Climate change is real and the potential extreme weather events it could trigger are worrisome enough to assemble 30 Lynn and state officials in a room this week to talk about emergency preparedness.
Last January’s storm surge and last August’s storm with the eight inches of rain it dropped on the city are previews of extreme weather to come as temperatures increase in the Northeastern United States and annual weather cycles veer between torrential rains and extended droughts.
This is the scenario Kathleen Baskin, a project manager with Peabody-based Weston & Sampson, presented before urging city planners and emergency officials to prioritize their top weather worries. The top concerns Paul Ricchi, who handles emergency management for the city, and others zero in on reads like a biblical apocalypse list: Storm surges, heavy rain, erosion, heat and drought and high winds.
According to information presented by Baskin on Tuesday, 46 percent of Massachusetts’ shoreline is eroding at the rate of a foot a year. Climate change with its attendant flooding and storms could put 1,400 to 2,700 Lynn homes at high risk of flood damage.
The damage isn’t only limited to residences. Henry Olbash, Seaport Marina manager, told planning session attendees “we came within 2½ feet of losing the marina” during one of 2018’s storm surges.
Planning is paramount when it comes to addressing climate change’s weather devastation. Fortunately for Lynn and other Massachusetts communities, the tools are in place to start planning.
The $45,500 state grant the city secured last fall is part of the Baker administration’s Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) initiative aimed at preparing for extreme weather. The money will help pay for planning and research for a report Baskin said will be completed by May detailing weather extremes city officials view as top preparation priorities.
The report will provide the information it can draw on to apply for up to $400,000 in state MVP grants to help pay for weather preparation work.
Real defense against storm surges and flooding is likely to cost millions, even billions of dollars. Miles of underground drain pipe networks are needed to carry away flood water. Buildings need to be raised to protect them from flooding. Open areas that now exist as natural water retention areas need to be preserved and expanded.
Cutting-edge flood defense measures include flood barriers and “cloudburst streets” outfitted with enhanced drainage and water storage and runoff capabilities to handle flash flooding.
To his credit, Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo outlined last Friday a 10-year, $1 billion investment to help cities and towns tackle climate change challenges. DeLeo wasn’t just speaking conceptually when he outlined his plan: Like Lynn Mayor Thomas M. McGee, the Winthrop and Revere legislator has seen flood and storm surge damage up close.
Fortunately, climate change is being taken seriously and work is underway to address its ramifications.
