Evaluating NOAA’s Coastal Storms Program in the Gulf of Mexico

Under the NOAA-led Coastal Storms Program, organizations from many sectors collaborate to help make coastal communities safer from coastal storms. The program identifies coastal regions it can help, then works for a few years in each area to develop tools and services tailored to build community resiliency to coastal storms in that area. NOAA asked ERG to evaluate the impact of its five-year Gulf of Mexico project and suggest ways to enhance effectiveness in future project areas.

ERG interviewed key informants, surveyed stakeholders, and analyzed National Flood Insurance Program Community Rating Systems data to assess how well the program built resiliency in the Gulf area. Based on this analysis, we developed detailed recommendations to enhance future effectiveness, including a recommendation on the project coordinator’s characteristics and role, a model for organizing future projects, and recommendations on effectively using small grants to address regional issues.