REGIONAL EFFORT TO DEVELOP REAL-TIME STORM AND FLOODING MAPS

DELMARVA PANEL OF SCIENTISTS AND FEDERAL OFFICIALS TO PREPARE A MODEL FOR COPING WITH SEA LEVEL RISE AND INCREASED FLOODING FROM STORMS HIGH TIDE ALONG THE DELAWARE BAY After the May storm of 2008 that caused excessive flooding along the Delaware Bay beaches, the University of Delaware set about constructing real-time flood maps to be used to alert homeowners along the bay when the flood waters would begin to rise. Access to this important information will be the first project addressed by DelMarVa officials, scientists, and institutions when the new Mid-Atlantic Coastal Resiliency Institute forms to examine sea level rise and flooding risks in the region.


Delaware and its surrounding states are uniquely positioned to lead the initiative to protect citizens, animals, and properties from the onslaught of rapid flooding because the University of Delaware has already developed software that can determine how deep the floodwaters will be at any particular residence or roadway along the coast. Now, that mapping and flooding software will be developed for others states, as well. 


The team will consist of the University of Delaware; NASA'S Goddard Space Flight Center--Greenbelt Campus, Wallops Flight Facility and the Goddard Institute of Space Science; US Fish and Wildlife Service; US Geologic Survey; Chincoteague Bay Field Station of the Marine Science Consortium; College of William and Mary; Virginia Institute of Marine Science; University of Virginia, Virginia Coast Reserve Long-Term Ecological Research Program; University of Maryland, College Park; and The Nature Conservancy.