R.I. receives nearly $200K from NOAA to curb coastal risk

WASHINGTON – Rhode Island will receive $193,090 in federal funding through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to make the state’s coastline more resilient to future storms and rising sea levels.

The funds, administered through NOAA’s National Coastal Zone Management Program, will support the Coastal Resources Management Council’s Rhode Island Shoreline Change Special Area Management Plan, an ongoing project to identify areas at high risk of coastal erosion and sea-level rise.

Data collected through the project will be used to develop coastal resilience strategies and minimize damage from coastal hazards, including the restoration of wetlands, coastal dunes, and beaches that also protect coastal homeowners and businesses.

“This NOAA award will provide needed funding to assess the erosion problems along the south shore of Rhode Island,” said CRMC Executive Director Grover Fugate. “With this information, we will be able forecast what our future shoreline will look like as climate change impacts our state, and allow us to make better decisions both in the short and long-term.”

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The latest award from NOAA builds on previous funding for the CRMC’s coastal resiliency efforts from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the state of Rhode Island.

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