Newport Comprehensive Land Use Plan - Existing Conditions | Page 191

14 Natural Hazards & Climate Change
14.1 Existing Conditions
Background

Newport and Aquidneck Island as a whole are geographically situated in an area that faces
unique natural hazards. Newport has endured severe storm events through its history, many of
which have caused substantial property damage and loss of life. While construction practices,
forecasting technology and communications have evolved through the years, the threats to life
and property remain and are in fact, also evolving. Similarly, in the coming years the entire
island will encounter various threats due to climate change. Climate change has many impacts
on bodies of water, which is especially concerning for coastal communities. Climate change
creates oceanic warming, increased sea water acidity, and melting ice caps, which leads to sea
level rise.
As Newport is a city that dates back to the seventeenth century, much of the City’s
infrastructure and housing stock is aged. The City’s age combined with its location on an island
puts Newport more at risk.
Although climate change is a global phenomenon, this chapter will focus on Newport. This
chapter examines the priority natural hazards that impact Newport, the critical assets that are
affected by these hazards, and in general, the ways in which climate change will affect the city
over the course of the 20 year plan horizon and beyond.

Natural Hazards

In 2014, the City of Newport submitted a Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) to Rhode Island
Emergency Management (RIEMA) for State and Regional review. At present the Plan has been
approved at the State level and now resides at the Regional approval process level. The HMP
highlighted the hazards listed in the table below. It should be noted that the purpose and scope
of the City’s HMP is somewhat different from how natural hazards and related issues are
addressed in a comprehensive plan. However, the HMP provides a good foundation for the
identification and analysis of relevant hazards, trends and issues. The HMP is incorporated by
reference into this plan.

Flood-Related Hazards
Flood related hazards remain the most
prevalent and frequent natural hazard that
impacts the state of Rhode Island. As
Newport has just a handful of small
streams within its borders, flooding is most
severe along portions of Newport’s coast.
Coastal flooding is primarily caused by
storms like hurricanes and nor’easters. As
the eastern coastline of Newport is fairly
rocky and steep, the risk of flooding is
lower than that of the rest of the island,
although eastern portions of the City are
still subject to high winds, damaging waves and storm surge.
Draft Existing Conditions (March 2016)

Flooding is the natural hazard
that Newport has been the
most subjected to. The flood
zones along the western
coastline extend far deeper
into the City than they do on
the eastern coastline, making
the Narragansett Bay coast
highly vulnerable to flooding.

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