The 2013 GreenGov Presidential Awards honored a federal agency team as a “climate champion” for creating a sea level rise mapping and calculator tool that is helping communities affected by Post-Tropical Cyclone Sandy rebuild with the future in mind.
The interactive Sea Level Rise Tool for Sandy Recovery-released last June-is enabling state and local planners, officials, and infrastructure managers to make better-informed decisions that consider future flood-related risks in the design and location of redevelopment projects.
The tool development team included staff members from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and U.S. Global Change Research Program.
The tool’s map services reflect the best-available Federal Emergency Management Agency Special Flood Hazard Area for each location, along with projected sea level rise information through 2050 and 2100.
While the tool does not tell communities or individuals how to rebuild, it can help inform decisions on how to balance the cost of rebuilding stronger and safer with the amount of risk a community can tolerate over the long term. It will also support broader federal agency planning for projected sea level rise.
The GreenGov Presidential Awards celebrate President Obama’s Executive Order 13514 on federal leadership in environmental, energy, and economic performance.
Source: NOAA
