Apr 27, 2009 3:57 pm US/Eastern
Rising Sea Levels Are Cause For Concern In Md.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) ―
-
-
With the Atlantic on one side and the bay in the middle, rising sea level is a growing threat to much of Maryland.
CBS
With the Atlantic on one side and the bay in the middle, rising sea level is a growing threat to much of Maryland.
As
Alex DeMetrick reports, it's already happening and communities with the most to lose are planning now.
With the world's ice now melting faster than predicted just a few years ago, the decades ahead will experience rising sea levels.
In Maryland, the estimate is "2.4 feet to 3.7 feet in this century so we have a major challenge ahead of us. We are, as a region, the third most vulnerable to sea level rise," said DNR Secretary John Griffin.
That's because Maryland's low spots are also sinking. It's called subsidence and it's helped raise sea levels by a foot during the past century.
"We're going to have some problems. We're going to have to raise our streets, sidewalks and protect our infrastructure," said Jesse Houston, Ocean City planner.
Other communities facing loss met in Annapolis to begin forming strategies to deal with rising water. Officials know to expect trade-offs.
"We have to understand there are going to be changes. The issue is how do we best deal with these changes," said Ellen Moyer, Annapolis mayor.
For two decades, Ocean City has relied on beach replenishment to protect itself and building codes to keep homes above water.
But there are thousands of miles vulnerable in Maryland because not everything built is going to be rescued as waters rise.
In Annapolis, the storm surge from Isabel drove that point home and, as the bay rises, it doesn't always take a massive storm.
The three counties most at risk from rising sea levels are Worcester, Somerset and Dorchester counties.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Shocking Celebrity Suicides
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
Comments