The U.S. Geological Survey recently released 2 reports and an online mapping tool regarding the probability of hurricane-induced coastal change on sandy beaches from Florida to New York.
The 2 reports—one assessing the coastline from Florida to North Carolina, the other from Virginia to New York—can function as part of a “virtual toolkit” for U.S. Atlantic coast community planners and emergency managers as they make decisions on how to best address coastline vulnerabilities. The reports show that even during the weakest hurricane, a category 1 with winds between 74 and 95 miles per hour, 89 percent of the dune-backed beaches from Florida to New York coast are very likely to experience dune erosion during a direct landfall. But scientists involved say the strength of the studies is in their ability to predict coastal change in specific areas.
The new online mapping tool, based on a USGS state-of-the-art model, will allow community planners and emergency managers to focus on a specific storm category and see the predicted coastal change in their area. This information may help with decisions ranging from changes to building codes and locations for new construction, to determining the best evacuation routes for future storms.
These reports and the online mapping tool can serve as an important resource for coastal planners and emergency managers as they work to protect their communities from future storms. For additional information on the reports and to use the online mapping tool, please visit: http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/hurricanes/erosionhazards/.