Teachers Guide to the High Water Mark Initiative

In an eﬀort to make residents aware of ﬂood risks and encourage them to take action to reduce risk, many of Monmouth County’s coastal communities are participating in the Monmouth County High Water Mark Initiative. Through this initiative the County and its partners have recently placed nearly 100 high water mark signs throughout 14 towns and 2 federal sites.

The High Water Mark (HWM) Initiative is a component of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) aimed to increase community awareness of flood risk and encourage risk This guide is intended to help you and your students understand the importance of the High Water Mark Initiative and provide you with mitigation actions. The classroom tools you can use to teach your students what to do before, HWM Initiative uses signs during, and after major storms, why storm surge and floods happen, and on public and private what can be done to prevent or lessen storm impacts in the future. property to show the high water mark from past flooding events like FLASH FLOODS are the #1 Weather Related Killer in the US! Hurricane Irene in 2011 or Our hope is that this guide will increase your confidence in teaching about Superstorm Sandy in 2012. flood risk so students and their families will be well-informed before future For more information events. The lessons and activities included in this guide could be integrated about Monmouth County’s into your science lessons on weather, climate, or human impact on the earth, HWM Initiative go to: or during social studies lessons on geography or people and the environment. www.njseagrant.org/hwm Connections to language arts and mathematics could be made as well.

This publication is the result of work sponsored by New Jersey Sea Grant with funds from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Sea Grant, U.S. Department of Commerce, under NOAA grant #NA10OAR4170085 and the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommen - dations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of New Jersey Sea Grant or the U. S. Department of Commerce. NJSG-17-924 1 GETTING STARTED WITH THE HIGH WATER MARK INITIATIVE

Introduce the High Water Mark Initiative Introduce the High Water Mark (HWM) Initiative to your students. A picture of the sign is included on the cover of this guide and an online version is located at njseagrant.org/hwm. Please see FEMA’S website for information as well. www.fema.gov/high-water-mark- initiative.

Ask students to explain what the sign is telling them Possible answers should include: The line on the sign tells us how high the flood water reached in elevation (given in feet), and what storm caused the water to rise. The sign tells us the date the water reached that level. Students from Monmouth University surveyed elevations for placing Monmouth County’s High Water Mark signs. Two Ask students why they think the signs students are shown here with equipment used to complete the surveys. were installed Possible answers include: The signs were installed to remind citizens and visitors that flood water reached WHAT IS NAVD88? that high and could happen again. The signs make The North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88) people aware there is a flood risk in the area and is a common standard data set used by surveyors to anyone in the area should be prepared for possible measure the actual vertical elevations of land or water. future storms. The signs remind people that they All vertical elevation measurements referenced to should pay attention to any flood warnings that are NAVD88 (such as on the HWM signs) is based on a given with a weather forecast. single location or origin point. This is known as a datum, and has an elevation equal to zero. The datum Ask students if they have any questions for NAVD88 is located off the coast of Quebec, Canada. about the signs There are thousands of NAVD88 fixed locations that are networked together across North America. These are The most common questions that may be asked are known as benchmarks, and have a known height answered below. If students do not ask these questions difference above or below the NAVD88 datum. Since ask them if they can answer the two questions below. there are many ways to measure elevation, surveyors try to use just one method so measurements are How did the county know how high the consistent. NAVD88 is considered the most accurate water went? and up-to-date. To determine the height displayed on HWM elevations were derived from water marks within a Monmouth County’s HWM signs, surveyors found the town left behind after a storm, such as a water mark left height difference from a local NAVD88 benchmark to on a wall or a tree. Flood elevations were also gathered the water mark at a sign’s location, and were then able from temporary water level sensors installed by the US to determine the height of the high water mark in feet Geological Survey just before Sandy hit . The water level the above NAVD88. Today, making elevation on each sign is reported in feet above the known land measurements like these is made easy through the use elevation determined by NAVD88. It is not reported of sophisticated surveying tools such as laser levels and above mean sea level because sea level can be different GPS (Global Positioning Systems) which use satellites at different locations although in some locations it may to give more accurate dimensions of the earth, such as be approximate. longitude and latitude. Although not the same as NAVD88, GPS tools can measure elevation which can be easily converted into feet above or below NAVD88.

