Resilient community votes unanimously to address climate induced sea level rise

Jason Evans of Stetson University studies a section
 of US Highway 80, the only access road to Tybee Island.

On Thursday, April 17, Tybee Island City Council voted unanimously to accept a plan addressing risks that the island faces from sea level rise over the next 50 years.

As a low-lying barrier island, Tybee Island is already vulnerable to frequent and widespread flooding. The beach community has experienced 10 inches of sea-level rise since 1935, according to a nearby National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) tide gauge at Fort Pulaski. Three of the top ten highest tides ever recorded by the tide gauge occurred in October 2015. Scientists worldwide expect this trend to accelerate in the future.

A major tourism hub of the Georgia coast, Tybee Island is a significant driver of the state’s coastal economy and the nearby city of Savannah. Whether through more frequent and widespread flooding or devastating destruction due to intensified storm surges, sea-level rise has the potential to dramatically affect the island’s economic, infrastructural and environmental health.

Read the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) story -  “Community Resilience: Tybee Island creates Georgia’s first sea level rise plan.”