National Planning Center of Expertise for Coastal Storm Damage Reduction

The North Atlantic Division is one of seven National Planning Centers of Expertise throughout the Corps and supports the entire agency with planning guidance and technical review on coastal storm damage reduction, with emphasis on regional sediment management and ecosystem restoration needs at both the national and international levels.

Our role is to serve as a planning services support center for coastal storm damage reduction needs, interacting with project delivery teams and matching needs with resources. The center seeks to improve the quality and timeliness of coastal storm damage reduction studies by providing services that meet the needs of our customers. With experts located throughout the region, this ‘virtual’ team of 50 develops, maintains and applies the best and most appropriate national and regional expertise and science and engineering technology to the planning of coastal storm damage reduction projects anywhere in the nation.

The Center of Expertise was selected by the Director of Civil Works in August 2003 and is now working on independent technical review and external peer review for the Louisiana Coastal Protection & Restoration (LaCPR) study and the Mississippi Coastal Improvement Plan (MsCIP).