This week’s module really touched on all the people, organizations, and governments that play a part in coastal management and who are affected by coastal hazards.  Reading through the module I was able to differentiate among the various pros and cons to different strategies. One important fact is that a diverse and broad group of stakeholders is important when planning for coastal hazards and sea level rise.  Penn State University Module 12 touches on the importance of input from individuals/organizations in the areas that could be affected by sea level rise and policies, the module states “There is a strong expectation in our society that government should obtain the consent of the governed”.  This sentiment rings true for many aspects of society, but when planning for emergency management it is important to have the perspective of those individuals who may be impacted, along with the local/state/and federal officials who will have to implement those strategies.

One region that is not well prepared for coastal hazards, and who has really lacked in planning long term strategies, is the Hampton Roads area in Virginia.  This area has a lot of organizations, military facilities, and vulnerable populations which make it especially vulnerable to coastal hazards and sea level rise.  An article on the Virginia Pilot addresses the lack of preparation titled “Planning and preparing for the worst”.  The article gives a little hurricane vulnerability history of the region, and discussed the 1933 Chesapeake-Potomac Hurricane that left Granby Street with 5 feet of water and resulted in 50 deaths.  Having lived in this region on and off for a good portion of my adult life, its seems unbelievable, but at the same time very accurate considering the water issues that the city experiences from just a bout of heavy rain.  The article highlights that though the risk is known, not much preparation has occurred because the state has left most planning up to local governments, which many times do not have the resources to prepare and build structures to combat sea level rise.  This really relayed many concepts in this week’s lesson that it takes many different perspectives and resources to really plan and prepare strategies and policies to combat coastal hazards and sea level rise.  The article compared Norfolk’s vulnerability to that of New Orleans if a Hurricane with the strength of Katrina were to hit the region.  I imagine the loss of infrastructure would be remarkable with a critical port in the region and various military bases.  After this course it is easy to see how many areas are more vulnerable than we realize and that it takes a great deal of resources, planning, and people to prepare for coastal hazards and sea level rise.

References:

Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2016).  Earth 107 Module 12: Sea Level Rise Policy. Retrieved August 6, 2016. https://cms.psu.edu/section/content/default.asp?WCI=pgDisplay&WCU=CRSCNT&ENTRY_ID=404084F002F44F56AC62114B5A6F469F

Miyares, J., & Sherlock, J. (2016, July 31). Jason Miyares & James Sherlock: Planning and preparing for the worst. Retrieved August 07, 2016, from http://pilotonline.com/opinion/columnist/guest/jason-miyares-james-sherlock-planning-and-preparing-for-the-worst/article_85c41c6e-422a-540d-9b06-59cfdf552497.html