Last week, it was reported that the Alaskan village of Kivalina will essentially disappear from the map, a victim of the rising seas caused by climate change.
Also last week, the Boston Green Ribbon Commission released a report on climate change that could impact existing property owners across the city of Boston – all in an effort to help landlords keep ahead of the almost certain effect of those same rising seas that are expected to wipe Kivalina off the map.
The crux of the report, entitled “Building Resilience In Boston,” focuses on what property owners can do to protect their buildings in the face of what we all recognize as a very real threat. It’s more of a list of what needs to be done. And it’s part of a long line of reports issued during the past couple years on the same subject. Others have been issued by the city of Boston and the Boston Harbor Association.
If sea levels rise nine feet above current levels, much of Boston would be underwater. In a graphic detailing the impact, East Boston, the Seaport District, South Boston, the Financial District and Back Bay would all be inundated, according to the Federal Emergency Management Association.
Among the recommendations from the report: create a map of all vulnerable buildings in the city and assess potential deaths and injuries and property loss. But property owners can take more concrete action, the report states. Those actions can include flood-proofing residential, industrial and commercial buildings; using pervious pavements in parking lots, which will slow stormwater runoff; using underground storage tanks, which could provide emergency water supplies; building infiltration galleries, which could allow for better groundwater filtration; planting more trees to allow for shade and cooling; and securing external items like propane tanks and furniture.
None of these ideas are earth shattering. They are mostly gathered from other cities (New York, for example) or agencies, but they might help pave the way for potential changes to building codes or zoning in certain areas of the city and state.
Other cities, such as Miami, have a hurricane mitigation program that requires more secure attachment of roofs to walls and the installation of secondary waterproofing. Myrtle Beach, S.C., requires all new residential construction in the regulatory floodplain be elevated no less than three feet above the base flood elevation.
On a larger scale, New York City has already made a $20 billion commitment to prepare for climate change. The plan includes flood walls and storm barriers.
All of these solutions deserve some serious thought and action as we are more likely to face a storm as big or bigger than Hurricane Sandy in the not-too-distant future.
