Podcasts about developed shorelines

Show Notes Host: Ryan Harris Guest: Dr. Rob Young, Director for the Study of Developed Shorelines at Western Carolina University Description: Next up in our series of “Outside the Box” conversations is a discussion with Dr. Rob Young on how “the box” for coastal resilience may actually be inside out.  Conventional wisdom for coastal adaptation is all about communities trying to protect their map and their tax base.  Better management, monitoring, systems thinking to minimize unintended consequences, and taking time to study whether adaptation measures are actually working or not are some basic measures that can improve resilience strategies.  Outside the box thinking in this space also requires legislative progress and what many are increasingly calling for a National Adaptation Plan.  Hard choices are required by local municipalities and businesses when it comes to adaptation, and we need to be honest with ourselves and where we invest in coastal adaptation if we are going to truly move the needle on making our communities more resilient. For complete show notes: The Triple Point™ Podcast Website. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/triplepoint/message

In this episode of the American Shoreline Podcast, Peter Ravella and Tyler Buckingham dive deep into the unique intersection of oral history and environmental change. Special guest Tara Hinton, a rising junior at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, shares her pioneering work, mining archives for oral histories at the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center. These histories, some of which date back decades, offer invaluable insights into the environmental shifts observed by communities over time, especially in the wake of events like Hurricane Floyd. To deepen the discussion, the hosts also welcome back a friend of the podcast, Dr. Rob Young, Director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines at Western Carolina University. Together, they explore how these narratives can shape our understanding of climate change, inform policy, and reveal the resilient spirit of coastal communities.

Sea-level rise driven by climate change: What once was a controversial topic in some circles is now an indisputable and deeply problematic reality for coastal communities across the globe – including dozens on the North Carolina Outer Banks, where beaches are disappearing at a frightening clip. The hard reality of this situation is quickly presenting […] The post Rob Young of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines discusses fast-eroding shorelines appeared first on NC Newsline.

On this episode, hosts Peter Ravella and Tyler Buckingham check in with Dr. Rob Young on the state of coastal adaptation in the wake of the major investments made in the space this year. A professor of coastal geology at Western Carolina University and director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines, Rob is critical of the CORP's cost/benefit analysis and argues that coastal policy needs to better account for the true costs and benefits of shore protection projects in order to generate adaptive incentives. It's a great show with one of our favorite guests! Only on ASPN!

Welcome back to Environmental Professionals Radio, Connecting the Environmental Professionals Community Through Conversation, with your hosts Laura Thorne and Nic Frederick! On today's episode, we talk with Robert Young, Director of Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines about Big Data, National Parks and Academia.   Read his full bio below.Help us continue to create great content! If you'd like to sponsor a future episode hit the support podcast button or visit www.environmentalprofessionalsradio.com/sponsor-form Showtimes: 1:24  Nic & Laura discuss cruises14:10  Interview with Dr. Robert Young starts17:22  National Parks project21:21  Dr. Young talks about Big Data31:04  Field Notes: Hurricane Hugo43:41  AcademiaPlease be sure to ✔️subscribe, ⭐rate and ✍review. This podcast is produced by the National Association of Environmental Professions (NAEP). Check out all the NAEP has to offer at NAEP.org.Connect with Dr. Robert Young at https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-young-phd-pg-68a44339/Guest Bio:Robert S. Young is the Director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines, a joint Duke University/Western Carolina University venture.  He is also a Professor of Geosciences at Western Carolina University and a licensed professional geologist in three states (FL, NC, SC). The Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines (PSDS) is a research and policy outreach center serving the global coastal community. The primary mission of PSDS is to conduct scientific research into coastal processes, storm impacts, hazard vulnerability and sea level rise and to translate that science into management and policy recommendations through a variety of professional and public outreach mechanisms.  The Program specializes in evaluating the design and implementation of coastal engineering and restoration projects and helping communities develop coastal adaptation strategies.Dr. Young is a frequent contributor to the popular media. He has written numerous articles for outlets like the New York Times, USA Today, Architectural Record, the Houston Chronicle, and the Raleigh News and Observer, among others.  He regularly appears on programs like PBS Now, CNN's Anderson Cooper, National Public Radio, and many others.  He is co-author of two books, The Rising Sea and co-editor of Geologic Monitoring, both released in 2009.  Finally, Dr. Young has testified before congress and numerous state legislatures on coastal issues. He currently serves State of South Carolina as a member of the Governor's Flood Commission and the State of Virginia on the Technical Advisory Committee for the state's Coastal Master Plan.He is leading a major project for the National Park Service to identify the vulnerability of all coastal park assets to coastal storms, erosion and sea level rise for the purpose of adaptation planning.Music CreditsIntro: Givin Me Eyes by Grace MesaOutro: Never Ending Soul Groove by Mattijs MullerSupport the show (https://www.environmentalprofessionalsradio.com/sponsor-form)

