I'm glad not to live on the 'front line' these days (Venice, Annapolis, Manhattan, etc).
Still, the dynamics of weather during high water events are pretty universal along all the coasts. We have the same wild card; tidal range. We also share the added effect of sea level rise to contend with and that rise has accelerated in the last several decades.
Locally, most communities along our tidal shoreline here in Maine - even those a bit inland but on tidal rivers and estuaries - are taking steps to combat the effects of climate change that will play a large part in the speed of sea level rise.
Typical town planning deals with coastal erosion; an ongoing process from day one on the coast. Today that coastal erosion is accelerating and thankfully, most of our local communities confer.
A major cost factor to consider is preventive action vs. waiting for the damage to be done. There are savings opportunities in taking action now,...but $$ is always tight.
I was glad to see in our towns latest infrastructure bond that $$ were allocated for pier work. We're getting high tide events that are cresting the seawall in our harbor, more regularly.
It's amazing how much damage occurs once wave action is over the top of a stone wall - jetty. The seas wash out between the fragile top layer of the stones loosening their bond. Movement begins rapidly. The sea is relentless.
Our local town works have been drilling pins into the large stone top layer of our sea wall and running heavy cables to try to stabilize the stone cribbing. I can see from the washed out stonework, that it's not working. The wall is collapsing in places.
Fortunately, our harbor is low with few buildings so we can in time (and large expense), raise it to a safer level.
We're lucky, we can stay ahead of it.
Just down the coast, the Rockland breakwater was awash with an astronomical high tide a week or two ago. These are not uncommon to see. This is an East wind, Rockland Harbor's worst wind if it were not for the mile long sea wall.
You can imagine what damage the water can do to the large loose stone layer on top. Do you raise it now? Do you let it go under? Tough call.
