Sen. Ossoff's Push to Protect Georgia's Coast from Sea Level Rise Passes Congress

U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff secured bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate to help protect Georgia's coastal communities from sea-level rise.

Sen. Ossoff secured $5 million for Georgia Tech's Coastal Equity and Resilience (CEAR) Hub to expand their network of low-cost water level sensors along the entire coast to collect vital and potentially life-saving data on sea-level rise.

The funding passed both the Senate and House.

This expansion of the sensor network will ensure first responders can stay safe during flood emergencies and allow scientists to study long-term sea-level trends.

The CEAR Hub deployed 50 sensors beginning in 2018. Thanks to this new funding, the network will help expand the sensor program to every coastal county in Georgia.

"This is one of many initiatives I am leading to deliver the infrastructure, technology, and resources that coastal Georgians need to protect our communities from tropical storms and coastal flooding," Sen. Ossoff said.

"I'm grateful to Sen. Ossoff for this funding that will land on unusually fertile ground, in the form of a years-long partnership between Georgia Tech and other institutions of higher education as well as municipal officials and community organizations in Savannah," Dr. Kim Cobb, Director, Global Change Program at Georgia Tech. "We are excited to bring new science and technology to Georgia's coastal communities, and to do so in a framework that leverages our coast's unique geography, culture, economy, history, and natural resources as key components of coastal resilience. We are particularly excited to design and execute new K-12 programming to engage and equip the next generation of coastal residents as stewards of resilient and equitable communities."

The funding will also help build hyperlocal flood forecasting models and resilience planning tools for underserved communities and create K-12 curricula, paid internships, and other workforce development programs.

In February as part of his continued work to support coastal Georgia, Sen. Ossoff introduced legislation to protect Tybee Island from the effects of growing storm surge.

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