2 Activity for Grades 4-12: What are the Water Levels? With help from the background informatiom provided, Figure 1 - Tides explain to students what tides are, how tides change water depths daily, and the meanings of the different types of tide levels. Many people confuse tide data with NAVD88, or do not understand why tide data is not used to measure the height of flood water. To help clarify, explain what NAVD88 is, why it is used to determine land elevations, and how it is different than tide levels. After explaining the meanings of the different types of tide levels and NAVD88, students should know the difference between tide levels, NAVD88, and be able to answer the below a fixed starting point that is considered 0.0 ft. questions asked in Figure 2 - Sandy Hook Water Levels. The starting point for NAVD88 is the mean sea level off the coast of Quebec, Canada. This is where all land Background Information elevation measurements across North America start Tides are the rise and fall of water levels in the ocean. from. When all measurements are referenced as either There are differences in tidal levels because the gravity below or above this location that is considered most of the moon and the sun pull the ocean towards them accurate to zero (0) ft, this avoids confusion between changing the height of the ocean’s water levels. different surveyors and different land elevation readings. NAVD88 is most often used on topographic As the earth rotates, the closer an area of the ocean is maps and for building structures on land to be sure they to the sun and/or moon, water levels rise, the higher are safe from flooding. NAVD88 was used to place the the tide. The further away an area of the ocean is to the High Water Mark signs because of its accuracy. sun and/or moon, water levels drop, the lower the tide. In the Northeast U.S. there 4 alternating tides, 2 high As you can see in Figure 2, NAVD88 and MSL are very and 2 low tides per day. close to being at the same level at Sandy Hook, NJ. However mean sea level at one location may be higher MSL - Mean Sea Level– the average of the tide height or lower than mean sea level elsewhere, so if surveying measured over a period of time at a particular tide the land or flood elevations the measurements will not gauge. be starting at the same level at different locations. MLLW - Mean Low Low Water– the average of the lower low tides each day. MHHW - Mean High High Water-the average of the highest high tides each day. Tide data help others understand where the water levels are in reference to the land, measured by a tidal gauge. They are based off the average measured water levels at a tide gauge over time. In Figure 2 the tide data is based off NOAA’s tide gauge located in Sandy Hook Bay, NJ and from the time period of 1983- 2001 (also known at the National Tidal Epoch). This data informs boat or ship captains about the depth of the water and is used in nautical charts. Tide data is not often used in measuring the height of land because tide differences can vary at different tidal gauge locations and tide levels can change over time.

NAVD88 – North American Vertical Data of 1988 i s a vertical geodetic datum, which means it is the measurement of the vertical height on land above or Tidal gauge - the white pipe contains tide level detection equipment.

3 Figure 2 - Sandy Hook Water Levels October 29, 2012 Sandy Hook’s Superstorm Sandy High Water Mark was Sandy Hook’s High Water Mark 11.6 feet above NAVD88 HWM Sign

LAND

If I was raising a house to MHHW =2.41ft above NAVD88 How much is the HWM protect it from flooding NAVD88=0.0ft above the MHHW? _____ft would I use NAVD88 or MSL=.24ft below NAVD88 MLLW? How much is the HWM MLLW=2.82ft below NAVD88 above MLLW? ____ft If I was docking a boat at a marina would I use OCEAN NAVD88 or MLLW?

Activity for Grades 3-8: What Causes Floods? How High Water is Measured After a Storm For a more detailed lesson plan on Storm Surge go to www.seagrant.org/teacherreasources/stormsurge

Many towns in Monmouth County, NJ are located along sticks; Two rulers; Markers; String; A bottle or the Atlantic Ocean or are directly connected to the watering can filled with water. ocean by their location on or near an estuary. Many other neighborhoods are connected to the ocean by Procedures: nearby rivers, creeks, and streams that flow through 1. See Figure 3 for a photograph that shows how to set town and eventually drain to an estuary. Harsh storms up the container for this activity. Have students work such as tropical storms, nor’easters, or hurricanes, can in small teams to create a land area using clay and/or bring powerful winds that push ocean water up along sand or dirt in their container. The “land” should be a the shore and into the mouths of bays or onto land. This few inches high, and slope down to create a beach- pushing of water results in storm surge. During these like area. Sand along the shoreline creates a great storms tremendous amounts of rain often fall, some- visualization as to what happens to sandy beaches times for extended periods. This fills and overflows during storms. Leave about 1/3 of the container local rivers and streams creating flash floods. empty. This will be the “ocean.” 2. In this land mass students may also carve out a For this activity students will create a model of a coastal meandering river or stream that is wider at the end to community, and by following the procedure described, simulate a small estuary. attain a better understanding of how storm surge and 3. Fill the “ocean” with water. Water can be dyed blue flash floods are created and how they impact a coastal to make it easier to see. Water should just cover the community. Students will observe how harsh storms bottom of the river basin. bring in flood waters fast and furiously, how flood water 4. Place Monopoly or Lego “houses” and/or popsicle inundates a landscape, and how it affects the shape of sticks at various locations all around the land area. the land. Place at least a few near the ocean, the river, and on land areas. The “houses” represent homes and Materials needed: businesses in a flood zone, and the popsicle sticks Plastic shoe box or other rectangular shaped reusable represent the sensors set out to take water height container; Sand/Dirt mixture or modeling clay; Water; measurements. Try to have at least 10 “houses” Food coloring (optional); Small paddle (such as large and/or 10 popsicle sticks set out along the ocean, popsicle stick or small ruler); Popsicle river, and at various locations on the land. 5. Now create a storm! Using a flat paddle, students 4 should PUSH water up onto land. They should not splash the water onto the land. Storms cause sea levels to rise due to a low pressure weather system. Unrelenting winds cause storm surge which pushes the rising waters onto land. 6. Simultaneously, at the other end of the box, pour water either through a bottle or watering can to represent heavy rainfall during the storm that enters the rivers and streams. Create a heavy storm for at least 20-30 seconds or more over the land to represent the heavy and prolonged rainfall that causes rivers to overflow and cause flooding. 7. After they are done, students should observe and possibly mark how high the water reached on popsicle sticks. 8. Extension – Measuring the High Water Mark. Before creating a storm and to help students understand how NAVD88 elevation readings are made, have students pick one location on land in the model to represent a “datum.” Students should choose a spot where the land and ocean meet along the beach and place a popsicle stick in that area securely to represent the Figure 3 - Coastal Community Model datum. This datum, the level where the land and water where the level string connects to the datum ruler. meet, equals a measurement of zero (0) inches in This reading is the high water mark (see figure elevation. This datum is the base to where all below). Students will discover the high water mark measurements of high water marks will be made. After is not the same or as simple as measuring from the creating a storm in the container, use a black marker to ground up to the high water mark on the popsicle mark the high water marks left behind on the popsicle 9. stick “sensor.” sticks. Using two rulers, hold one ruler at the datum Students may work in groups to report how the upright and level, and then hold the second ruler at the flood impacted their coastal town, give the flood high water mark on the popsicle stick (also upright and height water elevations found at each of their level). Hold a piece of string, (representing a level) popsicle stick “sensors,” and discuss how the ocean horizontally that reaches from the datum ruler to the and rain worked together to flood their town. high water mark ruler. Make the string as level as 10. Have students brainstorm ideas on how to slow or possible between the two rulers. Students may tape stop flooding in the model town, or how to protect the string to the ruler to make measuring easier. houses and businesses. See another extension to Students will make a reading in inches or centimeters this activity, on page 11.

Figure 4 - Side View of Model

5 Activity for Grades 3-12: Be Prepared for High Water

Explain to students that flooding events, such as storm mapping tool used to observe what areas could be surge, become a crisis when people are not aware of inundated during storm surge. Region2coastal.com is a and/or not prepared for rising water. Sometimes people mapping tool to be used by property owners to find out if do not realize they live in areas that could be at risk for they live in flood zone, and how much flood risk they have flooding, and when a flooding event does happen many according to FEMA and it’s National Flood Insurance people are surprised how fast and high the water rises. Program (NFIP). Directions are provided to guide stu- To follow are a few of the top actions that students can dents through the use of each website along with take to make themselves and their family aware and questions to help students in their understanding of the prepared for floods and surge—or any emergency for that website, it’s usefulness, includ ing finding areas in matter! Review these important safety tips with students Monmouth Country that are at risk, including a students and be sure they share this information with their family. own home. For older students see the two web-based activities. Both View Flood Inundation- are computer mapping programs that will help students visualize floo ding imp acts f rom storms an d h elp st udents NJFloodmapper.org (grades 4-12) N JFloo dmap per is a n e asy to use , in teracti ve m apping fi nd out if they live in area at risk for flooding. Have studen ts brainsto rm idea s o f ho w they and the ir w e bsit e fo r studen ts fro m up p er eleme ntary grad es to communit y can be prepa red. high school. This tool lets anyone view coastal flooding h az ard s an d eva lua te the r isk of stor m s ur ge heig hts an d Vis i t F EM A ’s R e ady .g o v /k ids fo r mo r e inf orm a tion . in unda t io n . To v i e w t he su rge of a sto r m in N ew Jers e y,

TOP ACT IONS TO BE PR EPAR E D! st art the Vi ewer , click on Fl ood ing (in the t op left box) ,

G Talk to your fam ily t o create an emergency then Storm Surge . Next zoom into a town or plan! To help get started see this neighborhood, then click on each layer to view storm www.ready.gov/sites/default/ﬁles/documents/ surge models of SLOSH category 1 through 4 hurricane. ﬁles/Family_Emerg ency_Plan.pdf . Where will Each layer shows the maximum storm surge heights yo u go? Wh a t w ill y o u n ee d? scie ntists thi nk a r e pos s ibl e du ring ea ch SLOS H cat egor y.

G Be awa re of p osib le st or m a nd /or flo o d in g B e su re s tud ents unde rs t an d t ha t we at her forecasts w ill let th em kno w i f there is an a ctu al threa t of a stor m s urge. ev en ts. F i nd o ut abo u t we a the r aler t s at This t ool will help people kno w w hat to expect. www. w e ath er .g o v/a lerts . G Oft e n d u rin g a p r edic te d sto rm , are as Have s t u d en ts in ve stigat e njfl o o dm a ppe r. o r g then answer predicted to experience a large storm surge or a f e w qu es tion s . flash flood are given evacuation orders. Make 1. H a v e s tu den ts r e ad th e o ve r vi e w a nd a n sw e r t h e sure to follow orders! Do you know your following - evacuatio n zone ? If y o u live in Monm outh A. D o es th is s ho w the least or m axim um sto rm surge Count y see ww w.mcso nj.org/kn owyo ur zone. h eigh ts? Wh y do you su pp ose th ey show t he se he ights ? G Have an e m ergen cy k it ready. Yo u will no t B . This model is bas ed o n the SLOSH mode l - w hat hav e t im e du r in g an e m er g en c y t o ga th er d oe s SLO SH stand fo r? (S ea Lake O verland Su rge s supplie s. T o learn h ow to m ak e on e go to from H urr ica nes) . N a me a few f ac tor s that t he model h ttps :// www. r e ady.go v/k ids/b u ild -a -kit. take s in to a ccou nt to m od e l s t orm s urg e h eigh t a nd G KN OW YO U R R ISK ! Before a storm e v er inu n da tion . arrive s you ca n kno w if you live in a zone that 2 . Di s cuss w ith s tu de n t s w hy th is i nfor ma t i on is could be flooded. Student s may c heck ou t the important to stat e and local o fficials. Hav e stud ents followin g onlin e mappin g tools to find out if they live in an understand that loc al o fficial s make de cisions abou t area a t ri sk an d w here it m igh t be sa fe to go a nd share what area s need to be evac uated d uring a storm . This these websites with friends and f a mily th at the y feel m odel cou ld te ll them wh at are as cou ld be inundat ed might be a t risk. NJ Flood mapper. org and du ring a storm. Have s tudents also think about region 2c oasta l.c om a re b oth g re a t w ebs it es to fin d o u t if p u bli c fa c ili ti es such a s sc ho ols and e m erg ency you are a t r isk . se rvice lo cati ons ( fir e, p olic e, EM T) a nd w hy th os e

Below ar e t wo diff e re nt c o m pu te r m appi n g p rog ram s lo c ati on s need t o be a w a re o f flo od ris k s i n th e a rea . sug ge ste d t o us e to he lp st ud e n t s vis u al iz e an d 3 . Dis cu s s w ith stude n t s h ow a ci tize n co u ld use th is und ers t a nd fl oo d risk in c oa sta l c o m munitie s , suc h as in in fo rm at ion. H ave st ud e nt s re a lize tha t pro perty owners and residents will want to know if they are in a Mon m o u t h Co un ty , NJ . N J fl ood m app er is a v isu aliz ation flood zo ne because they will h ave th e most t o do to

p r o te ct t h eir p rope rty and t hem se lves d ur ing a sto rm .

