Assessing National Park Asset Flood Risk: Retreat, Adapt, Fortify?

This briefing transcript features Rob Young, Director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines, discussing a multi-year collaboration with the National Park Service (NPS) to conduct asset-level vulnerability assessments for coastal parks. The project aims to guide adaptation and resilience policy by quantifying the exposure and sensitivity of individual infrastructure assets to coastal hazards, providing a science-based framework for funding allocation and planning.

• A preliminary analysis of National Park Service (NPS) assets indicates that approximately $23 billion in assets are exposed to one meter of sea level rise, with the highest concentration of high-exposure assets located in the Southeast and Northeast regions.
• The vulnerability assessment protocol developed for the NPS focuses on individual assets—such as buildings, bridges, and roadways—rather than general areas, to ensure the data is actionable for facilities managers.
• Vulnerability is quantified as the sum of exposure and sensitivity. Exposure is determined by mapping hazards including flooding potential (FEMA data), storm surge (NOAA slosh models), sea level rise inundation, shoreline change, and historical flooding data. Sensitivity is assessed based on physical characteristics such as flood damage potential, storm resistance, and the threshold elevation of the asset relative to the local base flood elevation.
• The assessment results are integrated directly into existing NPS asset management databases and ArcGIS, allowing managers to identify specific adaptation actions—such as elevating, relocating, protecting, or decommissioning assets—to reduce either their exposure or sensitivity.
• While sea level rise is a component of the assessments (with projections currently extending to 2050), the majority of the exposure score for most coastal parks is driven by immediate natural hazards, specifically hurricanes and coastal flooding.
• The vulnerability scoring is based purely on physical characteristics and does not include the 'mission importance' or cultural value of an asset; these factors are instead used during the subsequent adaptation and resilience planning phase to prioritize funding.
• The project has been applied to 20 parks and is expanding to cover all parks in the Southeast region. The methodology has also been adapted for non-federal entities, including the village of Duck in North Carolina and Horry County, South Carolina.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2020). Assessing National Park Asset Flood Risk: Retreat, Adapt, Fortify? https://www.eesi.org/files/transcript_041420.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Assessing National Park Asset Flood Risk: Retreat, Adapt, Fortify? 2020. https://www.eesi.org/files/transcript_041420.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Assessing National Park Asset Flood Risk: Retreat, Adapt, Fortify? |date=April 2020 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/transcript_041420.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2020assessing, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Assessing National Park Asset Flood Risk: Retreat, Adapt, Fortify?}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2020}, month = apr, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/transcript_041420.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }