Resilient Communities - Friends of Barnstable Harbor

Message from the Prez

The agenda of resilient communities need not be viewed as a bleak or burdensome one, but rather as a profoundly positive vision that holds great promise for improving the quality and experience of coastal living.

-Timothy Beatley: “Planning for Coastal Resilience”

Long marsh view of entrance to Barnstable Harbor Marina

Thanks to an exceedingly generous person, I have the good fortune of living in a house that, in the far distance, overlooks Barnstable Harbor. In the near distance, it overlooks a marsh that on some high tides turns into a gentle harbor. The house is 24 feet above sea level, safe from the impacts of our evolving climate, at least for now.

My neighborhood has several homes at, or just above, sea level. Their backyards are part of the marsh. Heavy equipment is hauled up and down the lane leaving behind revetments, sea walls and other methods of armoring homes from the inevitable flooding tides.

January 2018 brought storms, surges, and tides that flooded many homes in our harbor community with seawater. On those days, the “harbor we love” had a tantrum, a tantrum forecasting the future for our community.

Resiliency & Preparedness

Resilient Communities and Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness are just some of the words that have become part of my vernacular. FEMA, an agency that we associate with large hurricanes, tornados and other people’s natural disasters, has become a household word here in Barnstable Village. Do you know FEMA’s mandate? It’s mission? It’s rules?

Management strategies will help us find new ways to live on the coast. Resiliency and Adaptation will be key to developing these strategies. As will Community! Strengthening social networks will be a major factor in ensuring that our coastal community will thrive in the face of an evolving environment.

As the president of Friends of Barnstable Harbor, I feel that it is my job to share information about these important issues with the membership.

Look for future emails addressing ideas and strategies for helping to keep our coastal community safe and vital for future generations.

-Avery Revere, President FBH