On this episode, hosts Peter Ravella and Tyler Buckingham are joined by Dr. Rob Young (Director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines at Western Carolina University) to discuss three major topics on the American Shoreline: Rob's work with the National Parks Service to develop vulnerability assessments for infrastructure in coastal parks to guide resilience policies, the recent IPCC report and what it means to the American Shoreline, and finally the CBRA rules change prohibiting federal funding for sand sourced within CBRA units. But, before they get into the heavy stuff, Peter and Tyler collect Rob's field notes from his family's trip to the beautiful coastal nation of Croatia. It's a great show with one one of the American Shoreline's most provocative and influential thinkers. Only on ASPN!

On this week's episode, Peter Ravella and Tyler Buckingham are joined once again by Rob Young, Director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines at Western Carolina University. When Rob was last on the pod, it was early March 2020, right before the COVID-19 shutdown took hold. We catch up with Rob to talk about coastal development, federal shoreline policy, hurricanes, and to learn about what has been on his mind during this most unusual summer. Always a treat to check in with one of the great coastal pros on the American Shoreline Podcast.

This week we talk with Robert Young, director of Western Carolina University’s Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines about a project to more accurately determine the cost sea level rise could inflict on coastal units of the National Park System. We also take a look ahead to summer in the National Park System, the watery side of the system specifically, with a look at some of the prime sea kayaking destinations awaiting paddlers in the National Park System.

Climate Adaptation Data Week This briefing is part of a series on coastal climate adaptation data needs and applications. Find out more about the other briefings in this series below: April 13 Localizing Sea Level Rise Projections for Decision-Makers April 15 Cultural Heritage and Climate Change April 16 Bridging the Gap Between Science and Decision-Making April 17 Weather and Social Data to Inform Participatory Planning Initiatives The National Park Service owns thousands of buildings and other infrastructure at risk from coastal flooding and sea level rise. Dr. Rob Young, Director of Western Carolina University’s Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines, led a project to map and evaluate the vulnerability of each coastal NPS asset—from the Statue of Liberty to remote roads in Alaska—in order to help park managers decide what should be protected, what should be abandoned, and what should be moved further inland.

Climate Adaptation Data Week This briefing is part of a series on coastal climate adaptation data needs and applications. Find out more about the other briefings in this series below: April 13 Localizing Sea Level Rise Projections for Decision-Makers April 15 Cultural Heritage and Climate Change April 16 Bridging the Gap Between Science and Decision-Making April 17 Weather and Social Data to Inform Participatory Planning Initiatives The National Park Service owns thousands of buildings and other infrastructure at risk from coastal flooding and sea level rise. Dr. Rob Young, Director of Western Carolina University’s Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines, led a project to map and evaluate the vulnerability of each coastal NPS asset—from the Statue of Liberty to remote roads in Alaska—in order to help park managers decide what should be protected, what should be abandoned, and what should be moved further inland.

Climate Adaptation Data Week This briefing is part of a series on coastal climate adaptation data needs and applications. Find out more about the other briefings in this series below: April 13 Localizing Sea Level Rise Projections for Decision-Makers April 15 Cultural Heritage and Climate Change April 16 Bridging the Gap Between Science and Decision-Making April 17 Weather and Social Data to Inform Participatory Planning Initiatives The National Park Service owns thousands of buildings and other infrastructure at risk from coastal flooding and sea level rise. Dr. Rob Young, Director of Western Carolina University's Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines, led a project to map and evaluate the vulnerability of each coastal NPS asset—from the Statue of Liberty to remote roads in Alaska—in order to help park managers decide what should be protected, what should be abandoned, and what should be moved further inland.

On this episode, Peter Ravella and Tyler Buckingham welcome Dr. Rob Young back to the show to talk about the recent shoreline armoring trends (NYC/NJ, Florida Keys, Orange County, CA) and the seeming move away from structural solutions. When should we armor? When should we hold the shoreline? When should we get the hell out of the way and let the coast migrate? No easy answers. We also talk about the work of Orrin Pilkey's creation, the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines at Western Carolina University, which Rob now leads. Finally, we conclude with March Madness and a fast break discussion on Carolina hoops and the differences between the East Coast and West Coast games. Can it be explained geomorphologically? Only on ASPN.

Two hundred Mexico Beach, Florida homes sitting beach block from the Gulf of Mexico, yet labeled X-Zone, FEMA's lowest risk for flooding, were nearly wiped out by 2018's Hurricane Michael.  Many of those residents had no flood insurance, complicating which damage from the Category 5 storm may or may not be covered by their homeowners insurance.In fact, 80% of flood losses in the Florida Panhandle were uninsured.  Yet, there's just a trickle of greater demand for flood insurance post-storm.   Mexico Beach is fighting back with a tough new ordinance to counter the complacency created in residents by FEMA's inaccurate and outdated maps. Host Lisa Miller, a former deputy insurance commissioner, talks with two residents and an insurance agent about the impact of the new ordinance and how agents could be doing more to promote increasingly affordable flood coverage to their clients.Show NotesFEMA flood maps for Mexico Beach were last revised in 2009 but were based on a maximum storm surge of 10 feet.  Hurricane Michael produced a 15.5 foot storm surge plus 5-foot waves topping the surge, when it made landfall there on October 10, 2018.  The maps are used to identify which properties must have flood insurance to meet federal mortgage requirements and to set rates for those policies.Only one-third of Bay County, home to Mexico Beach and some of the worst damage in the 13-county impact zone, had National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policies.   Dina Bautista didn't have flood insurance, but was one of the lucky ones.  Her Mexico Beach home was built on 12-foot pilings, the only one in her neighborhood.  “Every neighbor had water up to their roof,” she said.Yet despite the devastation, few Bay County residents have learned the lesson from Michael.  “I get the speech of ‘I've been in this house fifty years and never flooded' quite a bit,” said Trey Hutt, owner of Hutt Insurance Agency in nearby Panama City.  “What these mostly elderly people don't get is that in those intervening 50 years, we've poured a lot of asphalt and concrete all around them, and that water is going somewhere.  And every neighbor is now building higher than that original home, and water always runs downhill.”Melissa Poage became concerned walking around her Valrico, Florida neighborhood after a recent hard rainstorm and noticing a waterline almost up to front doorsteps.  She said her insurance agent had never discussed purchasing flood insurance with her.  Her entire neighborhood is in an X-Zone, defined as being at risk of a 1 in 500 year flood event, which equates to a 0.2% chance every year of being flooded.  “So I bought flood insurance and it was very reasonably priced, it's not expensive,” she said. Hutt, a 25 year insurance veteran, said people don't understand the true meaning of an X-Zone.“In our agency over the years, we've paid an awful lot more flood claims in X-Zones than we have in other zones.  An X-Zone does not equal ‘we will not flood', it just means it's less likely to flood than a Special Flood Hazard Area,” he said.Since Hurricane Opal in 1995, Hutt said his agency has aggressively offered flood policies with homeowners policies (which don't cover most flood damage).   Those customers who choose not to purchase it have to sign a form acknowledging that.  “A flood rejection form has become a part of a lot of agencies' tool kits,” he said.Both Hutt and Poage agree that it should be mandatory for insurance agents to “make the call” and offer customers flood insurance.  “I'm in favor of putting pressure on fellow agents to not only recommend flood insurance but we need to be able to prove that we've recommended it to a client, otherwise we might face legal action after a big storm such as Michael,” Hutt said.Bautista is an engineer with Dewberry Engineering and along with being a resident herself, serves as the consulting engineer for the city of Mexico Beach.  