities on Lake Erie and Lake Superior to flood and erosion problems caused by high water levels. “Lessons Learned from the Challenger Disaster” (Government Communicators 1997, Sea Grant Communicator 1997) evaluates crisis communications techniques.

Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant

Gulf of Mexico Symposium: The National Sea Grant HazNet effort is a collaborative, nationally-scoped, and comprehensive research project. Within this effort, the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium has provided support for a technology and world wide web integrated educational component which has addressed the critical need for quality on-line instructional resources in a “user friendly” medium.

Researchers have identified, reviewed, and summarized 92 web sites and organized these within a customized web page summarized around eight content areas: hurricanes, erosion, tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, volcanoes, and “general.” These sites contain individual lesson plans and activities, thematic units and curricular sets, and/or interactive student-focused activities. All have been reviewed for the quality of the science content presented and for ease of use by classroom teachers.

This presentation will summarize and showcase these 92 URLs to facilitate use of the HazNet site by attendees. Further, the presenter will identify three mechanisms to access these coastal hazards materials, i.e. through the USM web page, through the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium web page, and/or through the BRIDGE—a web page sponsored in part by the National Sea Grant College Program and the National Marine Educators Association.

New Jersey Sea Grant:

Co-hosted coastal processes risk workshop with Jersey Coastal Partnerships.

Supporting applied research in the areas of coastal hazards and coastal tourism ($14 billion industry). Attempting to reach out to stake holders and make them aware 1) that there is a Sea Grant, and 2) how to approach coastal hazards mitigation. This effort is seeing an increased response, with more project submissions in the area of coastal hazards.

New York Sea Grant Extension Program:

Hazard management strategies: When state and regional officials started looking at developing hazard management strategies for New York’s densely populated Atlantic coast, they sought Sea Grant assistance. With a grant from the state, the New York Sea Grant Extension Program provided technical assistance, conducted workshops and developed written materials that served as the technical basis for the state’s first regional coastal hazard management program. This program provides the frame work and recommendations for improved coastal hazard management and mitigation for a region wit a population of over 3 million people and $10 billion worth of property, structures and infrastructure in areas threatened by flooding and erosion. Information developed by Sea Grant as part of this effort has also been used by the state to initiate coastal projects to provide improved hazard protection and to implement a $1.4 million per year coastal hazard monitoring program to provide timely information to managers, planners and decision makers.

Long Beach is a barrier island community on Long Island’s south shore with a population of 50,000 year roundresidences. Despite the vulnerability of this region to potential damage from hurricanes, there was no formal local hurricane evacuation or response plan for this area. Working with local government officials and decision-makers, Sea Grant conducted workshops and facilitated meetings on hurricane planning and preparedness for federal, state and local officials. As a result, the federal, state, county and local governments pooled resources and information for the first time and developed a coordinated hurricane response plan for this area. By increasing communication and cooperation among key audiences, Sea Grant helped protect the life and safety of New York’s coastal residents.

North Carolina Sea Grant:

Hurricane Resistant Construction: In 1986 the NC State Building Code implemented revisions in the state’s hurricane resistant building code provisions based on recommendations of an ad hoc committee including Sea Grant, the Department of Insurance and the Division of Coastal Management. Based on Sea Grant recommendations, the foundation standard for new buildings in erosion-prone buildings near the ocean was increased to require that piling extend at least 5 feet below mean sea level. The old standard had been only 8 feet below grade. In 1996 Hurricane Fran was the first test of those standards. Following the storm FEMA’s Building Performance Assessment Team (Sea Grant was an invited member) recognized the apparent success of the standards but several buildings were observed to have minor leans in their piling foundation. Was it an inadequate standard or poor construction? FEMA commissioned a study to find out. On Topsail Island, 205 of the newer houses were identified on the oceanfront, of which 200 (98%) survived the hurricane with minimal foundation damage. In comparison it has been estimated that over 500 older oceanfront houses were destroyed by erosion in the same area

No one can determine what happened in the 5 newer houses that were destroyed by the study also found that eleven of the surviving newer houses were leaning, usually a few inches out of plumb. FEMA called in FDH, Inc a Raleigh company, to test the pilings. FDH is the only firm in the nation that can non-destructively test wood pilings to determine piling depth underground. The technology was developed during four years of Sea Grant funded research at NCSU’s Dept. of Civil Engineering. The method uses sound waves to bounce a signal off the tip of the piling and is now in use across NC and around the country.

