Delaware’s Coastal Management Fellow Develops Tool to Personalize Flood Adaptation

The Takeaway: A NOAA Coastal Management Fellow developed the I-ADAPT tool to help Delaware residents and businesses better prepare their properties for flooding through personalized recommendations.

An employee looks at the I-ADAPT tool on a computer screen in a conference room. — Delaware Coastal Program employee Jordana Cutajar demonstrates I-ADAPT during a public workshop at the tool’s launch. Photo Credit: Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control

Coastal Management Fellowship

This program matches postgraduate students with state coastal resource agencies to work on specific projects for two years. Learn about the application process and important dates for hosting or becoming a fellow on the fellowship page.

In Delaware, flooding is the most common natural hazard communities face – a threat that is only worsening with climate change and sea level rise. A NOAA Coastal Management Fellow developed a tool to help communities mitigate flooding impacts from sea level rise and coastal storms.

The Individual Adaptation Decision And Planning Tool, or I-ADAPT, walks users through flood mitigation options to make decisions about how to prepare their homes, businesses, and land for flooding impacts. After answering a few questions about their property, users receive recommendations for immediate actions (such as caulking windows and doors) and future actions to reduce their flooding risk from sea level rise through 2050.

The tool’s recommendations are supported by adaptation strategy documents that can be accessed on the I-ADAPT webpage. Ninety-three strategies to help tackle flooding each include an overview, estimated cost and benefits, expected maintenance, funding opportunities, and more resources.

The goal for I-ADAPT, along with other resilience actions outlined in Delaware’s Climate Action Plan, is to raise awareness of hazards and resources at the local and state level. The tool also serves as a living resource that will improve over time as the Delaware Coastal Program incorporates user feedback and works to translate it into additional languages.

The Coastal Management Fellow who developed I-ADAPT was matched with the Delaware Coastal Program from Villanova University and nominated by Pennsylvania Sea Grant. When the fellowship ended, she worked as a coastal scientist in the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control before taking a permanent position with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2024)

Partners: NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management, Delaware Coastal Program, Villanova University, Pennsylvania Sea Grant