Waterfront Resiliency Master Plan

The City of Fernandina Beach is developing a Waterfront Resiliency Master Plan.  This document will enable the City to effectively plan future infrastructure investments to ensure the preservation of our historic coastal downtown from the effects of rising sea levels and flooding.  The process will engage stakeholders across City departments, utilities, industry and citizens to prioritize critical infrastructure that can strengthen to address shocks and stresses that can impact the City, and complete projects that can have the greatest impact across the social, economic, and environmental areas for the citizens of Fernandina Beach. 

Diagram representing the cycle of events of resiliency planning


Resiliency Defined

•“A Resilient City is one that has developed capacities to help absorb future shocks and stresses to its social, economic, and technical systems and infrastructures so as to still be able to maintain essentially the same functions, structures, systems, and identity.”– from ResilientCity.org

•Resiliency planning involves “planning and design strategies needed in order to help our cities develop the necessary capacity to meet the challenges of the future”

•Recognition that change is constant, but difficult to predict

•Involves identifying conducting assessments, identifying vulnerabilities, and determining possible courses of action

Shocks and Stresses 

Acute Shocks

An acute event or phenomenon threatening major loss of life, damage to assets, and a city’s ability to function and provide basic services.

  • Flooding – storm surge
  • Severe storms and extreme rainfall
  • Heat Wave
  • Infrastructure or building failure
  • Disease outbreak

Chronic Stresses

A chronic (ongoing or cyclical) event or phenomenon that renders the city less able to function and provide basic services.

  • Flooding – king tide/ sea level rise
  • Aging infrastructure
  • Mobility

Resources

NOAA Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper Interactive Map showing projected flooding due to high tide, storm surge and sea level rise

NOAA Sea Level Rise Viewer View sea level rise and potential coastal flooding

USGS Flood Event Viewer View high water mark data for individual storm events

NOAA Fernandina Beach Tide Station Homepage In operation since 1897, the Fernandina Beach tide station is one of the oldest in Florida.  Access to current and historic information on water level, wind and barometric pressure

Waterfront Sea Level Rise Study

Waterfront Flooding Assessment

Dry Floodproofing Historic Structures 

Examples of dry floodproofing products

Examples of dry floodproofing products