THIS WEEK’S CONTRIBUTOR:
Samantha Danchuk, PhD, PE | Florida Resilience Market Lead
APTIM | Coastal Sciences & Engineering
Samantha.Danchuk@APTIM.com
With nearly two decades of experience, Samantha Danchuk, PhD, PE, has led high-impact projects across Florida and the Southeast, focusing on flood risk assessments, infrastructure hardening, and future-proofing communities. A skilled facilitator and expert in coastal modeling, vulnerability assessments, and resilience strategies, Samantha has shaped state policy and supported award-winning local initiatives, ensuring that climate adaptation plans are equitable, effective, and performance-driven.
Rising Waters: Six Parts of a Coastal Resilience Program
Coastal regions worldwide face increasing threats from extreme weather and human development. To protect both people and valuable infrastructure along these sensitive coastlines, organizations need comprehensive, data-driven, and expertly managed coastal resilience programs. Let’s explore why coastal resilience programs are more critical than ever and outline their key components, multidisciplinary expertise, and technologies.
Why Coastal Resilience Programs Are Essential
Coasts are dynamic environments, shaped by tides, storms, and human influence. The stakes have never been higher for effective resilience and infrastructure planning:
- Rising Sea Levels: NOAA projects an average sea level rise of 10–12 inches along US coastlines by 2050, directly impacting coastal communities and infrastructure.
- Intensifying Storms: The frequency and severity of hurricanes and tropical storms are increasing, causing more destructive floods and exacerbating shoreline erosion.
- Economic & Social Impact: US coastal counties generate over $9 trillion annually and are home to more than 40% of the nation’s population. Protecting these assets demands robust, adaptive solutions.
A well-designed coastal resilience program guards against economic downturns, preserves communities, and supports environmental health. It offers a proactive framework for agencies, municipalities, and private entities navigating growing regulatory requirements and funding complexities.
Components of a Coastal Resilience Program
An effective coastal resilience program is a multifaceted system, combining technical rigor, stakeholder engagement, and adaptive management. The key components include:
- Comprehensive Planning and Assessment
- Hazard Identification: Evaluate risks associated with storms, flooding, sea level rise, and erosion.
- Data-Driven Gap Analysis: Pinpoint vulnerabilities using historical and real-time environmental data.
- Adaptation Planning: Develop actionable strategies, including both “gray” (engineered) and “green” (nature-based) infrastructure solutions.
- Stakeholder Coordination & Public Engagement
- Bring together local, state, and federal agencies, as well as the communities and businesses on the ground.
- Facilitate Section 508 ADA-compliant public meetings to ensure all voices are heard.
- Build consensus, enabling fund acquisition and streamlined permitting.
- Analysis & Innovative Design
- Apply numerical modeling and scenario analysis to guide design decisions.
- Leverage GIS, CAD, and advanced survey/mapping to shape engineering concepts.
- Develop cost-effective, high-impact solutions from initial concept to final design.
- Implementation & Construction
- Execute resilience projects to the highest standards, with experienced program managers, geologists, and engineers overseeing progress.
- Adhere to regulatory and environmental permitting requirements, ensuring compliance and timely delivery.
- Performance Monitoring & Adaptive Management
- Track real-time impacts through ongoing site monitoring, performance audits, and environmental assessments.
- Adjust strategies and operations to respond to emerging risks, new regulations, and evolving best practices.
- Financial & Program Management
- Ensure transparent, effective use of resources.
- Manage grant funding, reporting, and documentation to maintain accountability and stakeholder confidence.
To execute this program, leadership from a skilled environmental consultant (i.e., a team with a unique blend of technical know-how, field experience, and cross-disciplinary collaboration) is essential. Required experts include geologists, scientists and biologists, engineers, GIS/CAD specialists and surveyors, and program managers. In addition, cutting-edge technology is leveraged throughout all stages of coastal resilience planning and program management for advanced surveying and mapping, data science and analytics, and stakeholder communication.
APTIM’s Track Record in Coastal Resilience and Program Management
APTIM stands as an industry leader in resilience and infrastructure solutions with the following assets:
- Integrated Teams: 211 project managers, 110 civil engineers, 79 geologists, and 56 biologists (among many others) for true multidisciplinary control
- Comprehensive Approach: Planning and data compilation, multiphase project delivery (from gap analysis to monitoring), financial management, and regulatory coordination
- Cost, Schedule, and Regulatory Efficiency: Strong relationships with agencies and grantors, established processes for schedule and cost controls, and a clear focus on meeting client expectations
Our statistics speak to the scale and impact of our work:
- 33+ major floodgates, walls, and lock complexes valued at $1.54B
- 46 flood mitigation planning projects
- 47 adaptation planning projects
- 71 levee projects valued at $430M
- 100+ beach nourishment projects
- 1,000+ acres of Gulf Coast marsh restored
Learn more about our projects by checking out the Florida Adaptation Planning Guidebook, Bayou Chene Flood Protection Structure, and HNC Lock Complex.
Your Ideal Partner for Coastal Resilience Program Management
Protecting your coast requires more than technical expertise. It demands an experienced, forward-thinking program manager who understands local dynamics and leverages global best practices. From stakeholder meetings to engineering, construction to adaptive management, APTIM provides a clear path through the complex world of coastal resilience. Discover how our program management expertise can help your community weather the challenges of 2025 and beyond.
Get in touch with APTIM’s Resilience & Infrastructure Solutions team today to secure your shoreline and build a resilient future.
Published in May 2025
The post Rising Waters: Six Parts of a Coastal Resilience Program appeared first on APTIM.