4. Utilizing Street View have students find areas in their Information may or may not be given in the FEMA community that will remain dry through a SLOSH Flood Hazard Table but should be in the Effective Flood Category 1-4. Ask students why this is important Insurance Table. information to know as well. What is a BFE (Base Flood Elevation)? Exploring Flood Risks - This is most likely the highest elevation that water has a www.region2coastal.com (Grades 9-12) This is a more 1% or greater chance of reaching every year, or 26% complex website however teachers may have students chance of reaching every 30 years. A 1% chance storm view the different flood zones and explain that this map might not seem high but it COULD STILL HAPPEN! was created to make property owners and insurance Hurricane Sandy was considered a .5% storm and the companies aware of flood risks, and determine how HWM signs remind us what happened and could much flood insurance people who live in flood zone happen again. IT PAYS TO BE PREPARED! areas will need. There is also a brief explanation on the What are the meanings of a property’s flood zones A, definition of insurance and the meanings of BFE (base AO, AE, VE and X? flood elevations) while investigating where the flood Have students investigate the meanings which are zones are located in each community. This website found on the website. Have students find important could easily be integrated into a high school social areas (such as their home) or schools and businesses in studies class with a focus on economics and/or civics their community that are in A, AO, AE, VE and/or X lesson. flood zones. To Explore the Map - On the home page click on the tab “View Flood Hazard Info” and choose drop box Find Solutions! “What is My BFE Address Look Up Tool.” An address or Students can explore the problem of flooding and just a zip code can be entered. The tool allows you to building resilience in their community and what actions zoom in and out of the map, and by double clicking on they could take to fix this problem. The site provides a different areas of the map you can view different flood lot of references, especially at the bottom of the hazard data. The two most important pieces of address look-up tool page with “What should I do with information students should want to know from the information in this report?” Here students can find data table below the map are:. actions that can be taken to make property owners and the community more resilient to future flooding. 1. “What is my property’s Base Flood Elevation (BFE)?” www.toolkit.climate.gov/#steps is also a good resource 2. “What is my property’s flood zone?” for more action. Activity for Grades 5-7: High Water Mark Math Homework!

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) offers chart with figures from a community in the CRS flood insurance in communities that take the required program in Monmouth County students can perform actions to reduce flooding and its risks. Communities some simple calculations to see how the CRS program who want to go beyond what is required by NFIP may benefits communities, and might even benefit their join a program called the Community Rating System own family and friends. (CRS). CRS has many voluntary actions communities can take that reduce the risk of flooding, and reduce Premium cost of NFIP of those in Special Flood Hazard the cost of Area (SFHA) - $1231 Premium cost of NFIP of those in a Non-SFHA** - $868 CRS Rate Savings Savings the flood Class in SFHA Non- insurance for Total # of property owners with NFIP in SFHA – 565 SFHA property Total # of property owners with NFIP in Non-SFHA area owners. – 180 9 $62 0 Installing A community chose to join the CRS program and 8 $123 0 HWM signs is one of those installs HWM signs. They are given a CRS rate class of 9. 7 $185 0 actions that How much does the flood insurance policy now cost for 6 can be taken. those in a SFHA? ____ Using the What is the % discount received? ____ Based on the # property owners in a SFHA, what is the savings for the entire community? ____

7 What is the % discount received for CRS Rate class 8 With a Category 6 CRS rating those with flood and 7 for property owners in a SFHA? ___ insurance in a Non-SFHA will also receive a discount of Based on the % savings in the other categories, if a 10 %. How much savings will they receive? (fill in blank community volunteers to complete many more on table above.) Based on the total # of residents in the activities outlined by the CRS to give a Rate Class of 6, SFHA and non-SFHA, how much savings will the entire what will be the % discount received for those in the community receive as a CRS Rate Class of 6?_____ SFHA? ____ *The dollar costs reported here are based on a true estimated cost What would be the total savings for a property owners of a flood insurance policy in a community in Monmouth County, in a SFHA? (fill in the blank in table above) What does but are being used for educational purposes only. National Flood the flood insurance policy now cost? ____ Insurance policy rates differ for every property owner in every community. Please see floodsmart.gov to find your local insurance agents. **This does not include those with Preferred Risk Policies.. Activity for Grades 3-7: Chart the High Water Based on the HWM data from each town listed have students create a bar chart. They should create a title, label the X (horizontal) and Y (vertical) axis. Students will decide on a scale, start at zero, and use the least and greatest number in the data to help create the bars and label each one. Title Town HWM # feet in elevation above NAVD88 Aberdeen 14.5 Atlantic Highlands 11.7 Belmar 12

Hazlet 11 ) Y (

Keansburg 9.0 l e b

Manasquan 10.1 a L Monmouth Beach 10.0 Neptune 11.4 Oceanport 9.5 Sea Bright 10.6 Sandy Hook 11.5

Label (X)

