NOAA Grants Improve Disaster Resilience, Recovery, and Redevelopment

The Takeaway: Eleven coastal counties will benefit from an adaptation report that NOAA and the Georgia Coastal Management Program made possible.

The Brunswick Glynn Joint Water and Sewer Commission is using guidance provided by the Georgia Coastal Management Program to quickly identify how Hurricane Irma affected their infrastructure and determine ways to move forward on a cost-conscious damage-repair plan.Three years ago, funds from NOAA’s Coastal Resilience Grant were used to create a climate resilience and adaptation report. The report identifies current and future infrastructure threats; prioritizes water and wastewater assets and vulnerabilities; recommends resilience action steps; and ranks the associated costs for each step, along with funding possibilities. The information enhances the utility’s future and provides well-thought-out plans for moving more quickly after a disaster.

Similar disaster recovery and redevelopment plans are in place for three coastal counties, and the Georgia Coastal Management Program and their partners have begun work on plans for the remaining eight counties. These plans give Georgia a significant edge to become the most resilient coast. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, no other coastal state has completed disaster recovery and redevelopment plans for every coastal county. This project also is supported by a NOAA Coastal Resilience Grant. (2017)

Partners: Brunswick Glynn Joint Water and Sewer Commission, Georgia Coastal Management Program

Fast Fact: Did you know that collectively, mitigation programs that invest in resilience save the American public about $3.4 billion every year? For more statistics related to this story, check out Hazard Mitigation Value and Hurricane Costs.