StormSmart Infrastructure

Infrastructure—power, water and stormwater systems, roads, bridges, and buildings—are vital to a community’s operation and quality of life, as well as for a citizen’s economic, social, and physical well being. Infrastructure is also critical to a community’s ability to prepare for and respond to flooding, storm damage, and other coastal hazards. If during an extreme coastal hazard event, a community’s facilities are flooded or otherwise disabled, recovery will be hampered and lives may be lost. For example, if roads to homes are too flooded for ambulances to traverse, what might otherwise be minor medical events could easily become fatal. Coastal communities should adopt high standards for infrastructure to make it resistant and resilient to coastal hazards—ideally by keeping it out of areas where it may be harmed. A community should also use infrastructure to guide or direct development away from coastal high-hazard zones.

Below is a menu of infrastructure protection options.

Roads and Utilities

• Protecting critical access routes
• Keeping roads and utilities out of damage-prone areas

Non-Critical Public Buildings

• Maintaining an inventory of hazard risks for all public property
• Insuring public buildings

Critical Facilities

• Improving construction and design of critical facilities
• Siting critical facilities out of harm’s way