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1. How can I get involved?

Sign-up for updates and more opportunities to get involved as we advance the Nantucket Coastal Resilience Plan.

Attend a Coastal Resilience Advisory Committee meeting, participate in one of the upcoming community engagement activities, or send us an email:

Vincent Murphy 
Natural Resources Department
Coastal Resilience Coordinator
Email

2. What are the coastal flood and erosion hazards Nantucket faces?

• Island-wide coastal flooding, most notably in the Downtown area, Brant Point, Madaket, Polpis Harbor area and other areas.
• Storm surges during winter storms and during hurricane season.
• High-tide flooding, an early indicator that sea level rise is already a problem.
• Island-wide coastal erosion, particularly on the south and east shores.
• Sea level rise will make coastal flooding and erosion worse over time.

3. How is climate change exacerbating these hazards?

• Climate change is primarily driven by greenhouse gas emissions, which causes global warming.
• Global warming is causing Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets to melt and oceans to thermally expand, both of which drive rising sea levels, in addition to other factors such as subsidence.
• Sea level rise will make coastal flooding and erosion worse over time.

4. Why is this project necessary?

Coastal flooding and erosion are as old as the island itself. These forces have shaped the island into the familiar form we see today. This constant and progressive shaping of land by water is now causing problems that are being quickened by sea level rise. This is threatening our island’s infrastructure as well as built and natural environments, from roads and docks to private property and the shape of our beaches. We cannot maintain the island in perpetuity, but we can take steps to reduce to the impact of these risks and to improve the resilience of our community over time.

5. What else has the Town been doing to address these hazards?

• Hazard Mitigation Plan, [VM1] completed 2019
• Resilient Nantucket Designs for Adaptation, MVP project, in progress
• Coastal Risk Assessment and Resiliency Strategies (2020)
• Nantucket became a Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) community in 2019
• Select Board Strategic Plan
• Variety of maps and studies on Nantucket that help us understand the hazards we face:
  • NOAA Sea Level Rise projections (2017)
  • FEMA Region 1, Nantucket Erosion Hazard Maps (2020)
  • Empowering Coastal Communities to Prepare for and Respond to Sea Level Rise and Storm-related Inundation: A Pilot Project for Nantucket Island (2016)
• Additional resources are available in the Coastal Resilience Library

 

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[VM1]I realize some of these are repeated from above.

 

 

[JT2]Vince, is this the correct link?

 

 

[VM3]Yes

6. What are the expected outcomes of the CRP?

The CRP will result in a final report including an implementation roadmap. The planning process will result in the following:

• Community engagement
• Risk assessment and vulnerability study
• Designs for coastal resilience infrastructure
• A resiliency projects implantation matrix
• Project necessity assessment for each proposed project
• Project costings for each proposed project (approx.)
• Longevity expectancy of each infrastructure project
• Toolkit for private property owners
• Recommend bylaw changes, policy changes and guidelines for future town development with respect to wetland management and Sea Level Rise