By Dan Burger, Coastal Services Division Director, DHEC Ocean and Coastal Resource Management
On February 23, leaders from throughout the Charleston region attended a symposium hosted by the Charleston Resilience Network (CRN) and the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). DHEC has provided leadership to establish the CRN, a new inter-governmental and cross-sector partnership working to align programs and foster a unified strategy that results in regional resilience to water-related hazards. The symposium, Understanding the October 2015 Floods, included panels of experts, leading professionals and elected officials in a facilitated discussion that examined the Charleston region’s resilience to tidal and storm-related flooding.
NAS Resilient America Roundtable member, Brigadier General (ret.) Dr. Gerry Galloway and I welcomed the audience and promoted the need for inter-governmental and cross-sector collaboration in the development of resilience strategies. Throughout the day, an engaging dialog took place among critical service providers, emergency responders, business leaders, disaster relief organizations and elected officials.
Charleston City Council Member Michael Seekings provides his perspective on resilience to the audience. Also pictured: moderator Dr. Gerry Galloway (left), Charleston Public Service Director Laura Cabiness and North Charleston City Council Member Rhonda Jerome.
Participants also learned about the meteorological conditions that led to the widespread flooding from the National Weather Service, tidal flooding projections from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and innovative flood mapping efforts from the College of Charleston, Lowcountry Hazards Center. A findings document from the symposium will be available this spring.
CRN will continue to build on this dialog as it engages stakeholders and works to enhance accessibility to flood hazard information, including planning and vulnerability assessment tools.
For more information on the Charleston Resilience Network, please visit:
www.scdhec.gov/HomeAndEnvironment/Water/CoastalManagement/CRN_network/
Live Healthy S.C. 