Storm surges will batter N.S. coast more frequently: environmentalist
Posted Jan 7, 2010 05:20:19 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Environmentalists are warning the damage we saw from last weekend’s storm surge along the coast is a sign of things to come.
The surge breached seawalls, destroyed wharves, flooded homes and eroded chunks of coastline.
The Ecology Action Centre says climate change will mean more of these severe storms, which pose a significant risk to Nova Scotia’s coastline.
“Storms that once occurred every 100 years, we will see every 20 years,” she said. “Areas that were not flooded before will be flooded.”
She says it will be costly to continually take steps to protect land and property against rising sea levels.
“People are asking the government to step in and protect their property, protect roads, rebuild seawalls,” she said. “If that was a one-time thing, but we can look forward to doing this all around the province, over and over again. How much are we willing to pay?”
Graham says instead of reacting to the damage left by individual storms, the province needs to develop a sustainable coastal development strategy.
“This would actually set out some targets and goals, for what we want to see for the coastal zone, and how we can protect it,” she said. “The EAC would like to see the provincial government move forward on this, and move quickly.”
Graham says developing a strategy proactively will help with tough decisions that will be looming, such as relocating homes and protecting coastlines.
