WCU Stories      May 23, 2019

Western Carolina University’s Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines has joined the American Flood Coalition, a nonpartisan organization advocating for national solutions to flooding and sea level rise.

“We all know that the sea level is rising,” said Rob Young, director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines and WCU professor of coastal geology. “Scientists have been measuring it directly and indirectly for more than a century. The first step in adapting to this rising sea level is to do a much better job preparing for the next storm and addressing the nuisance flooding that is impacting communities across the country. These are not hypotheticals. These are hazards our municipalities are encountering today. The Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines provides tools to assist all public and private entities in identifying hazards, examining how their infrastructure will perform when exposed to those hazards, and planning for mitigation.”

WCU’s Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines is an internationally known research initiative working to find economically viable and environmentally sound solutions to coastal problems. A self-sustaining program, its faculty and students have worked with numerous entities, including the National Park Service, in a multiyear, ongoing collaboration. Over the years, faculty and students in the program have examined the natural hazard vulnerability of infrastructure at numerous national parks along U.S. coastlines and at Yellowstone National Park.

The coalition counts among its membership elected officials, city and county leaders, military officers and businesses, with a mission to protect the nation’s residents, economy and military installations.

For more information about WCU’s Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines, visit the website psds.wcu.edu.