CapeGazette.com - Covering Delaware's Cape Region

Chris Wildt cartoon...

Letters to the Editor | Submit a Letter | Email Chris Wildt | You Said It

11/20/09

Editorial

Nor’easters preparing us for the future

Whether or not you agree with climate change pronouncements, two back-to-back nor’easters this fall have amply illustrated what the consequences of sea level rise can be.

The most recent storm – arguably the most consequential coastal storm since March of 1962 - pushed seawater over the dunes of our barrier beaches and flooded our coastal communities from the marsh and back bay systems behind them.

As history shows, these waters eventually recede, but in the hours and days that our communities are inundated, they are prone to disasters that far exceed water damage. Those floodwaters, for example, radically restrict efforts to respond to fires and medical emergencies.

As well prepared and eager to serve as our volunteer and professional responders are, there’s only so much they can do when roadways are covered with a foot or more of water. Isolated coastal communities like Primehook Beach and Broadkill Beach, on thin strips of land surrounded by bay and marsh and with only one way in and one way out, are particularly vulnerable when such storms strike.

DelDOT crews, state police officers and emergency responders at all levels worked tirelessly during the recent storm to help prevent as many problems as possible and help stranded and needy citizens. We owe them our gratitude and thanks.

As government services continue to decline due to economic shifts, however, people will have to fend more for themselves and dig deep into common sense when such storms approach.

The bad news is that as sea level continues to rise, we’re going to need more and more dikes and dune systems to keep the bays, oceans and rivers from taking away our county.

The good news is that we have plenty of wind along the coast to power pumps that can flush out flooded areas when storms do cross the boundaries. Soon we will be borrowing more from our Dutch brethren across the Atlantic than just history. They’re used to dealing with lowlands and flooding, and, increasingly, so are we.

Cape Gazette editorials are considered and written by members of the Cape Gazette editorial board which includes: Dennis Forney, publisher; Trish Vernon, editor; Kerry Kester, associate editor; Dave Frederick, sports editor; Laura Ritter, news editor; and Jen Ellingsworth, arts and entertainment editor.

Send a Letter to the Editor
Letters must be signed. Please include a telephone number and an address for verification. Please keep letters to 750 words or less. Write to Cape Gazette, PO Box 213, Lewes, Delaware 19958. FAX to 302-645-1664 or

Email newsroom@capegazette.com.
Please type "Letter to the Editor" in the subject line. Thanks.

You Said It

///20

“The beaches need some attention right away. We need help quickly as we can get it.” – Tony Pratt, program administrator of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Shoreline Management Section, commenting on the state of the beaches after last week’s powerful nor’easter.

“What we’ve done here is clean up, if you will, the current ordinance to make it just as effective and as successful as it clearly has been but be a little more efficient.” – Rehoboth Beach Commissioner Dennis Barbour on the first draft of a revised version of the city’s comprehensive tree ordinance.

“I don’t like the direction the town’s going. When we first came here, it was a friendly place, but now we’re involved with too many lawsuits,” said Cliff Newlands, who filed to run for Milton mayor.

“Everybody knows this is a controversial issue. I come to the table, and I believe members of the commission come to the table, with an open mind and hard data so we can make a recommendation,” said Dennis Rochford, referring to a casino survey to expand gambling in Delaware.

“It’s not a big problem, so long as they don’t gripe about cars parking there. And you can’t put a lamp post there.” Dewey Beach Town Manager Gordon Elliott on landscaping in town rights of way.

11/06

“I invested in this town. It ain’t New York City; it’s a small Delaware town, and it needs to be run as such,” said Milton resident John Meade, who complained of persistent flooding at a Monday, Nov. 2 town council meeting.

“There’s something institutionally wrong that you can’t produce monthly statements; it’s a disservice to the town,” said Milton resident Norman Lester at a Monday, Nov. 2 Milton Town Council meeting. He said he is frustrated because town finance reports are not clear and concise.

“Are there any other traditions you would like to trample on?” asked Sussex County Council President Vance Phillips to Councilwoman Joan Deaver after a debate on changing the phrase “Easter vacation” to “spring vacation” on the council’s calendar.

“Inland Bays can’t pay its bills – it’s as simple as that,” said Robert W. Tunnell Jr., president of Inland Bays Preservation Company, commenting on the reason for a proposed 136 percent sewer rate increase for residents of Baywood.

“In my opinion, for the future development of the beach, the majority of rocks have to go. Any opportunity there is, we need to scoop rocks off the beach or out of the shore break, whether it takes six months or a year or two years. Eventually, we’ll start to win that battle,” said Rehoboth Beach Patrol Capt. Kent Buckson on the problem of stones on the beach.