On the Delaware Bay, N.J. town struggles against sea rise – The Philadelphia Inquirer
Article Synopsis – Rising seas, more frequent tidal flooding, and sinking land are taking their toll on the residents of Downe Township on the shores of the Delaware Bay in New Jersey. The State of New Jersey has offered to buy 28 of about 40 Money Island homes. Several neighboring communities have already disappeared due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy, repeated other storms, and tidal flooding. The mayor of Downe, Robert Campbell, does not believe the problems facing his community are due to sea level rise, he believes the flooding is caused by a lack of maintenance on the bay shore. A few environmental groups are installing “living shorelines” in the area to help prevent erosion, but it is unlikely that much government funding will be spent in this area as it is all focused on wealthier areas.
My Comment – Three substantive issues should “shout” from between the lines of this article about the increased flooding in this New Jersey town: 1)Mingling erosion with sea level rise and king tides tends to distract us from the stealthy, unstoppable rising sea level (regardless of the Mayor’s position). 2) Because of the increased melt rates now happening in Greenland and Antarctica, it is almost certain that sea level rise will be exponential. We must look over the horizon and see what lies ahead while there is time to adapt. The recent past no longer shows the future. 3) The state buying out homes is not sustainable / scalable for the long term, no matter how politically appealing. This demands smarter, sustainable policy. This topic is very timely since the US National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is up for 5 year re-authorization. To read the actual article click here.