The South Carolina Story Safety Summit / AZA Mid-year / Omaha LIFE - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The South Carolina Story Safety Summit / AZA Mid-year / Omaha

LIFE IN THE LOWCOUNTRY 2

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Nuisance Flooding 8

1980s – 5 times a year 2015 – 37 times 2045 – 180 times a year 9

A “THOUSAND - YEAR” STORM 10

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MEANWHILE, AT THE AQUARIUM… 13

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Vulnerabilities • Location • Building design • Accessibility 15

Vulnerabilities • Location • Building design • Accessibility 16

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Vulnerabilities • Location • Building design • Accessibility 20

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Vulnerabilities • Location • Building design • Accessibility 27

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TAKEAWAYS & IMPACTS 33

Cost • Damaged storage items • Warehouse cleanup • Tree replacement and pruning • Salt supply = $35,000 34

Cost • Business interruption > 4 days closed > 2 months depressed tourism • Lost labor & collecting • Fundraising = Undetermined 35

Key Learnings • Prepare for the obvious • Prepare for the unexpected • Prepare for the worst 36

OUR ROLE IN RESILIENCE PLANNING 37

SCIENCE Seas are Rising at Fastest Rate in Last 28 Centuries 38

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Hurricane Hugo (1989) • Category 2 • 100,000 homeless • $10 billion in damages • Now 11 th costliest 46

The Next Hurricane? • Category 5? • Multiply the population • Add a foot of water… 47

Resilience Initiative and Coastal Education Goal : Develop a regional resilience program for the communities and contiguous shoreline of Charleston (SC), Hilton Head (SC) and Savannah (GA). Over a three-year period, the South Carolina Aquarium and its partners will: • Develop an advanced storm surge and coastal inundation modeling system for affected areas, utilizing NOAA imaging data • Develop a community planning and training program to engage municipal and regional planning and policy leaders • Develop a comprehensive public engagement and educational awareness strategy to communicate the importance of resilience. 48

Risks • Environmental. > Most coastline lies less than 4 feet above high tide line > Projected sea level rise in next 50-100 years: 4-6 feet > Exponential storm surges • Human. > Low awareness of risks, especially in underserved communities > Property value impacts are estimated in excess of $70 billion 49

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Community Town Halls • Hilton Head/St. Helena Island (May 14, Penn Center) • Savannah/Tybee Island/Chatham County (June 11, Georgia Coastal Center) • Charleston/Tri-counties (July 16, South Carolina Aquarium) • Myrtle Beach/Horry County (August 20, Myrtle Beach Family Learning Center) 51

Thank You! 52