| “This site is where you can go to find the most critical information for the hazards we face along the Georgia coast.” | |
Clark Alexander, |
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The last hurricane to significantly impact Georgia was Dora in 1964. As a result, many coastal residents have never experienced a hurricane and don’t realize the risk they face from future storms.
To help local decision makers and residents visualize the potential impact of hurricanes—and other coastal hazards—scientists and state coastal resource managers have developed a Web-based Georgia Coastal Hazard Portal. The interactive map displays information about sea level rise, shoreline change, storm surge, Federal Emergency Management Agency flood zones, historical hurricane tracks, land use and cover, armored shorelines, and more.
It also includes detailed information on Dora—including vintage photos of the damage that resulted from the storm.
“This site is where you can go to find the most critical information for the hazards we face along the Georgia coast,” says Clark Alexander, a professor at Skidaway Institute of Oceanography and the project lead. “It provides all the information that planners, managers, and folks who are trying to evaluate the risk to communities need to help them do their jobs.”
For instance, Alexander says, planners at the Chatham County–Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission are using the tool to determine the long-term impact of localized flooding and sea level rise. And Chatham County floodplain administrators are planning to use the portal to give property owners specific information about how sea level rise and erosion are predicted to affect properties along a waterway or marsh.
In addition to being a good decision-support aid, the tool is also easy for the layperson to use. “You don’t have to be a computer expert to use it,” he says. “People can look through risks related to their area, which makes the hazard information a little more personal.”
Released in March, the portal was created with ArcGIS Viewer for Flex by the Skidaway Institute and the Savannah Area GIS program with funding from the Georgia Coastal Zone Management Program.
Although coastal hazards is a fairly new issue area for the Georgia Department of Natural Resource’s coastal program, there has been a high demand for hazards data from educators, researchers, and local, state, and federal governments, says Jennifer Kline, the coastal program’s hazards specialist. Hazards-focused grant projects, such as the portal, have increased the coastal program’s knowledge and resources.
To help ensure that the portal is used by planners and local officials, Angela Bliss, a marine education specialist for the Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence–Southeast and the University of Georgia Marine Extension, is leading a team to conduct training sessions throughout the six coastal counties.
The portal could “definitely be duplicated in any state, if they have similar data sets,” notes Kline.
Alexander adds, “I see local or state portals as a great way to disseminate data that may not be widely available, but are pertinent to management goals.”
To launch the Georgia Coastal Hazard Portal, go to http://gchp.skio.usg.edu. For more information, you may contact Clark Alexander at (912) 598-2329 or clark.alexander@skio.usg.edu, Jennifer Kline at (912) 262-3049 or Jennifer.Kline@dnr.state.ga.us, or Angela Bliss at (912) 598-2387 or acbliss@uga.edu.
