Abstract
On-the-ground resilience to current and future flooding takes many different forms and can look like direct or indirect actions, specific or broad plans, and immediate or long-term planned activities. A recently completed series of short films demonstrates this diversity through five unique case studies of Gulf Coast communities increasing their flood resilience in various ways. The same project that developed these short films also provided funding for additional communities to take action in the northern Gulf of Mexico. This presentation will showcase two of these ongoing projects. The first example, from Magnolia River in Alabama, seeks to address flooding concerns now and in the future while simultaneously reducing sedimentation and pollution via constructed wetlands on the river uplands. This project provides a necessary feasibility study to assess if this could work and, if so, how the wetland should be constructed to maximize effectiveness. The second example is from Biloxi, Mississippi, where they developed a building elevation database and constructed a comprehensive storm surge history for the city. These data provide a more accurate and detailed analysis of flood risk under current and future flood scenarios (e.g., storm surge with sea-level rise). Both of these examples highlight unique ways that future flood resilience can be tailored to address the specific needs faced by different communities. In this presentation, a short introduction to the overall Resilience to Future Flooding project will be provided with more detailed presentations from the respective leads of the Alabama and Mississippi projects.
