For the second time, NOAA’s National Sea Grant College Program and Office of Response and Restoration’s (OR&R) Disaster Preparedness Program (DPP) have partnered to competitively solicit and select projects to support innovative all-hazard preparedness, response, and recovery initiatives for coastal communities.
A total of $ $634,936 in FY23 federal funds will support four projects in New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, and South Carolina. Each project takes a different approach tailored to local needs regarding disaster preparation.
“The partnership initiative brings together the goals and expertise of NOAA’s Disaster Preparedness Program together with Sea Grant’s on the ground, innovative approaches to community support. The local knowledge and relationships of each selected Sea Grant program is a vital part of successful planning and collaboration to prepare for and respond to disasters,” commented Jonathan Pennock, Director of the National Sea Grant College Program.
The four Sea Grant-based projects will assist NOAA, partners, and coastal communities to effectively prepare for, respond to, and recover from all hazards, including coastal disasters. The projects focus on several aspects of the shared goals of the two partnering programs.
“The Office of Response and Restoration Disaster Preparedness Program is pleased to support the implementation of four new projects in vulnerable coastal communities. We believe that they will directly benefit the public by providing them with additional resources to help mitigate the impacts of coastal disasters”, said Kate Wheelock, Director of the Disaster Preparedness Program.
North Carolina Sea Grant will be leading capacity-building workshops, community events, and linking low-English proficiency audiences to health services in the coastal region post-disaster, as well as building capacity in health departments and disaster organizations. The goal is to build stronger connections between these communities and their respective health departments to improve communications and understanding of the needs of this vulnerable population.
An improved forecast website and set of decision-support tools for flood events is the focus of New Jersey Sea Grant’s project. They will evaluate the utility of an existing ensemble forecast for total water level in coastal areas, use the evaluation to develop an improved forecast website and options for visualization, and expand the user base.
South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium plans to harness the power of education to instruct children in disaster preparedness and resilience for hurricanes and flooding hazards. Students will receive scientific and communications instruction to enable them to effectively communicate what to do before, during and after weather disasters for others in their communities.
Increasing tsunami and earthquake awareness and resilience through innovation and education will be the goal for Oregon Sea Grant’s project. Tourists and locals will benefit from education tools, community supply caches, and engaging activities to recognize, respond to and recover from these coastal disasters.
Read the project descriptions for the FY2023 Disaster Preparedness projects here.
In FY2022, NOAA’s Disaster Preparedness Program and Sea Grant partnered on three competitively selected projects. Read more about those projects here.