All of the leaning houses tested by FDH for FEMA had pilings that were too short to meet the building code standard. Where used, the piling standard did the job on Topsail Island. On that one island there are 200 houses still standing today that (arguably) would have been destroyed without Sea Grant help on the standards. Any building owner or buyer can now determine their piling length thanks to Sea Grant funded technology.

Corrosion in Coastal Buildings: When FEMA recognized the seriousness of corrosion in the sheet metal connectors (hurricane clips) that they recommend to hold buildings together in hurricanes, they came to NC Sea Grant’s coastal engineering specialists for help. Working with the LaQue Corrosion Services, a NC firm specializing in corrosion testing for industry and the military, Sea Grant used their historical records to identify the serious consequences of corrosion for buildings near the ocean. While other groups talked about the problem, Sea Grant has funded more than ten years of full scale exposure testing. Based on that work, Sea Grant personnel wrote FEMA’s Technical Bulletin, ‘Corrosion Protection for Sheet-Metal Connectors’ (TB 8-96 or www.fema.gov/MIT/techbul) which is distributed nationally to builders and designers as well as every coastal community in the nation.

Low-cost, environmentally friendly erosion protection: Recognizing the benefits of using small breakwaters or sills with planted marsh grass from accidental projects in NC and similar planned installations in the Chesapeake Bay, Sea Grant extension staff perfected a low-cost wooden breakwater design for estuarine erosion control use in NC. By using a small offshore structure to establish and permanently protect a planted salt marsh, and the previously identified ability (by earlier SG research) of a wide marsh to prevent erosion of upland shorelines, estuarine property owners have a new erosion control option that can drop the ~$100/ft cost of a bulkhead to around $40/ft for marsh/breakwaters. To be successful, the method requires the property owner to plant and maintain a salt marsh on what was previously an eroding beach. It is one of the few coastal construction efforts that scientists, environmentalists and property owners agree is an environmental asset.

Sea Grant has worked with NCSU’s Dept of Soil Science, Albermarle-Pamlico Estuarine Study, Cooperative Extension and the NC Sediment Control Commission to install over a dozen demonstration sites from Currituck to Brunswick Counties. Sea Grant and NCSU have published a “how to guide” for property owners and developers.

Breakaway wall design for coastal buildings: Many coastal buildings are required by local, State and Federal regulations to be elevated on pilings to prevent flood, wave and erosion damage. The use of the area underneath these buildings is restricted to parking, storage and access. The regulations allow enclosing the space with “breakaway walls” intended to separate from the building under moderate wave forces without damaging the elevated building. Previous theoretical designs required very weak connections to the building, so weak that they were a potential threat of blowing out in moderate windstorms. Post-storm field studies by NC Sea Grant found that stronger, simpler walls were effectively breaking away as intended. Based on the fieldwork and a more realistic theoretical model of coastal storm surge and waves, FEMA funded research at NC State University and wave tank tests at Oregon State University on full-scale wall panels. The research confirmed that safer, simpler to construct walls would safely breakaway without threatening an elevated building. Sea Grant wrote and FEMA has recently published in print and on the web, “Design and Construction Guidance for Breakaway Walls Below Elevated Coastal Buildings,” (FIA-TB 9-99 or www.fema/gov/MIT/techbul).

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Ohio Sea Grant:

Great Lakes Forecasting System: This project combines research and outreach in the form of an award-winning web site providing nowcasts and forecasts on wave conditions, water level and temperature and currents for Lakes Erie, Michigan and Ontario. The project is a collaboration between Sea Grant (Dr. Keith Beddford, Ohio State) and the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Laboratory (Dr. David Schwab).

Oregon Sea Grant:

Natural hazards management: In 1991, Oregon Sea Grant brought state and local agencies together with scientists for a conference on natural hazards management. Out of that conference grew a policy working group that developed 79 separate recommendations for improving hazards research, information, and emergency preparedness. These recommendations resulted in new state laws-one, for instance, requires the entire coast be mapped for tsunami hazard areas and that coastal communities take steps to locate hospital, fire departments, schools and other critical services outside those areas.

Currently underway is an earthquake-tsunami mitigation program for Pacific Northwest ports and harbors, in partnership with Washington and California Sea Grant programs, NOAA, FEMA, USGS, and local ports.

Puerto Rico Sea Grant:

In an educational sense Sea Grant research and participation in a number of meetings has led to increased awareness and concern regarding the tsunami hazard in the Caribbean. This forgotten hazard requires a warning program, continued research enabling better definition of the areas at risk, and a widespread education program the prepares the population on how to deal with these events. That government agencies have taken to heart the dangers involved is evidenced by the recent approval of a Tsunami warning program for Puerto Rico. In addition 2 proposals submitted to the IOC (Inter-governmental Oceanic Commission) have been approved from which we expect a Caribbean wide impact.

Caribbean Tsunami Workshop1997: Between all of the participants (almost all of the eastern Caribbean emergency response managers) a resolution was drafted about the tsunami hazard in the Caribbean, which was adopted by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) and presented to the ITSU nations (Pacific rim nations composing the Pacific Tsunami Warning System). This has led to an exponential increase in the awareness of this “forgotten” hazard by the people here in the Caribbean and in the tsunami community worldwide. This led to a series of meetings (Peru-1997, France-1998, San Juan-1998, Costa Rica-1999, England-1999), and proposals, in which the establishment of a Caribbean Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program and System has been discussed. At present there are two proposals for this (one to FEMA and the other to the IOC), and the National Weather Service has it in its long-term (2005) plans. The issue has also been addressed by the USGS. This has also led to an increase in research funding in this topic here in the Caribbean, the funds coming mainly from UPR/SG, FEMA, and the Puerto Rico Civil Defense. Finally as a result of all this exposure, I was elected to the International Union of Geophysics and Geology International Tsunami Commission as the Caribbean region representative.

Eastern Caribbean Islands Beach Monitoring and Storm Impact COLSAC project 1994-present: This project, managed by Dr. Gillian Cambers, has promoted Caribbean-wide beach monitoring and education regarding coastal construction setback lines. It has raised awareness of the role of the beach as a storm buffer zone and of its variability in location. Recent hurricanes have created a concern regarding the hazard produced by storm erosion and flooding. COLSAC responds to these concerns by establishing long-term monitoring and education which we expect will lead to construction set-back legislation. The project was started in 1985 and UPR Sea Grant started to provided partial support in 1994. Since then 7 more Caribbean countries have come on adding to the original 6. These 13 countries have received training workshops and have maintained or initiated shoreline monitoring projects.

Hurricane Mitch fact-finding trip by UPR/SG experts: Although the final impact of this project is difficult to assess due to the fact that it is in its starting phase, it has led to a proposal to expand marine advisory services to the Central American nations affected by Hurricane Mitch in 1998. The Sea Grant Program will participate in technology transfer to these nations, hopefully with the goal for an improved coastal zone management. Sea Grant has developed contacts in Honduras-Nicaragua and linkages with the state department. Since funds have not yet been received the project is in its initial stages and the difference that Sea Grant has or will make can’t be evaluated.

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Rhode Island Sea Grant:

Municipal hazard mitigation strategies for protecting life and property from coastal hazards have been completed for two pilot areas in Rhode Island. These local strategies are resulting in increased municipal eligibility for FEMA’s pre-disaster mitigation grants and providing discounts on flood insurance premiums. Sea Grant worked with the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency to get commitment from every municipality in the state to draft local hazard mitigation strategies. To date, cities and towns in Rhode Island have received more than $1,110,000 in FEMA pre-disaster grants for the development of local hazard mitigation strategies.

These strategies are being used as models by FEMA at their national training center. A flood mitigation recovery exercise was designated by Rhode Island Sea Grant in concert with FEMA for use nationwide. The facilitators handbook and instructors guide are posted on the FEMA Emergency Management Institute web site (http://www.fema.gov/priv/g398_2.htm) or (http://www.crc.uri.edu ).