Within weeks after surveying Michael's devastation from both the 160 mph winds and 20.6 foot peak water level, city officials adopted a tough new floodplain ordinance that goes above and beyond FEMA flood maps. The ordinance affects rebuilding of homes that suffered substantial damage (greater than 50% structural damage) from Michael and all new construction:   Incorporated a preliminary draft of a new flood map that FEMA had been developing before Michael, even though the map itself is not yet in effect; Incorporated the map's shaded X-Zones as part of the city's more restrictive Special Hazard Flood Area with regard to construction standards; and Required all such rebuilding and new construction of properties in Zones A, AE, and shaded X, to raise their finished floor 18 inches above FEMA's 1 in 500 year flood event elevation. “We're trying to pick up the insurance gap and protect the residents,” Bautista explained.  “Most of them may not buy or be required to buy flood insurance in the zone they're in, but through our ordinance and the actual construction, we're trying to minimize their risk for future damage.”While such building code changes are not occurring in the rest of Bay County, Hutt said more private flood insurance companies are selling coverage alongside or in competition with the NFIP.  Florida's private market has been steadily growing with the number of companies more than doubling in the past two years.“We're finding these products are based on better data.  They're often less expensive and they are almost always better coverage,” Hutt said.  “The long-term solution is to get flood insurance priced more accurately.   Since it's been driven by political forces more than profitability, NFIP rates are artificially suppressed, and what that does is just encourage people to borrow money and build homes where they frankly might not or should be doing,” he said.The podcast discussion also included the potential for Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC) insurance coverage or FEMA hazard mitigation grants to help homeowners pay for construction required in tougher building ordinances, such as those in Mexico Beach.  Private insurance companies offering both homeowners, wind, and flood coverage on the same policy would also simplify the process.Host Lisa Miller, a former deputy insurance commissioner, commended Mexico Beach officials for their leadership in building greater resiliency into the city's recovery.  “You're completely revolutionizing the new construction and rebuilding of the area in an attempt to withstand Mother Nature the next time.  That's very smart and helpful,” Miller said.Links and Resources Mentioned in this EpisodeDefinitions of FEMA Flood Zone Designations Majority of Michael Flood Victims Uninsured (LMA Newsletter of July 29, 2019)www.dewberry.comwww.huttinsurance.comPrivate Flood Insurance & Resilience (from Lisa Miller & Associates)Flood Follies (The Florida Insurance Roundup podcast, episode 16, December 16, 2018)Coastal communities should exercise caution in using FEMA Flood Maps as the primary indicator of coastal risk (by Dr. Rob Young, Director, Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines at Western Carolina University, and guest on the Flood Follies podcast)** The Listener Call-In Line for your recorded questions and comments to air in future episodes is 850-388-8002 or you may send email to LisaMiller@LisaMillerAssociates.com **The Florida Insurance Roundup from Lisa Miller & Associates, brings you the latest developments in Property & Casualty, Healthcare, Workers' Compensation, and Surplus Lines insurance from around the Sunshine State.  Based in the state capital of Tallahassee, Lisa Miller & Associates provides its clients with focused, intelligent, and cost conscious solutions to their business development, government consulting, and public relations needs.  On the web at www.LisaMillerAssociates.com or call 850-222-1041.  Your questions, comments, and suggestions are welcome!  Date of Recording 10/29/19. Email via info@LisaMillerAssociates.com   Composer: www.TeleDirections.com  © Copyright 2017-2019 Lisa Miller & Associates, All Rights Reserved

Managing beaches in an era of climate change. Two guests joined the podcast to discuss shoreline management at the local level. First, Dr. Robert Young from the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines discussed a recent report that they published which did a cost-benefit analysis of buying out property owners in North Topsail Beach, NC versus maintaining the shoreline. Then Greg "Rudi" Rudolph, the Shoreline Protection Manager for Carteret County, NC, talked about his day to day work, the mechanics of beach renourishment, and his perspective on the report. Rudi also shared how they plan for sea level rise. Read the report: Coastal Hazards & Targeted Acquisitions, A Reasonable Shoreline Management Alternative Host: Ben Kittelson

On this episode, Peter and Tyler speak with Dr. Rob Young, Director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines at Western Carolina University. Rob and his teammates have recently completed a the first in a series of case studies aimed at "examining the feasibility and economics of targeted acquisition strategies in oceanfront, resort communities." The first study, released last month, targets the north end of North Topsail Beach, North Carolina, an area battling severe coastal erosion. We talk with Rob about his methods, findings, and conclusions.

