Officials take action against looming threat to idyllic US community: 'We underestimated how much ... outreach we needed'

Nantucket's bustling waterfront is facing a multimillion-dollar renovation as rising sea levels threaten the historic charm of the idyllic Massachusetts community. 

What's happening?

Easy Street is already flood-prone, but high-tide flooding is projected to be four feet above its basin by 2050, according to The Inquirer and Mirror. 

As the public is against abandoning the waterfront to rising seas, officials are in the process of developing a coastal resilience plan. Options include rebuilding and expanding an existing waterfront bulkhead or raising Easy Street anywhere from 6.5 to 8 feet. 

A bulkhead expansion could require as much as $80.4 million, while raising Easy Street would likely be a much more costly endeavor at nearly $105 million to bring it 8 feet higher. 

The designs are still in preliminary stages. In the meantime, town coastal resilience coordinator Leah Hill said that community participation is of the utmost importance. 

"A lesson learned with the first phase of this project is we underestimated how much education and outreach we needed for this project," Hill told the Inquirer and Mirror. "For this phase moving forward, we really want to increase that engagement."

Why is this important?

Coastal regions are spending big on resilience plans as rising sea levels worsen flooding and erosion, threatening infrastructure. In another Massachusetts town, a group of property owners in Salisbury spent more than $500,000 on a protective dune that lasted merely three days. 

However, not every group has the funds to invest in such a pricey adaptation measure. While the wealthy can easily flee or pay for short-term solutions, lower-income households may be unable to relocate as they also struggle to obtain affordable insurance to protect their assets.

As sea levels rise at unusual rates due to climate-warming air pollution, leading to glacial melt and thermal expansion of ocean waters, vulnerable communities could be left behind.

What can be done about this?

Adaptation planning that considers the needs of disadvantaged populations can minimize displacement while also strengthening long-term economic stability.  

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To that end, many policymakers back restoration projects that benefit everyone. Living shorelines, for example, help purify water and serve as buffers against storm surges.

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