Business sector involvement in hazard mitigation: With the assistance of Rhode Island Sea Grant, Rhode Island is the first state to have a statewide Disaster Recovery Business Alliance and the first state to be designated a Showcase State for disaster resilience by the Institute for Business and Home Safety, a national consortium of over 300 insurance companies. As a result of the Showcase State designation, three projects are underway: statewide risk and vulnerability assessment, retrofitting daycare centers, and building code revisions.

In addition, we also have many process related accomplishments that have national significance. Another useful product is the Northeast survey to document cooperative agreements and funding sharing among federal and state agencies for hazard mitigation.

South Carolina Sea Grant:

The Consortium has supported hazard analysis and applied wind engineering research and outreach at Clemson University’s Wind Load Test Facility for over ten years. A post-Hugo analysis of home property insurance claim records revealed that 80% of wind related losses were due to relatively minor damage to roofs and windows that allowed rain water to enter the building, causing severe damage and magnifying property loss. Based on the conclusion that the damage to the building envelope that produced the losses is preventable, the Consortium is supporting applied research on the development of low cost, effective home retrofit methods and materials.

The Consortium has supported Clemson University wind engineering researchers in the development of a hurricane wind model that uses historical storm damage data, wind field analysis, chaos theory, and GIS technology to predict storm behavior and estimate damages. The model is designed to be used by emergency managers as a storm approaches the coast for pre-positioning response and recovery resources, as well as for long-range mitigation planning.

The outcomes of Consortium supported hazards research are now beginning to be applied at the community level. In Florida, for example, Clemson wind engineering researchers worked with the state to develop a residential wind retrofit program that includes the instrumentation of selected retrofit homes to assess actual storm conditions at ground level. The collection and analysis of this data should help to better understand the nature and behavior of storm winds at roof level and lead to the development of improved retrofit technology.

In Charleston, SC, the Consortium, in partnership with the Clemson University Extension Service, the City of Charleston, FEMA and others from the public and private sectors, has undertaken a residential retrofit demonstration project - 113 Calhoun Street: A Center for Sustainable Living. The Center provides a connection to the community for hazard retrofit technology developed in public research laboratories and in the private sector. A S.C. Sea Grant Extension Coastal hazards Specialist staffs the building and conducts on and off-site extension programs for technical and non-technical audiences, including architects, engineers, builders and homeowners. The Center is a Charleston area Project Impact Partner and is linked to the national Project Impact hazards reduction effort.

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Texas Sea Grant:

Together with Louisiana Sea Grant distributed questionnaires and assembled data for the 1999-2000 Haznet Survey of Sea Grant Personnel to Identify Involvement in Natural Coastal Hazards Projects. This document summarizes the involvement in applied research, involvement in outreach topics (single-direction and interactive), and involvement of specific personnel in topics related to natural coastal hazards.

Hurricane preparedness workshops for boaters has been an annual Sea Grant event in Clear Lake/ Galveston Bay since 1984, one year after Hurricane Alicia did so much damage in the area. The workshop attracts an average of 125-175 boaters each year, and although there has not been a major storm since Alicia, several small storms have hit the area and boater preparedness has paid off with less damage and loss of property. The marina industry in the area has estimated the damage has been reduced by the workshops by as much as $6-8 million dollars over the past 15 years. Better prepared boaters and more protection for boats have helped to reduce these losses.

Underwater Obstructions: Since the late 70’s the Texas Sea Grant program has published a listing of underwater obstructions (hangs). This “Hang Book” has reduced the losses from damaged shrimping gear by millions of dollars each year. The book has been updated several times and is “required reading” on most offshore shrimp vessels. Like Louisiana, Texas commercial fishermen have participated in a Gear Compensation Fund to replace damaged gear, but the Texas “Hang Book” continues to reduce gear losses annually by preventing the hang from occurring.

