Translating Inundation Science and Communicating Flood Risk

August 12, 2026 | 2 to 3 p.m. EDT | 11 a.m. to 12 noon PDT

Brainstorm better ways to translate complex scientific concepts for non-technical audiences, communities, and local decision-makers

Managed Retreat and Community-driven Relocation
August 20, 2026 | 2 to 3 p.m. EDT | 11 a.m. to 12 noon PDT

Discuss the unique challenges of communicating about and planning for retreat, and share successful strategies for community-led relocation

Applying National Coastal Inundation Tools to Local Decisions
Sept 3, 2026 |  3 to 4 p.m. EDT | 12 noon to 1 p.m. PDT

Troubleshoot the challenges of taking national-level data products and successfully scaling them down for local decision-making

Compound Flood Risk: Modeling, Communication, Planning

Sept 15, 2026 | 3 to 4 p.m. EDT | 12 noon to 1 p.m. PDT
Share peer-to-peer solutions for compound flood modeling and total water assessments

Registration Link for the series

This webinar explored recently released enhancements to NOAA's Sea Level Calculator. Updates included data upgrades, integration of USGS elevation data, and added data download capabilities. Usability improvements included a new map-based entry, a redesigned menu interface, an enhanced mobile-friendly design, the addition of expert-led videos, and updated guidance and tool tips.

Watch the recording here.

This webinar included a panel discussion and interactive conversation exploring how games and play-based activities can transform engagements on coastal flood resilience. Speakers shared how they’ve used play to spark curiosity, deepen understanding, and turn complex science into meaningful, participatory experiences. 

Speakers:

• Jolie Griffey (Program for Local Adaptation to Changing Environments (PLACE))
• Glennie LeBaron (Aquidneck Resilience)
• Brittany Dodge (Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve)

This presentation showcased NOAA's publicly available suite of coastal flood prediction tools and services for real-time and near-term flood forecasting. Participants received an overview of the National Water Prediction Service for visualizing local data, as well as other flood inundation mapping services that coastal decision-makers can use to understand and visualize impacts in their area. 

Speaker: Kelly Godsey (NOAA's National Weather Service in Tallahassee, Florida)

This interactive session was based on NOAA’s Seven Best Practices for Risk Communication training and designed to strengthen how we talk about coastal hazards, risk, and preparedness. The training incorporated peer-to-peer sharing, providing opportunities to connect with and learn from others working on coastal inundation challenges across regions and disciplines.

The State of Hawaiʻi presented a “most likely” case study for the advancement of sea level rise (SLR) policy because of its high vulnerability as a remote island state, deep blue politics, high public awareness of climate change, a strong public trust law, and historical and cultural ties to living near water. Yet the advancement of SLR-related policy in Hawaiʻi, as elsewhere in the U.S., had been moving slowly. What accounted for the lack of policy progress?

Dr. Ketty Loeb from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Institute for Sustainability & Resilience shared findings from surveys of elected officials, agency staff, and residents across Hawaiʻi conducted between 2023 and 2025. The surveys sought to better understand how respondents viewed the risks of sea level rise and how they prioritized policy responses.

The session highlighted new survey tools that may be useful to other states, as well as an original dataset that will be used to better understand the opportunities and challenges surrounding the advancement of SLR policy.

The webinar explored NOAA Atlas 15, the newly released, authoritative, and spatially continuous National Precipitation Frequency Atlas of the United States. As the U.S. experienced more intense rainfall, more frequent flooding, and prolonged droughts, it became increasingly important for practitioners to have the precipitation information needed to make the nation’s water resources and infrastructure more resilient to changing rainfall patterns. The session covered:

• Key updates and improvements in NOAA Atlas 15 compared to Atlas 14
• A demonstration of the new web interface
• Applications for water quality, flood risk, and infrastructure design
• Insights into how the dataset addressed user needs

Stephanie Murphy (WHOI Sea Grant) and Jess Kuonen (New York Sea Grant) worked together on a project starting in 2020 that engaged communities in tracking coastal change through photos and will walk through some of the program highlights. During this talk, they took a deeper dive into some of the outcomes, such as the MyCoast NY program (a web tool for collecting and analyzing photos of changing water levels, shorelines, and hazardous weather impacts across New York’s varied coasts and water bodies), WHOI Sea Grant’s experience using the CoastSnap tool and its integration with MyCoast, and the Communities Tracking Coastal Change website which highlights software programs that are helpful when starting participatory science programs. 

Speakers:

• Stephanie Murphy (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Sea Grant program)
• Jess Kuonen (New York Sea Grant)

The Coastal Inundation Community of Practice launched a webinar series, designed to help you make the most of the quick views in NOAA's Sea Level Calculator.

Each session focused on one of the quick views and offered:

• Guided demonstration
• Hands-on scenarios
• Interactive polls
• Opportunities to ask the developers your questions

Webinar # 1: Observed Sea Level Trends and Future Sea Levels Quick Views

August 20, 2025

Examined historical sea level trends with tide gauge and satellite data, and explored regional extrapolations to project future conditions.

Future Sea Levels Quick View

Explore how to customize thresholds and datums, visualize inundation scenarios, and compare observation-based trajectories with model-based projections.

Webinar # 2: Seasonal Variation Quick View

September 3, 2025

Use monthly flooding and extreme events data to anticipate risk periods and plan for infrastructure maintenance, road closings, and public safety measures.

Webinar #3: Changes in Flood Frequency Quick View September 17, 2025

Participants learned how to combine historical flooding data with future projections to illustrate how minor, moderate, and major flood events will evolve under various sea level rise scenarios. Customize flood day thresholds, and visualize how these compare to projected conditions.

Missed a session? You can watch the recording of the deep dives here.