1. What is the title of your bar chart? ______2. In this graph x (horizontal) axis represents ______3. In this graph y (vertical) axis represents______4. In this graph each bar will represent______5. From this data what is the highest HWM?______6. From this data what is the lowest HWM? ______7. How many signs are above 9 feet NAVD88? ______8. What is the average height of the HWM in Monmouth County? ______9. What town could have the highest threat of severe ﬂooding during a harsh storm?______10. How did you use your bar graph to answer this question? ______11. How much higher did the water go in Atlantic Highlands compared to Sea Bright? ______

8 Activity for Grade 3-5: How High was the High Water Compared To You? 3- o U sing the a tta tche d map and d ata tab leW on p age 10 clear lik e a h ave stu dent s ﬁnd the Hi gh Wate r Mark s ign clo ses t poo l. To h el p to their school. Next have them ﬁnd the height of the students w ate r in fee t. U s ing a l arge piece of fa bric, like a un de rsta nd t ablecl oth or sh eet, or ev en jus t a lar ge sheet of w hat it m ay

pape r, cut a p ie ce th at m easures from the floor to th e b e like to ha ve heigh t of the high water m a rk on the sign. Your fab ric t o mov e or p aper ca n be as w ide or narro w as you like , arou nd in h owe ver i f it i s wid e en ough for a few st udents to ho ld flood w a te r, up , it may give stu dents a be tter v isualiza t ion. H ave have t he s tud ents imagine t rying tog swim or w alrk in stu dent s ho ld up the fabr ic or pape r so the bo ttom t h e classroom after a flood. edge is touching the ground and the top edge is in fr ont of th eir bo dies. N ow th e y can s ee ho w the hig h H ave stude nts t hink of what da ngers cou ld lurk in wate r mark comp ares to th eir ow n he ight . It coul d be flood wa ters an d make a li st to displa y in yo ur ch es t hig h or even over their heads! Make sure other classroo m. students can see the student(s) holding the fabric or * It is important for students to understand to e paper so they can also visualize how high the water NEVER ENTER FLOOD WATER! was in their town. FLAS H FLO O DS AR E #1 WEATHER RELATED KILLER! Have students think about what it would have been k If they c om e t o an are a that is covered w. ith water, like to be caught in water that deep especially when th ey will n ot kno w the d epth of t h e water or the the water was flowing. Storm surge and flash floods co ndition of the gro und under the water. Teach them are not like water in a swimming pool or puddle. It is to play it smart and play it safe. Whether driving or moving water and can move at high speeds! Storm walking, any time you come to a flooded road,Turn surge is a lot like a tsunami crashing on shore, except Around-Don't Drown! it is cause d by wind a nd not an un de rwat e r earthquake. The surge may also have crashing waves FEMA has a great website with handouts for kids with on top. Even if waves have subsided there are still information about flooding and storms that you can obstacles under the water, and the water will not be review and share with your students. Go to d www.ready.gov/kids/know-the-facts/floods

How to St ay Sa fe D urin g a Flo odin g Event

BE PR EPAR ED ! Liste n to l oc al TV or radio w eather re ports. Wea the r.com, Weath er Und er grou nd and NO AA a lso ha ve re liable w eather forecasts that will alert users to watches and warnings in their area. You can check t he se onli ne , on s m art phone apps and on tablets. Today many smart phones and tablets have a W EA (Weathe r Emer gency Ale rt ). This will a ut oma tically d isplay o n yo ur de vice (no sign-upt ne eded). Also know these terms:

Fla sh Flood WA TCH – m e ans a flo od is p os sible. Flash Flood WARNING – means flooding is happening or will happen soon. You may have to evacuate! Turn off Utilities Do Not Walk or Drive Through Water Head to Higher Ground

High Water Mark Map of Monmouth County

Data Table with Height of the High Water Marks

TOWN Storm with Height of HWM in ft. Aberdeen Irene - 7.5 Sandy - 11.5 Atlantic Highlands Sandy - 11.7 Avon-by-the-Sea Sandy - 11.9 Belmar Sandy - 11.5 Hazlet Sandy - 11.0 Keansburg Sandy - 9.0 Manasquan Sandy - 10.1 Middletown-Belford Sandy - 11.5 Middletown-Leonardo Sandy - 14.0 Middletown-Port Monmouth Sandy - 11.5 Monmouth Beach Sandy - 10.0 Neptune Sandy - 11.4 Oceanport Sandy - 9.5 Sea Bright Sandy - 10.0 Rumson Sandy - 10.5 Sandy Hook Sandy - 11.5 10

