Assessment of Coastal Impacts and Hazards in Florida and Georgia
During Hurricane Irma, much of Florida and Georgia experienced significant impacts to beaches, dunes and coral reefs. Extensive erosion, flooding, and coral losses, observed by the USGS, result in increased immediate and long-term hazards to natural and populated shorelines, putting critical infrastructure at risk to future flooding and erosion and causing economic losses.
Storm Hazards
Updated assessments inform federal and state coastal managers of potential erosion and inundation hazards during future storms.
Coral Reef Coasts
Newly developed models assess the impact of storm-induced coral reef loss on vulnerability to coastal erosion.
Shoreline Change
Tools for forecasting shoreline change provide actionable information for stakeholders to address resiliency for long-term hazards.
During Hurricane Irma, Florida and Georgia experienced significant impacts to beaches, dunes, barrier islands, and coral reefs. Extensive erosion and coral losses result in increased immediate and long-term hazards to shorelines that include densely populated regions. This puts critical infrastructure at risk to future flooding and erosion and may cause economic losses. The USGS Coastal and Marine Hazards Resources Program (CMHRP) is assessing hurricane-induced coastal erosion along the southeast US coastline Puerto Rico and implications for vulnerability to future storms.
Post-storm repair and recovery investments that focus on both the increased immediate threat resulting from Irma’s impacts and the longer-term cumulative impacts will benefit from updated and expanded assessments of coastal vulnerability to storms. These projects, as well as supplemental funded work in Puerto Rico and North Carolina, will provide information that support real-time hazard guidance during storms, emergency preparedness, and long-term management of existing or proposed engineering, infrastructure, and coastal protection systems. The work is part of a larger program focused on understanding coastal change hazards on our nation’s coasts and providing scientific information to meet stakeholders’ needs.
Return to Assessment of Coastal Impacts in Florida and Puerto Rico
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