Summary

Proceedings of the 2011 Solutions to Coastal Disasters Conference, held in Anchorage, Alaska, June 25¿29, 2011. Sponsored by the Coasts, Oceans, Ports, and Rivers Institute of ASCE; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and Federal Emergency Management Agency. This collection contains 79 papers examining the physical and environmental linkages on the coast, the vulnerability of existing coastal communities, sustainability and adaptation, and ways to incorporate social solutions into the discussion of coastal disasters. These papers address on the challenges and lessons that are being learned along the coastlines of the globe. They focus on both the lessons learned and the opportunities to best apply these lessons to avoid or minimize preventable losses. Topics include: sea-level rise and some emerging options for adaptation; hurricanes, typhoons, and storm surge damages; improved forecasting tools and opportunities to reduce damages in the future; coastal inundation and flooding; shoreline erosion and ways to study, understand, and adapt to shoreline change in the face of rising sea level; shoreline management and coastal hazard mitigation; vulnerability and adaptability of coastal structures and marine facilities; social science of natural disasters; and modeling efforts, field investigations, preparedness and lessons learned from recent tsunami events. Coastal managers, planners, scientists, engineers, geologists, economists and oceanographers will find useful information in this multidisciplinary collection.