Appendix I Current Agency Flood Risk Management Programs
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA)
NOAA (under the Department of Commerce) has multiple roles in federal flood risk management, including through the National Weather Service (NWS) which is addressed separately below.116 Coastal resilience and flood risk management are addressed through research and programs primarily housed within the National Ocean Service (NOS) and the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR). The National Ocean Service (NOS)’s mission is “to provide science-based solutions through collaborative partnerships to address evolving economic, environmental, and social pressures on our ocean and coasts.” NOS carries out flood risk management through its coastal programs, including implementing the Coastal Zone Management Act and through the Digital Coast Partnership, which provides access to mapping products and data aggregated across government entities. These products include Coastal Flood Exposure maps and the Seal Level Rise viewer (which is incorporated into the Coastal Flood Exposure maps). While they do not cover the entirety of US coastline, the Coastal Flood Exposure maps are the best example of federal-level, user-oriented advisory maps that combine data from multiple agencies to communicate vulnerability of communities to multiple types flood hazards, including beyond the FEMA 1% annual chance floodplain. NFHRP could use these maps as a potential model for elevated nation-wide flood risk maps. Finally, NOS’s Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services is responsible for producing national flood forecast maps that combine precipitation data with USGS streamflow data. The Coastal Inundation Dashboard displays this information for current and historic flooding events. The Office of Coastal Management also administers the National Coastal Resilience Grants Program, which is a competitive grant program that funds projects to help “coastal communities and ecosystems prepare for and recover from extreme weather events, climate hazards, and changing ocean conditions.” With a focus on natural infrastructure, post-disaster recovery, and assessing risk, funded projects require a non-federal match. The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) is responsible for NOAA’s research on climate, weather, coasts, marine science and other relevant topics. OAR’s mission is to “conduct research to understand and predict the Earth system; develop technology to improve NOAA science, service, and stewardship; and transition the results so they are useful to society.” It houses the Climate Program Office, which is responsible for climate modeling and led USGCRP’s fourth national climate assessment. 40
