New Tool Prepares Rhode Island for Rising Seas

A new mapping tool shows the potential devastation along the Rhode Island coast caused by rising waters from climate change and storm surges.

1 minute read

December 7, 2016, 6:00 AM PST

By jwilliams @jwillia22


Newport, Rhode Island

Artur Staszewski / Flickr

Researchers at the University of Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council have developed a new mapping tool that models potential flooding damage from rising seas and the storm surge from potentially deadly hurricanes. Alex Kuffner of the Providence Journal writes that the new mapping tool known as CERI (short for Coastal Environmental Risk Index)combines Google Earth data along with a pre-existing mapping software knows as StormTools to give users a predictive model of what would happen in different scenarios, including a strike by a 100 year storm. The tool further combines data about existing housing along the coast with estimates of damage from the Army Corps of Engineers.

The maps incorporate information on housing structures from Rhode Island’s E-911 emergency response database, which not only pinpoints houses using satellite information but also divides them into general categories: with basement or without, elevated or not, one story or two, and so on.

The results of the simulations from CERI are impacting how towns along the coast plan ahead for potentially damaging flooding. The director of planning for Warwick, RI says that the data could influence how emergency response is managed and the requirement for height of future homes above grade.

Tuesday, December 6, 2016 in Providence Journal

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight