Resilience planning for coastal Georgia: Combatting sea level rise and flooding with community engagement
Project Overview
University of Georgia researchers are helping the island establish actionable guidelines to better manage sea-level rise and flooding, specifically to combat “sunny-day” flooding. The researchers created a Geosurvey, which, alongside crowdsourced photos from island residents, identified areas vulnerable to flooding, erosion, and marsh die off. The researchers organized a virtual charette in spring 2021 to pinpoint potential conflicts and to find their possible solutions.
The goal: To identify flooding solutions and climate-resilience strategies on the bay-side of Tybee Island, in partnership with the community.
THE REPORT
The Tybee Island Natural Infrastructure Master Plan provides recommendations on integrated nature-based features to help the island better absorb and recover from more frequent storms and flooding caused by rising, warming seas. Developed in collaboration with the University of Georgia and numerous local, state and federal partners, the plan assesses flood risks and adaptation solutions, with particular focus on areas near the tidal marsh that borders Tybee Island’s marsh shoreline. This project was made possible with funding from teh National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
key researcherS
Brian Bledsoe, Ph.D., P.E.
Professor, College of Engineering
bbledsoe@uga.edu
Alfie Vick, Ph.D.
Professor, College of Environment + Design
ravick@uga.edu
Jon Calabria, Ph.D.
Professor, College of Environment + Design
jcalabr@uga.edu
Jill Gambill, Ph.D.
Georgia Institute of Technology
