In May 2018, the Town of Marblehead conducted a Community Resilience Building Workshop to identify the top hazards posed by climate change, the most vulnerable areas of concern, critical infrastructure limitations, current strengths and assets, and top recommendations to improve resilience. Attending the workshop were town officials, commission and board members, and representatives from key community groups, including two representatives from Sustainable Marblehead. 

 

During the workshop, participants were presented with the latest climate projections developed for Massachusetts by the Northeast Climate Science Center at UMass-Amherst. Having just experienced four Nor’easters that left businesses and roadways flooded, seawalls in shambles, trees uprooted, and power outages, participants reached agreement that coastal flooding from intense storms and the resulting storm surge – combined with astronomically high tides – were the greatest hazards facing the town.

 

The report that followed noted that “while Marblehead is no stranger to the fierceness of the ocean, destructive storms, and coastal erosion along its 14.2 miles of coastline, there is a growing awareness that climate change will be the driver of a new future and that the time to plan and begin implementing adaptation measures for climate change resiliency is now.” It was for this reason that the Board of Selectmen voted to make climate change one of three priorities in Marblehead’s Community Compact with the State of Massachusetts.

 

To read the full report, please click here.