Annapolis, Maryland: Planning to Prevent Storm Damage to a Historic Colonial Town

Annapolis, Maryland, faces significant threats to its colonial-era architecture and tourism economy due to rising sea levels in the Chesapeake Bay and increasing storm surge intensity. The city has experienced severe flooding, notably during Hurricane Isabel in 2003, which caused over $120 million in damage to the U.S. Naval Academy. In response, the city is developing a Cultural Resource Hazard Mitigation plan, including a survey of 140 at-risk buildings in its Historic Landmark District, to preserve its eighteenth-century brick buildings and waterfront structures.

• Sea levels along the Atlantic coastline north of Cape Hatteras, NC, have risen up to four times faster than the national average over the last 20 years, with Chesapeake Bay levels projected to rise by one to two and a half feet by the middle of the century.
• Hurricane Isabel in September 2003 caused water levels at the U.S. Naval Academy to reach approximately six and a half feet above average, resulting in more than $120 million in damages to facilities including laboratories, classrooms, and utility tunnels.
• The U.S. Naval Academy has implemented flood-mitigation measures to increase resilience, including the use of temporary flood walls, door and window dams, check valves on tunnels, and belowground cisterns for storm water capture.
• Annapolis is experiencing an increase in nuisance flooding, with seven of the highest water levels since 1937 occurring since 2000; the city expects high-tide flooding events to at least double by 2050.
• To protect its Historic Landmark District, Annapolis is creating a Cultural Resource Hazard Mitigation plan that involves a comprehensive survey of 140 at-risk buildings, including the Sands House and Middleton Tavern.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2016). Annapolis, Maryland: Planning to Prevent Storm Damage to a Historic Colonial Town. https://www.ucs.org/resources/annapolis-maryland-planning-prevent-storm-damage-historic-colonial-town

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Annapolis, Maryland: Planning to Prevent Storm Damage to a Historic Colonial Town. 2016. https://www.ucs.org/resources/annapolis-maryland-planning-prevent-storm-damage-historic-colonial-town.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Annapolis, Maryland: Planning to Prevent Storm Damage to a Historic Colonial Town |date=19 July 2016 |url=https://www.ucs.org/resources/annapolis-maryland-planning-prevent-storm-damage-historic-colonial-town |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2016annapolis, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Annapolis, Maryland: Planning to Prevent Storm Damage to a Historic Colonial Town}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2016}, month = jul, url = {https://www.ucs.org/resources/annapolis-maryland-planning-prevent-storm-damage-historic-colonial-town}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }