How a new tool can predict coastal flooding in Nova Scotia down to the metre

The developers of a made-in-Nova Scotia web tool say it can predict the flow of coastal flooding right down the metre, precise information that will give provincial emergency officials days to prepare for incoming seawater from storm surges.

As concerns increase about flooding along the province's shoreline, and billions have already been spent dealing with similar problems on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard, a group at the Nova Scotia Community College has researched a way to better prevent damage and save lives.

A big part of the solution is to more accurately predict flood pathways using an online mapping tool, something Tim Webster in NSCC's Applied Geomatics Research Group in the Annapolis Valley has been working on for more than a year and a half.

"We're in our final stage of tweaking and wrapping it up now," he said.

Advanced notice would give emergency planners up to 10 days to decide precisely where roads should be closed and to develop specific evacuation plans.

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