Elected and municipal officials along with other community, nonprofit and business leaders from the Charleston region will discuss issues involving shoreline change management at the Charleston Community Leaders’ Forum on Shoreline Change July 13 at the Charleston County Public Services Building, DHEC reported.

Topics will include implications of chronic erosion, gradual sea level rise, increased shoreline development and comprehensive beachfront management planning. A public comment period began 5:30 p.m. yesterday.

Organized by DHEC in 2007, the Shoreline Change Advisory Committee is an advisory committee of a broad cross-section of stakeholders including scientists, coastal managers, municipal officials, developers, conservationists and legal professionals. The committee’s purpose is to organize existing shoreline research, identify research priority needs and consider policy-related issues concerning management of South Carolina’s estuarine and beachfront shorelines. A report of the committee’s findings is planned for late 2009.

The Charleston Community Leaders’ Forum on Shoreline Change is organized by DHEC’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management in partnership with S. C. Sea Grant Consortium, the College of Charleston and the City of Folly Beach.

For more information on the Shoreline Change Advisory Committee visit http://www.scdhec.gov/environment/ocrm/science/shoreline_comm.htm

FEMA will use the results of this sea level rise study to assess the long-term fiscal implications of climate change as it affects the frequency and effects of natural disasters. Information from the study will be shared with other states to inform their climate change mitigation efforts.

“…the study will complement an existing study currently being performed by FEMA which focuses on the effect of climate change on the National Flood Insurance Program.” – Phil May

According to FEMA Regional Administrator Phil May, the information and results from this study may help formulate strategies to deal with potential effects of sea level rise on the nation’s coast.

“North Carolina has been very proactive in implementing and improving upon coastal zone management activities and policies,” May said.

“Although the study is focused on just the state of North Carolina, the results of the study should be applicable to other coastal states as well.”