Coastal Resiliency Needs Assessment in Sussex County
Date
2017-05
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Abstract
Communities in Sussex County, Delaware, must address their vulnerability to natural
hazards and climate change impacts such as frequent flood events, sea level rise, and increased temperatures. To assist communities along the way, many Delaware state agencies and organizations offer a range of resources to local municipalities for hazard mitigation and resiliency-building. An important question is whether these state-level resources, which include technical and financial assistance programs, align with and serve the local needs of Sussex County communities. To help answer that question, a needs assessment was conducted at the municipal level to evaluate the level of fit between state offerings and the hazard mitigation and resiliency-building demands of Sussex County towns.
Delaware Coastal Programs (DCP) partnered with the Institute for Public Administration
(IPA) at the University of Delaware to conduct research on the local hazard mitigation and
resiliency needs of Sussex County municipalities. Information on local needs was acquired
through interviews with municipal leaders in several Sussex County towns. The interview data
was analyzed, local needs were identified, and they were compared to a recently completed
inventory of state agency service offerings to determine gaps.
This report provides a summary of the completed research. It begins with a description of
the research context, including discussion of a newly formed resiliency partnership comprising representatives of various state agencies. The report outlines the research methodology, describes the findings, and concludes with a set of recommendations to improve and enhance the effectiveness of resiliency-building activity in Sussex County municipalities.
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Keywords
Sea level rise, Coastal flooding, Resiliency, Sussex County