Coastal Resilience in the Southeast

The document is a transcript of a virtual briefing featuring experts from NOAA, the North Carolina Coastal Federation, Wetlands Watch, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The discussion focuses on the implementation of natural infrastructure, such as living shorelines and coral reef restoration, to combat sea level rise and storm surge in the Southeast. Key topics include the use of NOAA's Digital Coast tools, the effectiveness of oyster-based shorelines in North Carolina, the impact of nuisance flooding and sea level rise in Virginia, and the threat of stony coral tissue loss disease in Florida. The panelists also discuss regulatory barriers, the need for improved cost-benefit analysis for nature-based solutions, and the importance of coordinated funding and permitting processes to enhance regional resilience.

• NOAA provides a suite of visualization and data tools through the Digital Coast partnership to help coastal decision-makers address hazards. These include the Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper for visualizing high-tide flooding and storm surge, and the Sea Level Rise Viewer, which applies National Climate Assessment scenarios to specific communities.
• The National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF), jointly administered by NOAA and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, invests in restoring natural features like coastal marshes, wetlands, dunes, and coral reefs. In FY20, Congress appropriated 3 million dollars for the fund, which saw high demand with over 170 pre-proposals requesting 99.6 million dollars in 2019.
• Living shorelines are presented as cost-effective, resilient alternatives to hard infrastructure like bulkheads and seawalls. In North Carolina, these projects often use recycled oyster shells in mesh bags to dissipate wave energy and recruit oysters, which helps prevent the 'scouring' effect caused by reflected wave energy from hard bulkheads.
• Regulatory barriers to nature-based solutions have been reduced in North Carolina. As of April 1, 2019, small-scale living shorelines can be permitted as easily as bulkheads through a streamlined process involving the Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA) permit, following collaboration between state and federal agencies.
• Coastal Virginia, particularly the Hampton Roads region, is experiencing some of the highest rates of sea-level rise on the East Coast, with recent rates reaching 5.4 millimeters per year. This has led to increased 'nuisance flooding' (sunny day flooding) and a significant strain on stormwater systems, which are unable to convey water during high tide events.
• Virginia is implementing several high-level resilience strategies, including joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) to generate approximately 100 million dollars annually for flood preparedness and energy efficiency. Additionally, Executive Order 24 mandated the development of a Coastal Master Plan and a state flood risk management standard for state-owned buildings.
• Local governments in Virginia are adopting unified planning standards; for example, the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC) agreed to plan for 1.5 feet of sea level rise by 2050, 3 feet by 2080, and 4.5 feet by 2100 for long-term infrastructure.
• Florida's coral reefs provide significant economic and protective value, including over 330 million dollars annually in shoreline protection and over 1 billion dollars in flood reduction during severe storms. They also support 71,000 jobs and generate 6 billion dollars annually (based on 2001-2004 data).
• A globally unprecedented outbreak of stony coral tissue loss disease is affecting Florida's reefs and spreading into the Atlantic Caribbean. The disease is highly infectious, waterborne, and affects over 22 reef-building coral species with high mortality rates.
• A major challenge for local resilience projects is the inconsistency and inequity of federal cost-benefit analysis (CBA) methodologies. For instance, the Army Corps of Engineers calculates benefits based on avoided flood losses, which can disadvantage low-to-moderate income communities where property values are lower, resulting in lower benefit-cost ratios (BCR).

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2020). Coastal Resilience in the Southeast. https://www.eesi.org/files/transcript_031320.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Coastal Resilience in the Southeast. 2020. https://www.eesi.org/files/transcript_031320.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Coastal Resilience in the Southeast |date=March 2020 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/transcript_031320.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2020coastal, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Coastal Resilience in the Southeast}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2020}, month = mar, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/transcript_031320.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }