South Atlantic Coastal Study and Coastal Resilience Assessments Workshop
OCTOBER 14, 2019 — On October 7, Yaritza Rivera, NOAA Marine Debris Program’s Hurricane Response Coordinator, joined the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and National Fish & Wildlife Service Foundation (NFWF) at the South Atlantic Coastal Study (SACs) & Coastal Resilience Assessments workshop in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
As a part of this event, different federal and local agencies, universities and non-profit organizations worked together to identify territory-specific information regarding current coastal risks around Puerto Rico. This effort responds to the Phase II of a national ongoing project whose goal is to develop a comprehensive and complete assessment of the coastal risk for the South Atlantic Division. The SACs and NFWF missions combined, provide communities with flood control, hydroelectric power, water supply, recreation, navigation, and wildlife enhancement, while at the same time, improves the community’s resilience by reducing their vulnerability to coastal storms, sea level rise and flooding events.
The workshop focused on the development of tools that will help SACs, NFWF and its partners implement effective natural and nature-based solutions to build resilience. Yaritza, along with, Eileen Alicea and Aurora Justiniano, staff from NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program, were actively involved in different discussions related to response and conservation in Puerto Rico, the identification of coastal areas of potential high risk, and on local challenges.
For additional information on SACs and NFWF efforts visit:
https://www.sad.usace.army.mil/SACS/
For further information, contact Yaritza.Rivera@noaa.gov.