Tides to Storms
TIDES TO STORMS: Assessing Risk and Vulnerability to Sea-level rise and Storm Surge: A Vulnerability Assessment of Coastal New Hampshire
Portsmouth, New Castle, Rye, North Hampton, Hampton, Hampton Falls and Seabrook
In September 2015 the Rockingham Planning Commission completed the Tides to Storms project to assess the vulnerability of coastal municipalities and public infrastructure to flooding from expected increases in storm surge and rates of sea-level rise. The project’s purpose was to develop a regional scale understanding of what and where impacts from sea-level rise and storm surge will occur on New Hampshire’s coast. The study did not include an assessment of the specific degree of damage nor estimate monetary losses to specific sites or properties.
In addition to the regional vulnerability assessment, an assessment report and map set were prepared for each of the seven coastal municipalities. Municipalities were provided maps and an assessment of risks to roadways and supporting transportation infrastructure, critical facilities and infrastructure, and natural resources. Each report includes recommended actions that municipalities can take to help adapt and improve resiliency to changing conditions caused by storm surge and sea-level rise. The Rockingham Planning Commission gratefully acknowledges the participation of the coastal New Hampshire municipalities and their officials, staff, boards and commissions in the preparation of this project.
Regional Vulnerability Assessment Report and Map Set
Note: Due to their size the regional map set is contains in a zipped folder containing individual map files (PDFs).
Regional Vulnerability Assessment Report
Regional Vulnerability Assessment Map Set
| Sea Level Rise Maps | Sea-Level Rise + Storm Surge (SS) Maps |
| SLR 1.7' Depth of Flooding | SLR 1.7' + SS Depth of Flooding |
| SLR 4.0' Depth of Flooding | SLR 4.0' + SS Depth of Flooding |
| SLR 6.3' Depth of Flooding | SLR 6.3' + SS Depth of Flooding |
Municipal Vulnerability Assessment Reports
- Portsmouth Report and Maps
- New Castle Report and Maps
- Rye Report and Maps
- North Hampton Report and Maps
- Hampton Report and Maps
- Hampton Falls Report and Maps
- Seabrook Report and Maps
This project was funded by New Hampshire Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) through a Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Additional funding for this project provided by the NH Department of Transportation through Federal Highways Administration.Technical support and data provided by NH GRANIT.
Use and Applicability of the Tides to Storms Reports and Maps:
The purpose of the regional and municipal vulnerability assessment reports is to provide a broad overview of the potential risk and vulnerability of state, municipal and public assets as a result of projected changes in sea-levels and coastal storm surge. This report should be used for preliminary and general planning purposes only, not for parcel level or site specific analyses. The vulnerability assessments performed were limited by several factors including the vertical accuracy of elevation data (derived from LiDAR) and the static analysis applied to map coastal areas subject to future flooding which does not consider wave action and other coastal dynamics. Also, the identification of flood impacts to buildings and infrastructure are based upon the elevations of the land surrounding them, not the elevation of any structure itself. The changes in sea-level used as the basis of the vulnerability assessment are based on a plausible range of sea-level scenarios as depicted in the 2014 National Climate Assessment and New Hampshire Coastal Risks and Hazards Commission Science and Technical Advisory Committee 2014 report, and are not projections or estimates. The assumptions that underlie the sea-level scenarios should be reviewed on a regular basis.
TIDES TO STORMS 2 – CLIMATE ADAPTATION IMPLEMENTATION
Project Overview
The Tides to Storms 2 – Climate Adaptation Implementation project engaged New Hampshire’s seven Atlantic coastal municipalities in implementing recommendations from the Rockingham Planning Commission’s (RPC) Tides to Storms Vulnerability Assessment (2015). In response to RPC’s solicitation to provide technical assistance, each municipality self-selected their project as follows:
Portsmouth – research strategies to address coastal flooding in zoning and building codes
New Castle – community outreach about the role of coastal buffers in reducing flooding impacts
Rye – prepare a Coastal Risks and Climate Adaptation Chapter for the Master Plan
North Hampton – prepare flood protection provisions for existing buffer standards in the zoning ordinance
Hampton – prepare amendments to the floodplain development standards in the zoning ordinance
Hampton Falls - community outreach about the role of coastal buffers in reducing flooding impacts and assist Master Plan committee in incorporating Tides to Storms information in the master plan
Seabrook - prepare a Coastal Risks and Adaptation Chapter for the Master Plan (adopted in November 2016)
The Tides to Storms 2 - Climate Adaptation Implementation project was funded by a grant from the Northeast Region Ocean Council through a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Funding Grant.
