South Alabama's coastal resource managers and local government officials have a new tool in hazard assessment and mitigation that may soon be adaptable to every coastal community in the country.
The Alabama Coastal Hazards Assessment CD-ROM features a digital library of geographic information systems (GIS)-based data that outlines the threats to Baldwin and Mobile counties along the Gulf of Mexico and provides an analysis of what can be done to prevent and minimize damage.
The compact disc, which was produced by NOAA's Coastal Services Center, features cutting-edge digital technology. Using ArcExplorer® software, users with no background in GIS can become familiar in geographic, demographic, and thematic overlay and analysis.
Information on the disc includes: demographics; flood zones; hurricane storm surge projections; emergency evacuation routes; historical disaster data; applicable federal, state, and local laws; emergency shelter locations; and growth trends. The program is constructed to readily accept new information as it becomes available. The disc also provides statewide data, which can be divided by political boundaries.
As an example, imagine that a Baldwin County planner had an applicant who wanted to build a large single-family development. A few clicks of a mouse could show the planner a cornucopia of geographic information, such as the major roads in relation to the development, or how many National Flood Insurance Program claims have been filed in that area.
Eventually, local governments will be able to add themes, or different data sets, to the program. For example, if the Baldwin County planner wanted to show where all the county's historic resources are located, he or she could.
The project's greatest value may be in its impact on local governments, said Phillip Hinesley, manager of the Alabama Department of Economics and Community Affairs, which includes the state's coastal zone management program.
"We feel it will be very helpful to provide [the CD-ROM] to local governments and do presentations with them and encourage them to develop hazard mitigation plans," Hinesley said. "The CD-ROM provides a very graphic illustration of why local communities need to get more involved in hazard mitigation."
Along with the geographic data is the hazards information, such as how high the creeks might rise during a hurricane and where tornadoes have touched down in the vicinity. It also shows the Alabama shoreline of 1918 and overlaps that with the shoreline from 1980, to illustrate the erosion or accretion of sand.
The project was created by Sandy Ward, hazards program manager at NOAA's Coastal Services Center and was developed by Tony LaVoi, a spatial data specialist at the Center.
Alabama was the prototype, but already researchers are working on similar projects for New Hanover County, North Carolina, and the Lake Erie coast of Ohio.
The project is the result of a partnership among the NOAA Coastal Services Center, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the South Alabama Regional Planning Commission (SARPC), the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA), and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM).
For more information on the Alabama Coastal Hazards Assessment CD-ROM, contact Tony LaVoi at 8043-740-1274 or e-mail him at Tony.Lavoi@noaa.gov. Tina Sanchez, an environmental planner with the South Alabama Regional Planning Commission, can be reached at 334-242-5502, or tsanchez@sarpc.org.