F ut ur e R ea d y C om m un itie s

PREPA RE FOR

N ot only do c oa stal co mm uni t ies, s uc h as TA KING A CT I O N! A c om m unit y r e si l i ent to THE FUTU RE ! tho se lo ca te d in M o n mo u th C o un ty, n ee d c oas t al stor m s c a n also be re sili e nt to sea

Pres erve

le v e l ris e . people t o be safe and prep are d for a p ossib le wetl a nds and A ctio n n eed s to b e ta ke n to sa f eg ua rd and flooding even t in the n ext few ye ars, floodplains commu nities al s o n e ed to t hin k abou t w h at sh ield c oa s tal t own s from fu ture st o rms and that prote ct future storms and floods might be like in flooding events. We must protect coastlines from b b

100 years, an d what act i o ns can be taken to co mmun ities f ro m not only p ossib le ﬂo oding ﬂooding and

reduce fut u re ﬂo o d r isk. A s a n ext ensio n t o t hat c ould h app en to morr ow , bu t a lso fo r dam age. t he prev ious act ivit y W hat Cau se s Floo ds and futur e g e ne r at io ns tha t will e xperien ce serious

using t he N Jﬂood m ap per.o rg w ebsi te, con se quences from se a level ri se if not hing is Protect barrier students can inv est iga te how c lim ate ch ange do ne. L u ckil y a com mu n ity s a fe from a beaches and

reduce e rosio n. could im pa c t ﬂo o d z one s . C ategory 4 or 5 hu rric ane is a ls o s afe fr o m future s e a le v e l rise . H a ve st u d en ts r esearch A s hu mans b u rn fo ssil fu els, suc h as coal, oil w a ys to help p r otec t a g ainst ﬂ oo ding and sea Incorporate and ga s, thi s create s a h eat tr a ppin g bla nke t green design level rise . St udents m ay rese arc h n atu r al and aroun d the e arth . Th e exc e s s h eat i s cau sing and green engine ering solut ions by look in g at how polar ic e on la nd to me lt. T h is wate r fr om infrastructure. dunes and wet l a nds c an p rote c t a co astal

me lted ic e ru n s o ﬀ i n to th e o ce a n s a n d c a us e s c o mmu nit y an d co m par e and c o ntras t t his to s ea lev els to rise . P lu s , w at er ex p and s as i t Improv e hard or “grey ” engineered solutions su ch as

warms, which is als o r ais ing s ea levels. In drainage l eve es , w a lls, dams, and ot h er barriers . Using

systems . addition, in New Jersey, we have land th e A c ti v ity – Wha t Cau ses Floods , stud ents subsidence o r th e s in kin g of lan d. Th is is

c a n ex p lo re “ g reen ” eng i ne ering by u sing Elevate ex isting causing sea levels to go even higher along our m ate rials suc h as s ponges along th e sTho reline coast s t han i n ot h er pa rts o f the cou ntr y . S e a stru ct ure s or t o r e pr e se n t w e tla n d s, pipe c le a n er s and build p ro tective levels along th e coa s t o f N e w Je rs e y ha ve

t oot hpick s an d ext ra sand to repre sent barriers in T risen ab o ut 1 6 in c h e s in t h e p a s t ce n tur y an d v e geta t ed dun es, a n d/or p la stic a qu a r ium certain places. are p r ed ic te d t o ris e by 1.5 - 2.5 f ee t by 2 050 plants to represent other types of veg etation.

(geolo gy.r utg e rs. e d u/ im age s /s to ri es /

C ompa re and c on tra s t to t h e mo de l w ithout Bu ild hou se s facu lty/mill er_ ke nn e th_gSeale velf a c t - v egetati on to see if gree n engin eering furt he r from the shee t 71 12 014u pda te . pdf) . T o lear n m ore

soluti ons might b e h el pful i n red uci ng the sho reline a nd about clim at e ch ang e s e e w w w.n a tio n a lg eo -

i m p a ct o f ﬂ oo d in g a nd t he e ﬀect o f se a level other a reas th a t graphic .or g/ m edia /c hang i n g -cl im a te/

r is e . could ﬂood

easily. Rising se as w ill c ha nge h ow ﬂoo d in g ev ent s

H av e stu den t s take a c tio n b y d oing a n actual impact co m m u n i tie s . U si n g th e m od el pr ese ntati on for anot h er class , th e s cho ol, or created in t he Acti vity – What Caus es a Flo od , a t a c o mm u ni ty fair or festival. It could be in students can make ocean water levels higher Th is lesson and its correlation to t h e form o f a po wer poi nt pre se n tati on , a by 1cm, 2cm or more, then follow the th e NJ Science and Soc ial Studies

