Sea level rise in Maryland’s more vulnerable communities can result in nuisance flooding on public roads – and reporting and documenting the road closures in a timely manner poses challenges. Fortunately, the State Highway Administration (SHA) is rolling out a brand new tool to help counties report road closures at the MACo Winter Conference session, “The Tides, They Are A-Changing: Preparing for Sea Level Rise.”
Maryland’s Road Closure Reporter is a free web-based application built and provided by SHA in partnership with the Maryland Department of Information Technology for Maryland’s local jurisdictions. The purpose of the application is to provide a consistent state-wide tool for local jurisdictions to easily and authoritatively submit, manage, disseminate, track and archive road closure events for their jurisdiction as they deem necessary.
Marshall Stevenson, GIS Program Support for SHA will join the MACo Winter Conference session, “The Tides, They Are A-Changing: Preparing for Sea Level Rise,” to discuss roll-out of Maryland’s Road Closure Reporter and how counties can get involved.
The session will also feature Elizabeth Habic, Climate Change Program Manager for SHA; Somerset County Commissioner Charles Fisher; and Sasha Land from the Coast-Smart Communities Initiative, a grant program of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Session Description: With a massive amount of our infrastructure situated waterside, Maryland’s communities bear significant responsibility to respond against the challenges of a changing climate and coastline. Fortunately, an array of resources exist to help. A variety of new web-based tools are emerging that provide quick and easy access to the best available data related to landscapes and environmental conditions. With increased awareness of these kind of applications, counties will be better equipped to meet their environmental program goals. During this session, participants will learn about training, data, and tools to help guide green infrastructure projects and grant resources to address short- and long-term coastal hazards, such as coastal flooding, storm surge, and sea level rise.
Speakers:
- Charles Fisher, Commissioner, Somerset County
- Sasha Land, Chesapeake and Coastal Service, Department of Natural Resources
- Elizabeth Habic, Climate Change Program Manager, SHA
- Marshall Stevenson, GIS Program Support, SHA
Date/Time: Thursday, December 8, 2016, 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
The MACo Winter Conference will be held December 7-9, 2016 at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Resort in Cambridge, Maryland. This year’s conference theme is “An Ounce of Prevention.”
Learn more about MACo’s Winter Conference:
