Imperial Beach Mayor and Executive Director of WILDCOAST, Serge Dedina joined hundreds of climate adaptation leaders at the 2019 National Adaptation Forum in Madison, Wisconsin to present in the forum’s opening plenary, “Human Ingenuity in Climate Action-Stories from across the Nation.”
Imperial Beach Mayor and Executive Director of WILDCOAST, Serge Dedina joined hundreds of climate adaptation leaders this week at the 2019 National Adaptation Forum in Madison, Wisconsin to present in the forum’s opening plenary, “Human Ingenuity in Climate Action-Stories from across the Nation.” Mayor Dedina told conference attendees about the vulnerability of the Imperial Beach community in the face of sea level rise and extreme flooding. Highlighting the city’s recent collaboration entitled “Resilient Futures: Imperial Beach” with researchers at the Center for Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation (CCCIA) at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, Dedina affirmed his leadership on the national stage expressing ardently his commitment to the community of Imperial Beach to adapt to the threats of our changing climate.
The City of Imperial Beach is a low-lying coastal community just north of the U.S.-Mexico border that is vulnerable to flooding, particularly as sea level continues to rise. During seasonal peak tides and energetic wave events, the City already experiences flooding that impacts residents, businesses, and infrastructure.
As part of the Resilient Futures project, led by researchers at the CCCIA at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, CCCIA is teaming with the Imperial Beach community to upgrade the city’s flood alert capabilities and to develop tools to better prepare stakeholders for sea-level rise. The dedicated observing network and modeling system will provide the information needed for accurate, early flood warnings for vulnerable locations throughout the city, as well as the baseline information needed to develop and evaluate future sea-level rise adaptation strategies.
The National Adaptation Forum convenes adaptation practitioners from around the country that are focused on moving beyond adaptation awareness and planning to adaptation action. The Forum includes opportunities for professional development through formal trainings, facilitated practitioner presentations, and community building. This event affords attendees the opportunity to learn more about how to make their work climate smart, share what they have learned with others, and develop a stronger network to be climate savvy in all that they do.
To learn more about the National Adaptation Forum, please visit: https://www.nationaladaptationforum.org/about
To learn more about the Resilient Futures: Imperial Beach Project, please visit: http://resilientib.ucsd.edu