Southeast States Win Coastal Resilience Grant
NOAA Regional Coastal Resilience Grant program awarded $803,713 to the Southeast states to strengthen disaster recovery of coastal communities.
The project will improve planning for long-term recovery from storms, hurricanes and other natural disasters for Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association (SECOORA) Executive Director Debra Hernandez is the project PI. “I’m excited about the opportunity to work with this talented team that will be working to strengthen our coastal communities’ recovery capabilities.” SECOORA will coordinate the regional collaboration effort and oversee project management.
“Natural disasters are not constrained by state, political, or geographic boundaries,” said Robert Haywood, Federal Recovery Coordinator for FEMA Region IV. “Through this award, numerous partners in the Southeast will be working towards a collaborative approach to long-term disaster recovery that allows coastal communities to create even more vibrant economies and healthier environments after a natural disaster.”
The proposal, titled Utilizing Regional Collaboration to Implement the National Disaster Recovery Framework in South Atlantic Coastal Communities,is supported through a NOAA grant of $803,713 and matching funds of $453,746 provided by states, local governments, private sector, and non-profit partners.
Debra Hernandez, SECOORA Executive Director, stated the individual projects implemented will:
- Support disaster recovery planning on the ground in coastal communities in each state,
- Encourage private sector engagement in recovery planning, and
- Build capacity in the region to expand and improve recovery planning.
Partners included in the project are listed below.
| State Partners | Regional partners, led by the SECOORA | Federal partners |
|
|
|
Dr. Jeffrey Payne, Acting Director of the NOAA Office for Coastal Management, said, “The challenges confronting our nation’s coastal communities are incredibly complicated - effective solutions are going to require strong science, ingenuity and collaboration if they are going to safeguard and ensure the future vitality of our economy and valuable natural resources.”
The NOAA Regional Coastal Resilience Grant program supports regional-scale projects that enhance the resilience of coastal communities and economies to effects of extreme weather, climate hazards, and changing ocean conditions. In 2015, NOAA received 132 proposals totaling $105 million in requested funding and announced $4.5 million in recommended funding for six coastal resilience projects, including the Southeast project. Dr. Payne said, “We are excited about what these partnership projects will accomplish at the local level and the positive impact this program will have on our nation.”
For additional information:
Debra Hernandez
Debra@secooraorgpact.wpengine.com
(843) 906.8686
www.secoora.org
More information: http://webqa.coast.noaa.gov/resilience-grant/projects/
NOAA Regional Coastal Resilience Grant program awarded $803,713 to the Southeast states to strengthen disaster recovery of coastal communities.
The project will improve planning for long-term recovery from storms, hurricanes and other natural disasters for Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association (SECOORA) Executive Director Debra Hernandez is the project PI. “I’m excited about the opportunity to work with this talented team that will be working to strengthen our coastal communities’ recovery capabilities.” SECOORA will coordinate the regional collaboration effort and oversee project management.
“Natural disasters are not constrained by state, political, or geographic boundaries,” said Robert Haywood, Federal Recovery Coordinator for FEMA Region IV. “Through this award, numerous partners in the Southeast will be working towards a collaborative approach to long-term disaster recovery that allows coastal communities to create even more vibrant economies and healthier environments after a natural disaster.”
The proposal, titled Utilizing Regional Collaboration to Implement the National Disaster Recovery Framework in South Atlantic Coastal Communities,is supported through a NOAA grant of $803,713 and matching funds of $453,746 provided by states, local governments, private sector, and non-profit partners.
Debra Hernandez, SECOORA Executive Director, stated the individual projects implemented will:
- Support disaster recovery planning on the ground in coastal communities in each state,
- Encourage private sector engagement in recovery planning, and
- Build capacity in the region to expand and improve recovery planning.
Partners included in the project are listed below.
| State Partners | Regional partners, led by the SECOORA | Federal partners |
|
|
|
Dr. Jeffrey Payne, Acting Director of the NOAA Office for Coastal Management, said, “The challenges confronting our nation’s coastal communities are incredibly complicated – effective solutions are going to require strong science, ingenuity and collaboration if they are going to safeguard and ensure the future vitality of our economy and valuable natural resources.”
The NOAA Regional Coastal Resilience Grant program supports regional-scale projects that enhance the resilience of coastal communities and economies to effects of extreme weather, climate hazards, and changing ocean conditions. In 2015, NOAA received 132 proposals totaling $105 million in requested funding and announced $4.5 million in recommended funding for six coastal resilience projects, including the Southeast project. Dr. Payne said, “We are excited about what these partnership projects will accomplish at the local level and the positive impact this program will have on our nation.”
For additional information:
Debra Hernandez
Debra@secooraorgpact.wpengine.com
(843) 906.8686
www.secoora.org
More information: http://webqa.coast.noaa.gov/resilience-grant/projects/
Related news
SECOORA Webinar | WebCOOS and Water Levels: Web Cameras for Coastal Flood Insights
On October 21st at 12 PM ET, SECOORA is hosting a webinar with investigators from the Webcam Coastal Observation System (WebCOOS) project team and the WebCOOS Project Manager. Web cameras are a low-cost technology that can be used to document flooding impacts to coastal communities. Register here.
SECOORA Funding Opportunity Announcement: Letters of Intent Solicitation
SECOORA will submit a coordinated regional proposal in response to the anticipated FY 2026 Implementation of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) funding opportunity. Letters of Intent to be considered for inclusion in SECOORA’s full proposal are due September 9, 2025.
SECOORA Hosts the First Surface Elevation Table (SET) Community of Practice Virtual Workshop
The SECOORA SET Workshop was virtual on July 17, 2025. More than 50 Community of Practice members and stakeholders joined this collaborative workshop to discuss SET monitoring, coastal resilience, and data-driven decision making in the Southeast.