On this episode of Local Control, Peter Ravella speaks with Robert Young, the Director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines, a joint Duke University/Western Carolina University venture. He is also a Professor of Geology at Western Carolina University and a licensed professional geologist in three states (FL, NC, SC). The Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines (PSDS) is a research and policy outreach center serving the global coastal community. The primary mission of PSDS is to conduct scientific research into coastal processes and to translate that science into management and policy recommendations through a variety of professional and public outreach mechanisms. The Program specializes in evaluating the design and implementation of coastal engineering projects. Dr. Young received a BS degree in Geology (Phi Beta Kappa) from the College of William & Mary, and MS degree in Quaternary Studies from the University of Maine, and a PhD in Geology from Duke University where he was a James B. Duke Distinguished Doctoral Fellow.

2018 was a tough year for flooding in the United States, and nowhere worse than in the Carolinas, where Hurricane Florence dumped three feet of rain in spots.  Damage is estimated at $13 billion but at least half of that is uninsured – as most residents had no flood insurance.  While some didn't know they needed it, others took a gamble by going without and lost.But the bigger folly some argue is federal flood insurance itself which encourages some homeowners to disregard risk, by providing subsidized premiums at a level far below what's actuarially-required to cover the claims' costs.  The same program also pays homeowners to rebuild their flooded homes in the same low-lying spots, over and over again.How can we better protect our lives and property from flood waters?  And what urgency will Florence bring to the debate on providing better flood insurance protection for coastal and inland residents alike?  Host Lisa Miller sat down with a catastrophe risk modeler and a coastal flood scientist to get some answers.Show Notes: Lisa's guests are both PhD's – one working in private sector flood insurance and the other in public university research on flooded coastlines – and both are focused on mitigating risks.  Dr. Roger Grenier is Senior Vice President and Global Resilience Practice Leader at AIR Worldwide in Boston.  His team has worked since 1992's Hurricane Andrew to develop catastrophe modeling as a way to predict the severity of extreme events.  Their data and analytics has helped make the insurance and reinsurance industries more resilient over time. Dr. Robert Young is a Professor of Coastal Geology and Director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina.  His team of scientists and policy analysts examine how storms and sea level rise are changing America's coastline and communicate their findings to policymakers.  From individual homeowners to local communities to federal agencies, they have developed tools to protect from and adapt to flood risks. Dr. Grenier said advances in modeling technology are having a greater influence in assessing and pricing flood risk.  Older mapping technology, largely based on historical data, such as stream flows and hazard areas based on land use, has been used primarily by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to determine risk and rates.  The NFIP has evolved over its past 50 year history and is now beginning to adopt catastrophe models. “When you develop a model, you can look forward and assess not only changes in land use but also changes in the climate and that's how our models are driven, by starting really with a climate model as opposed to relying strictly on historical data,” said Dr. Grenier.  Modeling brings other benefits: its cost and scalability mean more frequent updates and more realistic gray areas of risk in place of black and white maps, where a property is strictly “in” or “out” of a particular flood zone.  The podcast also discusses policies on pricing risk and funding rebuilding after flood calamities.  Dr. Young said federal policy provides “moral hazards”: incentives to do the wrong thing rather than the right thing.  After storms, federal flood insurance and federal Stafford Act disaster funding pay to restore homes and sometimes elevate properties and structures to help prevent future flooding, something he said is only a partial solution.“If you lift-up an oceanfront home, you still have to hold the shoreline in place.  And if you raise a community anywhere in the floodplain, you still have to get utilities to that community and get transportation in there.  