Delaware is the lowest-lying state in the nation, making its flat terrain especially vulnerable to flooding.
“We see a pattern where the height of our tides is getting higher and some of our coastal storms are getting a little bit stronger and dumping more rain and bringing potentially more storm surge,” the Delaware Sea Grant’s coastal hazard specialist Danielle Swallow said.
Experts from the state’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Delaware Sea Grant, Delaware Coastal Training Program and the University of Delaware’s Biden School of Public Policy and Administration partner to host a workshop on flooding issues.
The annual Creating a Flood Ready Community workshop addresses flood resiliency on a local level, inviting county and municipal staff and elected officials to participate.
Swallow is one of the course instructors and said the workshop helps municipalities address flooding.
“Local government leaders, they're living inside communities that are on the front line of these changes that we're seeing,” Swallow said. “So they're the first to experience the impacts of our evolving climate and our extreme weather. And you know, it can impact everyone, whether it's a very large-scale event or even nuisance flooding.”
Swallow added that flooding has caused disruptions to school bus routes and stopped people from getting to work or to doctors’ appointments.
But problem solving and reducing vulnerability to flooding is tricky in such a low-lying state, Swallow said.
“So first it's all about assessing exposure, and then it's about figuring out who is most sensitive or what infrastructure is most sensitive to that exposure, and then trying to figure out ways to mitigate that. So sometimes that looks like retrofits. Like in the case of infrastructure, it might be elevating utilities above flood thresholds.”
Swallow said another way to do that is by investing in nature-based infrastructure like wetland restoration. The event will also include information on flood insurance.
The workshop will also include discussions on using social services to educate residents and visitors on how to stay out of harm’s way.
The workshop is scheduled for May 6 at the St. Jones Reserve in Dover.