video, a song, a poste r or b rochur e th at could sta ndards can be accessed online at directions f or cr ea ting a s torm to s ee ho w sea h anded o u t. O r s tud ents co ul d part icip a te i n h tt p://nj seag r ant . org /educ ation /r es level ri se w ill chang e ﬂ o od le ve ls a nd h ow o u r c e s - fo r - edu ca t o rs / l e s s o n - p l a n s / a n ac tion su ch as com munity gardening, dune wate r ﬂows th rough t he rivers a nd/ or str eam s pla n t in g, or b y creating a plan for the school For a com p le t e list of l e sson pla ns at hig he r le vels . an d ot he r ed ucati ona l m a t e r i a l s to reduce its carbon footprint to help slow

p ro d uced by th e N JSGC on related

Students may also use njﬂoodmapper.org as c lima te chan g e. m arine and c oas tal to pics please go

a tool to see how scientists are using mode ls t o http ://njseagrant .

For inquiry based lesso n plans on sea level o rg /ed ucation/ res o ur ces- for- to predic t h o w se a leve l rise w ill impact Ne w rise go to njseagrant.org/we-content/ ed uca to rs Jerse y. Have th em zoo m in to your

uploa ds/201 4/02/Shrinking-Shorelines- Vis it the N JSG C a t n jse agra nt.org c ommunity to see where the water will go

PDF-1.pdf with 1-6ft of sea level rise.

Project Partners

Introduction and Correlation to Standards

After the devastating floods of Hurricane Irene and Sandy, easily built into social studies and math lessons. the Monmouth County Office of Emergency Management Each lesson is labeled according the appropriate grade (OEM), with help from Federal Emergency Management levels and may need to be modified according to your Agency (FEMA) decided to create a community level specific grade and lesson. To start off your lesson, the first outreach program designed to inform citizens about the page of this guide explains the High Water Mark Signs potential risks of severe flooding for the communities in installed in many different locations, in many Monmouth County. The High Water Mark Sign (HWM), communities in Monmouth County. After an introduction, was created and has been installed in 13 Communities in any activity can stand alone, or teachers may incorporate Monmouth County. HWM signs raise flood risk awareness other lessons as warranted. in local communities by displaying flood heights from past severe storm events on public buildings, utility poles, or Through math and science students will learn the cause of other structures. In an effort to spread information about flood waters, especially in coastal areas, and explore the signs and flood risk, Monmouth County OEM and either through inquiry based lesson, or guided computer scientists from Monmouth University’s Urban Coast models how flood can affect their community. Students Institute joined with the educators at the NJ Sea Grant will learn about flood hazards, flood risk, flood safety. Consortium to create a Teacher’s Guide to the High Water There are also activities that will make students aware of Mark Initiative. what communities can do to shield themselves, and to make citizens more aware, and even save money! This guide is designed for teachers to communicate flood risk and awareness in their school’s hometown. Much like Upper grades learn about the different flood zones and the importance of fire safety, and the benefits of will be able to evaluate the risk, and in their or other local recycling, this guide hopes to help create informed communities, and find possible solutions. They may also citizens who understand flood risks, how floods happen, view and model how sea level rise will impact a how these risks have been determined, and how not only community’s flood risk in the future. individuals, but communities can be prepared and resilient to the next storm. We also hope as students develop an Please have students pass this information on! After understanding and awareness, they are able to pass the Hurricane’s Irene and Sandy, Monmouth County knows information on to others in their community of what could the devastation a harsh storm can bring, and realizes a happen, and should be done to protect people and prepared and resilient community will be a community properties from potential future floods. that will not just survive but thrive!

With increased risk of harm from an increase in frequency Next Generation Science Standards : of storms in Monmouth County, especially in coastal PE’s- 2-ESS1-1 , 2-ESS2-1, 3-ESS3-1, 4-ESS2-1, 4-ESS2-2, communities, we ask you please ﬁnd time to integrate the 4-ESS2-3, 5-ESS2-1, 5-ESS3-1, MS-ESS3-2, HS-ESS2-2, High Water Mark into your current lessons. We HS-ESS3-5, HS-ESS3-1, HS-ESS3-4. understand this adds to the many tasks teachers must take on, so to help, we correlated many of the activities DCI’s- ESS2.A, B, ESS3.B, ESS3.C, ESS3.D, ESS2.C, D with NGSS standards, and many activities could also be