Rebuild or Retreat?

Investigating the Rebuild or Retreat Question

Objective:

Develop pros and cons for responses by communities and create a hypothetical future scenario for a coastal community.

Overview

In this module we have looked at case studies around the world of places with a range of economic situations, from small island nations to major U.S. cities. Each location is unique but the ways in which people deal with coastal hazards and disasters show commonalities everywhere. Disasters such as Typhoon Haiyan, Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy or other major natural disasters unfold in stages. Immediately after the event the focus is on saving lives and getting basic supplies into the area to sustain life, restore order and sanitation, and treat the wounded. As time passes, the stage of helping people rebuild their shattered lives begins. One major question has been repeatedly raised after such disasters as after Katrina on the Gulf Coast, Haiyan in the Philippines and every other event of this magnitude, is whether people should rebuild in the same place or relocate to a safer place to avoid a repeat of the tragedy they have experienced.

Relocation is also a question in places that are subject to ongoing sea level rise and repeated flooding issues – such as The Maldive Islands and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Typically residents facing relocation resist the idea very strongly, even to the point of seeming illogical to the outside observer. We will consider this question in a couple of examples below.

The answers to this important question are often more complex than you may expect. This is captured in this UNOCHA link. Read through this article and write a response based on 1– 2 in your worksheet.

ENSIA: In a Global Warming World: Protect and Rebuild or Retreat? discusses the same question as it was addressed after Sandy in New York. Read this article in order to answer question 3.

Files

Download this Worksheet (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 199kB Sep7 16)

• Complete Table
• Final Response