Volusia Forward
Countywide Vulnerability Assessment with Community Engagement
In December 2022, Volusia County received a $288,000 grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Resilient Florida Program to conduct a countywide vulnerability assessment with community engagement. The East Central Florida Regional Planning Council is in the process of developing this vulnerability assessment with a completion date of December 2024.
What is Resiliency?
The ability to bounce forward, absorb, recover, and improve in the face of short-term shocks (ex. hurricanes) and long-term stressors (ex. aging infrastructure).
What is a Vulnerability Assessment?
Analysis of critical and regionally significant assets that are at-risk from flooding, storm surge, and sea level rise. This includes both exposure and sensitivity analysis.
Exposure Analysis (What gets wet) - Identifies baseline risk and allows the community to understand risk through spatial extent and level of exposure.
Sensitivity Analysis (How wet it will get) - An inventory of community assets (populations, structures, economic functions) and quantifies/measures the impacts of sea level rise on those assets.
Why is this necessary?
Our critical assets are vulnerable/at risk to the impacts of the short-term stresses, such as:
- Extreme rainfall
- More intense/severe storms
- Storm surge
- Flooding
What is causing these stresses?
Sea Level Rise caused by the increase in ocean temperatures and the melting of glaciers.
Video Credit: FAU Center for Environmental Studies
How to learn more:
1. Review past workshop materials
February - June 2024, Volusia County conducted a series of workshops for government officials, community members, and a train-the-trainer for local government staff. These workshops: 1) established a shared understanding of terminology; 2) explained the purpose and benefits of adaptation and resilience and how the county is currently building long-term resilience; 3) identified barriers to integrating these concepts; 4) explained the draft data from teh ongoing vulnerability assessment; 5) provided tools and resources to assess local climate risks; and 6) identified potential impacts on essential community services.
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Building Sustainable Communities: An Introduction Workshop PowerPoint - Click here Watch the recorded presentation - Click here |
Understanding Risk and Vulnerability Workshop PowerPoint - Click here Watch the recorded presentation - Click here |
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2. Use available resources
Volusia County Flood Risk Map
Interactive map to find flood zones, FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map information, elevation certificates, and more.
Storm Surge Zone Maps
Hurricane storm surge zones from Florida's Statewide Regional Evacuation Studies.
Weather Conditions
This story map contains a collection of web maps related to the current and future weather conditions as provided by NOAA.
NOAA CanVis
Creates photo-realistic simulations for visualizing the potential impacts from coastal development and sea level rise.
NOAA’s Sea Level Trends
Illustrates regional trends in sea level with arrows representing the direction and magnitude of change.
NOAA’s Climate Data Online
Provides free access to historic weather and climate data in addition to station history information. Includes daily, monthly, seasonal, and yearly measurements.
Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI)
Measures the social vulnerability of U.S. counties and census tracts to environmental hazards, including sea level rise.
FEMA’s National Risk Index (NRI)
An online tool that illustrates communities across the U.S. most at risk to 18 different natural hazards. Factors for social vulnerability and community resilience are included.
FDEP’s Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection
Provides a multitude of resources to assist with preparing the State’s coastal communities and state-managed lands for the effects of sea level rise, coastal flooding, erosion, and storms.
East Central Florida Regional Planning Council
Aids communities to adapt to natural hazards; conducts vulnerability assessments, maps coastal risk scenarios, and develops strategies for long-range solutions.
Peril of Flood: Florida’s Coastal Resiliency Portal
Resource hub showcasing success stories, resources, and information regarding coastal resiliency in Florida.
3. Contact local government staff with questions
Sustainability and Resilience Activity: GreenVolusia@volusia.org
Terms to Know
Climate Adaptation
Adjustment of human and environmental behaviors, interactions, and systems to better anticipate the possible consequences and impacts of climate change.
Mitigation
The actions taken to reduce or slow climate change impacts.
Critical Assets
Community assets that are essential for critical government and business functions, national security, public health and safety, the economy, flood and storm protection, water quality management, and wildlife habitat management.
Regionally Significant Assets
Critical assets that support the needs of communities spanning multiple geopolitical jurisdictions, including, but not limited to, water resource facilities, regional medical centers, emergency operation centers, regional utilities, major transportation hubs and corridors, airports, and seaports.
Transform 386
Volusia County received an allocation of $328.9 million in Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds as a rulst of the devasting storms and flooding events that occurred during Hurricane Ian. CDBG-DR funds are to be used for disaster relief, long-term recovery, restoration of infrastructure, housing, economic revitalization, and mitigation in the most impacted and distressed areas. Click here to learn more.
