We must look for opportunities to enhance the natural benefits of marshes, dunes, and river systems that not only help prevent disastrous flooding but also provide ecological benefits to our region 365 days a year.
Read more in our press release, below.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
SAVE THE SOUND STATEMENT ON ANNIVERSARY OF SANDY AND FEDERAL RESILIENCY FUNDING
NEW HAVEN, CT — On the one-year anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, Save the Sound’s Executive Director Curt Johnson had this to say about the recovery effort and the Department of the Interior’s announcement this morning of a $100-million Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resiliency Competitive Grant Program:
“Storms Sandy and Irene hit the entire Long Island Sound region hard, and recovery is an ongoing process. If there’s one thing that the one-two punch of those disasters taught us, it’s that shoreline communities must plan for the next storm as we pick up from the last one. Our local, state, and federal leaders must continue to make preparedness a high priority.
“In addition to making sure our electrical, wastewater, and transportation infrastructure can weather disasters, we should take advantage of natural landscapes to buffer our communities against storm impacts. Shoreline features like marshes and dunes absorb wave energy and storm surge to protect homes and businesses. Inland, rain gardens and other green infrastructure can hold heavy rains to help prevent flooding. We’re glad Secretary Jewell recognizes that protecting and creating these landscapes is a valuable investment for our region.
“Many of the projects funded by the first round of DOI resiliency grants have dual benefits, as our dam removal projects in New Haven and Mystic do: they remove old, rotten dams that could fail in strong storms, and they remove barriers to fish migration. That means those projects are benefiting the Sound’s ecology 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and providing tremendous, critical, even life-saving value that once every year or two when a really strong storm comes through.”
Read more:
- For more on the dam removal projects and the first round of DOI funding, please see our Friday press release.
- The Hartford Courant has an excellent editorial taking stock of recovery and preparedness across Connecticut.
- A recent article by Mark Zaretsky in the New Haven Register offers an in-depth look at recovery efforts on the CT shoreline.
Coming up: Tune into Fox CT tonight at 5:00 and 10:00 PM to see Curt Johnson discussing the lasting coastal impacts of Sandy, and contrasting examples of coastal development that suffered heavy damage compared to a natural shoreline landscape that absorbed waves and flooding.
###
Posted by Laura McMillan, director of communications for CFE/Save the Sound