CLIMATE and HAZARDS

Strategic Goal 4: Examine the forces of climate and hazards and provide information to the public and private sectors on the nature of hazards and how to plan for them.

Coastal regions of the United States continue to attract residential, commercial, and industrial development. More than half of the country’s population resides within fifty miles of the coastline. Many coastal residents who have moved to the coastal zone have done so within the last three decades and thus are not experienced with either the rapid or subtle changes in climate (and the hazards that result), or the dynamic and ever-changing shorefront due to erosion, accretion, and barrier island migration. Coastal hazards range from the short-term (six to twelve hour) storm surges and wind and erosion events to the slow but pervasive rise in sea level, land subsidence, and resultant shoreline retreat over a period of decades.

South Carolina is vulnerable to most known natural hazards, including hurricanes, flooding, shoreline erosion, and earthquakes, which have the potential to cause substantial damage. Additionally, a modest increase in sea level would have profound impacts on low-lying and minimal-relief landscapes in coastal South Carolina; areas presently subject to short-term storm events and spring tides that significantly affect natural systems. When global phenomena are superimposed, the range of possible impacts is exacerbated and includes increased vulnerability to coastal storms, more frequent and severe flooding, accelerated erosion of ocean and waterfront areas, saltwater intrusion of surface and groundwater supplies, marsh destruction, and habitat alteration. While their occurrence cannot be prevented, there is much that can be done to minimize exposure to these damages and facilitate recovery processes. However, response is constrained by many factors; most important among these are:

• The lack of access to baseline information from which accurate projections can be made as to when and how physical impacts are likely to be manifested;

• Recognition that geological time scales vary significantly from the useful lives of structures and infrastructures, and the political tenure of decision makers at the local level; and

• The fact that local responses will be dictated by financial considerations in allocating scarce resources to deal with pervasive impacts.

Use of the coastal zone and its resources requires attention to both the natural and built environments. When hurricanes or other severe storms threaten large portions of the coast, built environments and the individuals, families, communities, and businesses they support suffer severe social and economic disruption. The resultant wide-spread destruction frequently results in severe impacts to the natural environment through the creation of mountains of debris and the release of toxic materials.

The goal of this program is to provide technical and educational programs that examine the forces of climate and hazards, and their effects on the built and natural environment and socio-economic impacts, and provide information to the public and private sectors on the nature of hazards and how to plan for them.

The Consortium has identified the following objectives for this strategic goal:

1. Develop and evaluate innovative construction methods and materials to enable residential and commercial structures to better withstand a variety of coastal hazards, including wind, waves, and earthquakes.

2. Develop and deliver informational materials for coastal residents and businesses that address coastal storm planning and preparedness, coastal construction techniques, and coastal hazard mitigation.

3. Develop educational and awareness programs for the state’s citizens, businesses, and industries on how to better anticipate and plan for short-term and long-term climate variability and hazardous events.

FY06-08 Priorities

For FY06-08, the Consortium is seeking Concept Letters on:

• Development of improved tools for simulating wind loads on low-rise buildings in hurricanes. This continues a line of inquiry begun in previously supported research that is attempting to better understand actual hurricane wind forces (through field measurements) at the residential roof-top level, and to duplicate those forces in the laboratory. Included among its ultimate applications are the validation of design wind speeds and pressures which guide the establishment of building code standards.

• Development of test methods for evaluating the performance of roof coverings over time, and assessment of the effects of ageing and the degrading effects of the environment. This addresses the continuing problem of storm driven rain penetrating the building envelope, especially roof systems, which leads to structural and non-structural damage, loss of personal property, and large insurance claims.

• Development of cost-effective, non-structural solutions to wind-induced water damage in residential structures. As building codes have been strengthened to minimize structural damage to low-rise buildings, attention has shifted to non-structural measures to further reduce property damage related to tropical and extra tropical storms. This addresses the demand for loss-resistant construction brought about, in part, by increasing property insurance deductibles.

• Economic research that focuses on the cost-effectiveness of structural and non-structural loss reduction strategies in new and existing construction. One argument against strengthening building codes has been the assertion that it adds too much to the cost of a home. Are these additional up-front costs justified over the long-term through savings to individuals and the public?

• Economic analysis of hazard mitigation incentives, including market, insurance, and tax and regulatory incentives, as motivators for public and private mitigation measures. Again, the issue is the cost of implementing hazard mitigation strategies versus their benefits in the near and long-term. Can incentives be developed to encourage mitigation in the public and private sectors.