Coastal Risk Atlas

The Coastal Risk Atlas (CRA) project has been incorporated into the NOAA Coastal Services Center's (CSC) Digital Coast. Due to age of underlying data and in keeping with best public interest, the Vulnerability Maps of CRA were turned off on September 30, 2009.

The CRA project was developed to aid hurricane preparedness efforts by providing the data and methodology necessary to conduct vulnerability assessments for the coastal United States. New elements of a community resilience and vulnerability assessment framework are available on CSC's Digital Coast. The framework includes an assessment methodology and tools, planning applications, and technical assistance such as:

• County Snapshots — a website with a simple mapping interface that provides quick views of a county's exposure to flood risks, including vulnerable population; community infrastructure, such as roads and critical facilities; and land cover.

• Coastal Inundation Toolkit — a website and resources for managers and technical staff for understanding, determining exposure to, and mapping and visualizing coastal inundation. The toolkit was developed in collaboration with the Digital Coast partnership group (The Nature Conservancy, National Association of Counties, National States Geographic Information Council, Association of State Floodplain Managers, and Coastal States Organization).

• Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flood Frequency Viewer — a visualization tool which can be used to illustrate how sea level rise will impact a community. The tool is helpful for those involved in coastal planning and community education.

• Roadmap for Adapting to Coastal Risks Training — a stand-up training course that teaches participants how to design a local risk assessment and planning process using spatial and visualization data and techniques.