A warming climate, fluctuations in weather patterns and rising sea levels may change the way businesses operate in coastal Delaware. It also will have an impact on how quickly businesses recover and get back online after a natural hazard.

Eight million tourists visit coastal Delaware annually, with a majority coming to coastal Delaware to enjoy 24 miles of ocean beaches, state parks and recreational facilities for fishing, boating, swimming, hiking, bird-watching, camping, cycling and more.

Visitors also enjoy tax-free shopping, restaurants, golfing and entertainment venues, including Rehoboth and Bethany Beach boardwalks.

A new report released by Delaware Sea Grant (DESG) outlines ways the tourism industry can prepare for flooding and other associated effects of climate change.

The 29-page document, "Coastal Delaware Resiliency: Response, recovery and adaptation by the tourism industry to natural hazards and climate change," is a collaborative effort between DESG and UD’s Sustainable Coastal Community Initiative. Available for download on the DESG website, the report highlights existing Delaware resources that can help business owners:

• identify business activities that are essential for continued operation

• prepare for risks, and

• create a recovery plan in the event of a natural disaster.

“Tourism is a $3 billion industry in Delaware. This report aims to help Delaware’s tourism businesses identify vulnerabilities to natural hazards and plan for resiliency in the face of rising sea levels and increasingly severe weather,” said Jim Falk, who co-authored the report and is former acting director of Delaware Sea Grant.

How climate change will affect southern Delaware tourism

According to the Delaware Tourism office, the tourism industry employs 40,830 people and was the fourth largest private employer in the state for 2015. In Sussex County alone, more than $630 million was generated by direct tourism sales in 2013. Without this revenue source, each household would have to pay up to $1,360 more in state and local taxes.

Coastal areas are particularly prone to the impacts associated with climate change. As the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide increases, sea surface temperatures increase, ocean waters expand, glacial sea ice melts, and sea levels rise along the coast. This is having and will continue to have profound impacts on Delaware’s coastal communities.

Short-term changes in weather that can be attributed to climate change include increase in daily temperatures, rain and snowfall patterns (including the severity of hurricanes), and the duration of heatwaves.

Tidal wetland flooding, beach erosion and infrastructure damage are expected to be costly for coastal communities. Sussex County, Delaware, is particularly vulnerable and the data suggests that nearly 99 percent of the county’s 21,090 acres of saltmarsh could be underwater by 2100. Additionally, nearly 40 percent of state park land in Sussex County may be underwater if sea level projections continue to be accurate.

The report further estimates that between 27 and 39 miles of evacuation routes would beflooded with a sea level rise of 1-1.5 meters, including much of Rt. 1.

“A bad nor’easter could close Rt. 1 near the Indian River Inlet for weeks. Tourism and Emergency Services should have contingency plans to fix and cope with such an eventuality,” said Falk.

Planning for coastal resilience

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) defines coastal resilience as “the ability of a community to bounce back after hazardous events such as hurricanes, coastal storms and flooding, rather than simply responding to impacts.”

During Hurricane Sandy, storm emergency plans and protective building codes helped spare many of New Jersey’s newer structures. States like Maryland, which have adequate setbacks and stormwater, wetland and zoning laws, fare far better in storm events than other, more permissive states. Communities without rebuilding plans, however, take substantially longer to recover from natural disasters.

“Small coastal communities relying on tourism for economic vitality need to rapidly return to business-as-usual after an event,” said Ed Lewandowski, DESG acting marine advisory service director.

The DESG report suggests that all recovery strategies should include plans for how to allocate relief dollars so places like boardwalks, beaches and Main Streets can quickly entice and reassure tentative tourists.

Delaware Sea Grant efforts

For more than 40 years, Delaware Sea Grant has been a trusted partner in providing communities and policy makers with sound science-based research to support initiatives related to the challenges associated with climate change.

Ongoing DESG projects include, but are not limited to:

• Assisting communities to prepare for climate change and understand the key role local governments play in building resilience towards natural hazard and climate impacts through DESG’s resilient coastal communities initiative; 

• Funding and support for real-time data products like the Coastal Flood Monitoring System and Delaware Environmental Observing System, which inform emergency managers and communities during weather and flood events; 

• Conducting research and demonstration projects for salt-tolerant crops to withstand flooded agricultural fields, while providing a commercially viable alternative for farmers;

• Inspiring and supporting formal and informal climate change science education through the Maryland Delaware Climate Change Education, Assessment and Research (MADE CLEAR) collaboration.

DESG resources available to help business owners and community members prepare include a Natural Hazard and Climate Change Adaptation Tool Kit for Delaware Communities and the Delaware Homeowner Handbook to Prepare for Natural Hazards.

Other web resources include adaptation plan examples, flood maps and climate impact assessments for Delaware, among other things. The report also details checklists for vacation rentals and second homeowners.

About Delaware Sea Grant                                       

The University of Delaware was designated as the nation’s ninth Sea Grant College in 1976 to promote the wise use, conservation and management of marine and coastal resources through high-quality research, education and outreach activities that serve the public and the environment.

Administered by UD’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, Delaware Sea Grant college program conducts research in priority areas ranging from aquaculture to coastal hazards.