Coastal Construction Manual - National Ready Mixed Concrete ...

3 IDENTIFYING HAZARDS
vulnerability of any proposed structure, including the nature and extent of its exposure to coastal hazards.
Failure to properly identify and design to resist coastal hazards expected over the life of a building can lead
to severe consequences, most often building damage or destruction.
This chapter provides an overview of coastline characteristics (Section 3.1); tropical cyclones and coastal
storms (Section 3.2); coastal hazards (Section 3.3); coastal flood effects, including erosion (Sections 3.4
and 3.5); and flood hazard zones and assessments, including hazard mapping procedures used by the NFIP
(Sections 3.6 and 3.7). Although general guidance on identifying hazards that may affect a coastal building
site is provided, this chapter does not provide specific hazard information for a particular site. Designers
should consult the sources of information listed in Chapter 4 of this Manual and in the resource titled
“Information about Storms, Big Waves, and Water Levels” on the FEMA Residential Coastal Construction
Web page. Siting considerations are discussed in more detail in Chapter 4.
3.1 Coastline Characteristics
This section contains general information on the coastal environment and the characteristics of the United
States coastline.
3.1.1 Coastal Environment
Coastal geology and geomorphology refer to the origin, structure, and characteristics of the rocks and
sediments that make up the coastal region. The coastal region is considered the area from the uplands to
the nearshore as shown in Figure 3-1. Coastal sediments can vary from small particles of silt or sand (a
Figure 3‐1. Coastal region terminology
SOURCE: ADAPTED FROM USACE 2008
3-2 COASTAL CONSTRUCTION MANUAL