The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) recently released the North Atlantic Coast Comprehensive Study (NACCS), detailing the results of a two-year analysis of coastal storm and flood risk to the North Atlantic region of the U.S. affected by Hurricane Sandy. The study was authorized by Congress under the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act for USACE to work with other federal, state and local government agencies to “regionally address the vulnerability of coastal populations at risk.”
In addition to the main NACCS report, several other reports and products were also part of the study, including a nine-step Coastal Storm Risk Management Framework that can be used by communities and government entities to help identify coastal risk and develop strategies for reducing those risks. “The [NACCS] is an unprecedented effort by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in collaboration with our partners to develop a coastal plan that considers future sea levels and climate change,” said Jo-Ellen Darcy, the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. “The report provides a framework for communities that will arm them for the reality of future extreme weather.”