According to the Bristol Post, an 88-year-old woman in the United Kingdom community of Thorpeness is facing the heartbreaking possibility of losing her cliffside home of 25 years due to increasing coastal erosion. 

What's Happening?

Jean Flick, who bought the property with her late husband over two decades ago, has witnessed land near her home crumble away. Earlier this year, part of her garden wall collapsed onto the beach below.

Another home on her street was demolished in 2022 due to erosion. Flick has been informed that if the cliff edge retreats to within five meters (about 16.5 feet) of her house, the property will need to be demolished as well — and at her own expense.

"My heart will just break because it's my home," Flick told the Post. "I know a lot of people have this problem [on] the coast and I sympathize with them because until it happens to you you don't realise the emotion that goes into the fact you're going to lose your home. Without any compensation, where do you buy a house with nothing? Your home is gone and it's just devastating really."

The house, built in 1928, has five bedrooms and a view of the sea. 

Why Is Coastal Erosion Concerning?

Coastal erosion is a growing issue in the UK. The British Geological Survey has indicated that in the next 60 years, over 100,000 properties in England may be imperiled by its effects.

The United States Geological Survey has said that rising global temperatures are driving more intense storms and higher sea levels, which "create more winds, waves, and floods, leading to coastal erosion." Although extreme weather events have always occurred, scientists agree that heat-trapping pollution caused by human activity is making them more frequent and destructive, endangering communities like Thorpeness.

According to the UK Parliament's website, erosion rates are expected to increase with rising sea levels, "placing more lives, livelihoods, and properties at risk." In some parts of the UK, coastal erosion is occurring at rates exceeding 10 centimeters (about four inches) per year.

The Shoreline Management Plan for Thorpeness supports "managed realignment," a strategy for slowing — but not stopping — erosion, the Bristol Post reported. 

What's Being Done?

Local authorities, including Flick's local council, are collaborating with residents to explore potential short-term interventions that can slow erosion.

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Flick and her daughter have also advocated for specific tactics. They've asked for permission to attempt to slow the erosion with gabions, which are rock-filled cages that can be placed under the cliff.

It seems that others living nearby have been able to try this approach, but the permitting process can take some time. There's also the matter of Flick having to figure out how to fund the erosion defenses herself, even if permissions come through — and as time remains of the essence.

"It's very urgent because most days you see another little bit gone," Flick said. "When I draw the curtains in the morning it can be there. When I draw them the next morning another piece can be gone."

Neighbors coming together to talk about challenges and exchange ideas can help protect their own communities through knowledge sharing. Navigating administrative processes can be burdensome, particularly for marginalized community members. Encouraging one another through local actions and fundraising efforts can help realize individual projects in the short term and make the case for public investment in wide-scale infrastructure projects for the future.

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