Evaluating Resilience Needs Within Coastal South Carolina
Coastal South Carolina has one of the highest population growth rates across the United States. While coastal South Carolina’s warm climate and proximity to estuaries and beaches are some reasons why the area is beloved, these features also contribute to the region’s risk to climate hazards, such as sea level rise, flooding, and extreme heat. South Carolina residents are managing and adapting to current conditions, yet future conditions are expected to be more challenging.
To support a more resilient future, the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium established the Coastal Resilience Collective to facilitate collaboration and knowledge-sharing across sectors and geographies. It is expected that topics will cover a range of resilience needs, from sea level rise, to storm surge, to extreme heat.
The 14 counties that have a coastal watershed are included in the Coastal Resilience Collective.
The river basins (collection of smaller watersheds for a river) of the 14 counties with a coastal watershed.
Smaller coastal watersheds with estuarine/marine waters or wetlands, tidally influenced watershed, or predicted category 4 storm surge inundation.
Assessing Resilience Needs
The focus of the Coastal Resilience Collective is to create connections across sectors and facilitate knowledge transfer across regions among those working in climate resilience in coastal South Carolina. To assess current resilience priorities, the project team conducted an analysis of government-led planning documents (comprehensive plans) to record key priorities. Additionally, the project team distributed a needs assessment survey to coastal resilience practitioners and local administrators to independently determine key priorities and to record current collaborative partnerships. These survey results will inform future meeting topics in order to best address the needs and concerns of our coastal communities.
Collaborators
Agencies and institutions that are advising the Coastal Resilience Collective are: ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve, Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments, EJ Strong, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, S.C. Department of Natural Resources, S.C. Office of Resilience, University of South Carolina, Weston & Sampson, and The Nature Conservancy.
Contact
Amanda Guthrie, Ph.D.,
Coastal Climate and Resilience Specialist
amanda.guthrie@scseagrant.org