Remember the photo of the house floating in the bay at Mantoloking after Superstorm Sandy? Now, almost twelve years later, the State DEP will be issuing a set of rules called the Reform to Support Resilient Environments and Landscapes (REAL), to get better zoning and building along the Shore and in floodplain areas. The rule will be published in July.
First, it will adjust coastal hazard areas and address residential inundation risk zones. That’s a bureaucrat’s way of looking at development within certain shore areas. You can bet that developers will start screaming. Look at the high rises in Long Branch or McMansions further south. The view of the water is lovely until it’s in your bedroom.
The DEP is also considering how stormwater management is not working. A good example is what happened after Hurricane Ida resulted in almost three dozen deaths.
It’s not just the Shore that’s threatened but other areas as well. Those lovely little brooks have turned into raging rivers in the past; we need to make sure they don’t again.
Prayer for the Day
Saying we marvel in your creation, O Source of all life,
Our destructive actions belie our words;
For, in truth, we look to the earth only for what it can give us,
.As we ignore your warnings to our peril.
More than what we take of your precious resources,
We do not see that all life is connected through your hand,
In the name of One who sifts the sands at the seashore,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
What’s now known as high-tide flooding (HTF) is a growing threat for coastal communities around the country, especially along the Northeast Atlantic coast from Maine to Virginia,
Jon Hurdle, reporter, on a report from NOAA
Wetlands are actually unsung heroes. They nurture young fish, provide refuge to birds, bats, bugs, and sometimes to big mammals like panthers and bears.
Annie Proulx, American writer
Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
Or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers;
But their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on that law they meditate day and night.
They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in their season
Psalm 1: 1-3a