Kent County, Maryland Climate Change and Sea Level Rise Adaptation Report

This report summarizes the climate change impacts occurring in Kent County, Maryland, and recommends adaptation actions for increasing the resilience of residents, county facilities, and operations. The report includes a Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment for Kent County which finds that climate change is increasing the risk of localized natural hazards. The assessment describes current and projected climate change impacts including heat, precipitation, sea level rise, and flooding in the region.

Section 3 - Preparedness and Resilience Actions describes 22 adaption recommendations that were identified by stakeholders and participants through the the Vulnerability, Consequences, and Adaptation Planning Scenarios (“VCAPS”) process. Participants using VCAPS develop an understanding of projected local climate impacts, resulting consequences to the community, and are then able to identify resiliency strategies. This section details the recommended resilience actions in eight categories of:

Cooperation and Collaboration;

Community Resilience;

Community Preparedness;

Education, Information, and Outreach;

Emergency Management;

Infrastructure and Maintenance;

Planning and Decision Making;

Capital investment;

Land Use and Land Management; and

Research and Data.

Appendix E is a table that suggests lead and relevant departments for each recommended action found in Section 3.

Appendix A has the Sea Level Rise Impact GIS Analysis conducted for Kent County in July 2016. 

 

 

 

Publication Date: September 2016

Author or Affiliated User:

Related Organizations:

  • Eastern Shore Land Conservancy
  • University of Maryland Extension - Sea Grant
  • Kent County, Maryland

Sectors:

Resource Category:

Resource Types:

  • Adaptation plan
  • Assessment

States Affected:

Impacts:

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