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These student materials complement the Coastal Processes, Hazards and Society Instructor Materials. If you would like your students to have access to the student materials, we suggest you either point them at the Student Version which omits the framing pages with information designed for faculty (and this box). Or you can download these pages in several formats that you can include in your course website or local Learning Managment System. Learn more about using, modifying, and sharing InTeGrate teaching materials.Alternate Approaches
Alternate Approaches to Coastal Hazard Mitigation
After Super Storm Sandy devastated the New Jersey coast and flooded coastal New York, including parts of Manhattan, the debate about rebuilding in place or implementing more sustainable coastal hazard mitigation practices raged.
The traditional practices in the U.S. and elsewhere have been to armor the shorelines and replenish beaches to prevent or mitigate erosion. Recovery from flooding has relied on programs such as the National Flood Insurance Program, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and others, to allow home and business owners to rebuild. There is a growing recognition that hard structure protection and rebuilding in place are not sustainable practices, especially as we become increasingly aware that storms of Sandy and Katrina magnitude may be occurring more frequently with our changing climate. Greater emphasis is now being placed on coastal communities developing better resilience to repeated coastal flood events and sea level rise.
Following the devastation of Sandy in the northeast, some geologists weighed in on the debate to advocate alternatives to rebuilding such as managed retreat.
Mandatory Introductory Readings:
Read the following two articles in which Orrin H. Pilkey, emeritus professor of earth sciences at Duke University explains the rationale behind moving away from the "madness" of rebuilding in places that have proven to have high rates of repetitive impacts of coastal hazards such as hurricane storm surges.
We need to retreat from the Beach
Rebuild or Retreat from the Jersey Shore
After reading both articles, please complete the assignment below before moving onto the next section.
Activate Your Learning
While this activity is not for credit. You will be expected to know the material in quizzes and midterms.
Assignment:
Make a list of Orrin Pilkeys recommendations for "ending this cycle of repairing or rebuilding properties in the path of future storms".If you owned a house that was destroyed by Sandy, what considerations would you need to take into account in order to decide whether to rebuild or not?
Given the predictions of sea level rise and increased storm frequency that have already been discussed, make a list of major considerations that local and regional authorities will need to consider in the next 20 years in coastal cities such as Jersey City and even major cities such as New York, in order to increase the resilience of their communities. Add your predictions in the space provided below.