The biggest problem that I see right now is that there are very few incentives to change the exposure map for these communities, to get some properties out of areas that are in the floodplains,” said Dr. Young.Case in point: Dauphin Island, Alabama.  This community of repetitive loss properties has received seven disaster declarations in the past 30 years.  There have been properties rebuilt multiple times in the same location following successive storms, thanks to federal and state subsidies that rebuild the infrastructure.  From 1978 through September 2018, the taxpayer-backed NFIP has paid out more than $68 billion in claims – historically, nearly 30% of claims are paid to the 1% of properties classified as repetitive loss properties.“It's not the folks on Dauphin Island that are crazy, it's the rest of us that are crazy for allowing that to happen,” said Dr. Young.   The answer he said is changing incentives by finding a way for the true cost of living in these dangerous places to be incorporated in the cost of these properties.  The imbalance occurs in both high-cost oceanfront investment properties but also in affordable housing communities along our coastline.The podcast also discusses this year's White House budget that stressed reforms to bring needed financial stability to the debt-ridden NFIP and expanding the private market to reduce the federal government's NFIP exposure.  Under budget director Mick Mulvaney's proposal, FEMA would have authority to discontinue NFIP coverage for extreme repetitive loss properties following future losses. Starting in 2021, coverage for commercial properties would be phased-out, while no policies would be written for new construction inside a special flood hazard area. FEMA meanwhile is forging ahead and redesigning NFIP's 2019 rates to more realistically price risk.  Dr. Grenier predicted that any future changes will be by a measured process as the private insurance market evolves, so it can price for it and provide reserves for it.  “People need to understand the limitations of maps and understand other aspects of the home, such as elevation.  They need to hear the message about buying flood insurance, whether from private insurers or the NFIP, and be realistic about what they can expect when they have no insurance versus having a flood policy.Private insurance companies, powered by advanced catastrophe risk models, are able to better understand risk.  In Florida, encouraged by model regulation to encourage a vibrant private market, nearly 30 companies are offering coverage as an alternative to NFIP at competitive rates.Host Lisa Miller, a former Florida deputy insurance commissioner, noted “it's clear as crystal that when it comes to flood risk, we still build too close to known dangers.  The growing folly of our public policy is encouraging risky human behavior.  And we all pay, some with our own checkbook, the majority through higher taxpayer subsidies, and yet others, sadly, with their lives.”Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode:Private Flood Insurance & Resilience webpage (Lisa Miller & Associates)IBHS Fortified Home™ Program (Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety) Coastal Wind Damage in North Carolina from Hurricane Florence (AIR Worldwide In Focus, 10/8/18)The Aftermath of Hurricane Florence (AIR Worldwide, 10/18/18)Flood insurance paid homeowners $100,000 more than FEMA after Harvey, expert says (Houston Chronicle, 6/16/18) Private flood insurance could fill North Carolina's coverage gap (Lisa Miller column in the Raleigh News&Observer, 11/16/18)Our View: Federal flood insurance program needs rethinking (Fayetteville Observer, 12/2/18)North Carolina Flooding Exposes Flaws in Flood Insurance Program (Bloomberg News/Bureau of National Affairs, 9/21/18)New resilience organization at FEMA aims to build ‘culture of preparedness' (Global Resilience Institute, 6/5/18)** The Listener Call-In Line for your recorded questions and comments to air in future episodes is 850-388-8002 or you may send email to LisaMiller@LisaMillerAssociates.com **The Florida Insurance Roundup from Lisa Miller & Associates, brings you the latest developments in Property & Casualty, Healthcare, Workers' Compensation, and Surplus Lines insurance from around the Sunshine State.  Based in the state capital of Tallahassee, Lisa Miller & Associates provides its clients with focused, intelligent, and cost conscious solutions to their business development, government consulting, and public relations needs.  On the web at www.LisaMillerAssociates.com or call 850-222-1041.  Your questions, comments, and suggestions are welcome!  Date of Recording 12/3/18. Email via info@LisaMillerAssociates.com   Composer: www.TeleDirections.com  © Copyright 2017-2018 Lisa Miller & Associates, All Rights Reserved