Shoreline erosion caused a potential breach in the GIWW (Galveston Intercoastal Water Way) near Sargent Beach, TX in the late 80’s and the Sea Grant marine agent for the area worked with the local citizens and tried to get the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to get additional protection built for the area around the GIWW with erosion problems. Sea Grant and the Texas Transportation Institute funded a economic impact study to show the impact of the GIWW and what the costs would be if the GIWW was breached. Essentially the study convinced the USCOE to speed up their plans to make improvements that prevented the breach. The study showed that while the cost of improvements was in the millions of dollars, this cost would be small when compared to the billions of dollars realized by the Texas economy by uninterrupted operation of the waterway.

Hurricane Research: In the ‘70’s Texas Sea Grant funded a psychological study by Dr. Carlton Ruch to find out what prompted people to evacuate or stay during a hurricane. That original Sea Grant study has helped Ruch to become part of the Governor’s Division of Emergency Management creating and updating emergency evacuation plans for the Texas coast.

Virginia Sea Grant:

Published “Shoreline Management in the Chesapeake Bay”

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points: A seafood safety inspection program in which Virginia Sea Grant has been very active with direct training, distance learning and outreach to small businesses and other government programs. For this involvement, Vice President Al Gore has honored Virginia Sea Grant (specifically Dr. George Flick).

Washington Sea Grant:

For more than two decades Washington Sea Grant Program, in collaboration with Washington Dept. of Ecology, has co-hosted regular meetings of the Shoreline/Coastal Planners Group, an ad hoc organization comprising local government shoreline planners in Washington’s 15 coastal counties and 38 coastal cities. The group meets quarterly for information sharing and continuing professional development workshops. Four of these workshops have addressed coastal hazards that threaten Washington’s shores and coastal watersheds, including local and distant earthquakes and tsunamis, Puget Sound’s unstable bluffs and landslides, Washington’s outer coast beach erosion, and floodplain hazards—winter floods and volcanic mudflows (lahars). One workshop presented a GIS-based, decision-support model for managing coastal hazards and land use. Attendance at the S/CPG meetings has ranged from 30 to 75. At each of the meetings addressing hazards university or government agency scientists or engineering professionals presented the latest science-based knowledge on each hazard (risk and vulnerability) and some best practices for its management and mitigation (hazard reduction). Shoreline planners who attended these meetings are better equipped to reduce coastal hazard-induced losses in their local jurisdictions through informed revisions to local shoreline plans and through better guidance to property owners seeking to develop hazard-prone shorelines.

1990-1992. Wisconsin Sea Grant completes a survey of 100 shore properties and their vulnerability to flooding and erosion on Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan coast. Results are reported by Keillor at the American Society of Engineers specialty conference: Coastal Engineering Practice 92’ in Long Beach, California.

1996-present. Wisconsin Sea Grant participates in a natural hazards advisory group to the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program. A natural hazard plan is developed and university researchers update a 20 year-old study of bluff stability along the state’s Michigan shore.

January 1997 to present. Wisconsin Sea Grant participates in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Lake Michigan Potential Damages Study. The Corps provides some funding to help a Sea Grant researcher apply softcopy photogrammetry to coastal recession rate measurement.

July 1998. Wisconsin Sea Grant publishes a completely new second edition on its Coastal Processes Manual and introduces it to 75 engineers at two, two-day workshops in Milwaukee and Superior, with funding assistance from the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program.

1999. Wisconsin Sea Grant adds coastal engineering and coastal hazards web pages to its web site.

Summer 2000. Wisconsin Sea Grant begins a cooperative project with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to re-write a shore protection advisory booklet for Great Lakes coastal property owners.

Woods Hole (Massachusetts) Sea Grant Program:

Public Risk Perception and Coastal Flood Insurance: Research project (marine policy) 1994-1995. An economic analysis to estimate the flood risk perception of coastal residents, compare these perceptions with those of expert scientists, and measure how individual socio-economic characteristics and flood risk information influence the public’s willingness to pay to insure against future flood damages.

Coastal processes outreach: Our coastal processes outreach focuses on the management of the region’s coastal landforms: bluffs, beaches, dunes, barrier beaches, salt marshes, and tidal flats. Together, these landforms serve as the region’s coastal hazards defense system- a system that is self-sustaining under natural conditions, but one that has been and is presently being modified to accommodate coastal development. Our objective, therefore, is to assist the region in sustaining its coastal landforms given the reality of present and future coastal development.