The Coastus with the Mostus!

Everyone knows that in 2012, Hurricane Sandy had some very nasty storm surges as it damaged property all up and down the Eastern Seaboard. But that was just an isolated superstorm, right? When it hit the United States, it was a category one hurricane (the weakest category; the ratings go all the way up to five). What made that storm so different is exactly where it raged… moving farther north than storms of this nature normally get.

“In the United States, Hurricane Sandy affected 24 states, including the entire eastern seaboard from Florida to Maine and west across the Appalachian Mountains to Michigan and Wisconsin, with particularly severe damage in New Jersey and New York. Its storm surge hit New York City on October 29, flooding streets, tunnels and subway lines and cutting power in and around the city. Damage in the United States amounted to $65 billion (2013 USD).” Wikipedia. With changing weather patterns, and rising ocean temperatures, we can expect an increasing number of big storms much farther north than past trends.

Climate change deniers would have you believe that Sandy was just an isolated aberration and that there are no overarching changes in coastal flooding. Not exactly! “During the past four decades, the number of days a year that tidal waters reached or exceeded National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration flood thresholds more than tripled in many places, the analysis found. At flood threshold, water can begin to pool on streets. As it rises farther, it can close roads, damage property and overwhelm drainage systems.

“Since 2001, water has reached flood levels an average of 20 days or more a year in Annapolis, Maryland; Wilmington, North Carolina; Washington, D.C.; Atlantic City, New Jersey; Sandy Hook, New Jersey; and Charleston, South Carolina. Before 1971, none of those locations averaged more than five days a year. Annapolis had the highest average number of days a year above flood thresholds since 2001, at 34.” Reuters, July 10^th.

I’d say that most of these deniers have their head in the sand, but frankly that sand is washing away too! We are already seeing billions of dollars of long-term costs that local coastal communities are being forced to deal with. “As many Americans question the causes and even the reality of climate change, increased flooding is already posing a major challenge for local governments in much of the United States.

“‘Chronic flooding is a problem our coastal managers are dealing with every day,’ said Mary Munson, executive director of the Coastal States Organization, a Washington nonprofit representing 35 states and territories. ‘Flooding causes the quality of life in these communities to decrease along with the property values, while the flood insurance rates go up.’

“In Charleston, for example, a six-lane thoroughfare regularly becomes impassable when high tides block rainwater from emptying into the Atlantic Ocean, restricting access for half of the city to three hospitals, four schools and police headquarters. The city, which has more than 120,000 residents, has $200 million in flood-control projects underway.

“Laura Cabiness, director of public service for Charleston, said street flooding has always been a problem in the low-lying city. But more recently, she said, ‘it’s deeper than usual and higher than usual, and the tide has remained higher longer.’” Reuters. Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, Lake Mead – near Las Vegas – is showing record-breaking water loss, California farm country is dry as a bone and fires rage out of control.

I’m Peter Dekom, and we did this to ourselves, so it is incumbent upon us to undo it… as much as we can!