Post Flood-Recovery Visioning for Sodus Point, NY

Session: Coastal Resilience in the Face of Change (2)

Mary Austerman, NY Sea Grant, [email protected]
Jayme Thomann, Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council, [email protected]

Abstract

Research has long shown that, in the absence of some larger vision for the future, residents of communities recovering from a hazard event such as severe flooding and erosion have an operative idea of their rebuilt community—almost invariably it resembles the community they already knew.  Effective visioning may help expand the window of opportunity to marshal support for change after an event.  Opportunities to properly plan for and mitigate both natural and man-made hazards, rather than to quickly rebuild back to “normal,” should be explored.

Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council and New York Sea Grant coordinated a public engagement workshop where invited stakeholders reacted to the 2017 Lake Ontario flood and erosion event; identified past, current, and future challenges and strengths based on three community components (e.g., infrastructural, environmental, and economic/tourism); and developed and prioritized actions to improve the community’s resilience to future high water levels on Lake Ontario. A Summary of Findings report with an implementation agenda (e.g., timelines for each action, possible funding sources, and estimated costs) will be developed and later presented at a general public meeting. This presentation will focus on the process used, report findings and the lessons learned.

Twitter handle of presenter
nyseagrant