This interactive session introduced attendees to the mission and work of NOAA’s Disaster Preparedness Program . This program supports preparedness, response and recovery efforts across NOAA and with federal, state, and local partners through trainings, exercises and coordination activities. Attendees learned how the program strengthens resilience to disasters and coastal hazards, and heard firsthand how it supports each region.

CORA pairs historical observations from NOAA tide gauges with modern computer models to fill gaps in historical records. The dataset helps create a more complete and consistent picture of historical water levels by modeling waves and water levels between NOAA tide gauges. This reanalysis for the Gulf, Atlantic, and Caribbean is made possible through observations from National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON). This celebrated, novel approach of combining models and observations can be used to better assess long-term sea level change and compare current flood risks to those of the past, especially in areas where such data is currently unavailable.

Speaker:

• Analise Keeney (Coastal Hazards Oceanographer with NOAA’s Center for Operational Products and Services, CO-OPS)

In this webinar, the panelist discussed the value of regional networks and highlighted strategies that have been successful within their regions for building effective networks for coastal resilience.

Speakers:

• Lydia Salus (Wisconsin Coastal Management Program) – Collaborative Action for Lake Michigan Coastal Resilience ( CALM ),
• Tracie Sempier (Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium) – Gulf Resilience Community of Practice , and
• Danielle Swallow (Delaware Sea Grant) – Delaware Resilient And Sustainable Communities League ( RASCL ).

Special improvement districts are a proven tool used across the country to establish public-private partnerships and tackle complex resilience challenges. The Waikīkī Beach Special Improvement District was created in 2015 to preserve and restore Waikīkī Beach. Commercial properties in Waikīkī are assessed a Beach Special Improvement tax based on their property value. Learn how the Waikīkī Beach Special Improvement District has successfully funded resilience initiatives over the past decade —and consider how this model might apply in your community.

Speaker: Dolan Eversole (Waikīkī Beach management coordinator through Hawai'i Sea Grant)

This webinar highlighted the CEAR Hub 's collaborative work with the Pin Point Betterment Association to address critical challenges facing the historic Gullah Geechee community of Pin Point, GA. Speakers discussed how community-driven strategies are building Pin Point’s resilience against flooding, aging infrastructure, and coastal development while also preserving their rich cultural heritage.

Speakers: Kait Morano (CEAR Hub), and Jasmine Smith (Pin Point Betterment Association)

NOAA's Office for Coastal Management (OCM) , the National Sea Grant Office (NSGO) , and the American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP) hosted the 2024 Coastal Inundation Community of Practice Workshop on November 12-14, 2024, at the University of Washington Center for Urban Horticulture in Seattle, Washington. This workshop brought together 100 coastal flooding practitioners representing diverse transdisciplinary perspectives. This in-person workshop provided a unique opportunity to build relationships among practitioners from across the country. Coastal communities faced tremendous inundation threats, and local practitioners addressed these challenges with innovative solutions that transformed coastal ecosystems, built environments, and socioeconomic structures.

Stay tuned for the 2026 Workshop details!

This interactive discussion explored strategies for advancing flood resilience in rural coastal communities. Participants engaged with peers in small groups to discuss common challenges and share transferable strategies related to communication and engagement, capacity and partnerships, environmental justice policies, and funding opportunities.

Speaker: Renee Collini (The Water Institute)

During this webinar, participants discussed common terminology and heard case studies from Maine, California, and Hawaiʻi. Speakers focused on the vulnerability assessment planning process and execution, stakeholder engagement, and high-level results from their efforts.

Resources:

• Vulnerability Assessment webinar recording and slides
• Vulnerability Assessment Resource Guide – an inventory of tools and resources that can be helpful when creating coastal flooding vulnerability assessments
• Participant agenda and speaker bios

Speakers: Jessica Brunacini (Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve), Julia Chase (City of San Diego), Ruby Pap (Hawaiʻi Sea Grant), and Jake Thickman (NOAA Office for Coastal Management)

This event launched the Coastal Inundation Community of Practice by creating a collaborative space for participants to connect, listen, share, support, and learn from others on coastal flood risk management challenges. Participants were introduced to the Coastal Inundation Community of Practice, provided input on future activities, and networked with peers. During a panel discussion, speakers shared coastal inundation challenges they face and their perspectives on how the community of practice will be of value in addressing them.

Resources:

• FAQ document
• Virtual Kick-off recording

Speakers: Heidi Stiller (NOAA Office for Coastal Management), Doug Marcy (NOAA Office for Coastal Management), Gwen Shaughnessy (NOAA Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services), Lisa Auermuller (Rutgers – Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences (MACH)), Priscilla De La Cruz (City of Providence)

Coastal inundation is defined as water on normally dry ground as a result of flooding in communities adjacent to oceans, major estuaries, or the Great Lakes.Coastal inundation can be caused by sea level rise, storm surge, wind, waves, high tide flooding, heavy precipitation, and/or lake level change, among other physical processes, and can have temporary and permanent flooding impacts.

Coastal resilience is the ability of populations, ecosystems, and economies to prepare for, absorb, respond to, recover from, and successfully adapt to the impacts of natural and human-caused hazards, such as hurricanes and oil spills, and long-term environmental change, such as habitat loss and sea level rise.

A Community of Practice (CoP) is a group of professionals, informally bound to one another through the common pursuit of solutions through shared interests.  Communities of Practice are a way of developing social capital, nurturing new knowledge, stimulating innovation, and learning from one another.

All practitioners addressing current and future coastal flooding in the U.S. states and territories are welcome to join the Coastal Inundation Community of Practice. State and local government staff, consultants, engagement professionals, resilience coordinators, and others may find value in participating.