Coastal Zone Management grants to help address Beachmont flooding

By Adam Swift

The Healey-Driscoll Administration recently announced $5.2 million in grants to support Massachusetts coastal communities in combating climate change impacts, including $72,000 to address flooding issues in the Beachmont section of Revere.

The Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) is helping fund the 16 projects through the Coastal Resilience Grant Program. These projects are designed to enhance local planning and shoreline management, empowering communities to proactively combat the immediate impacts of climate change.

“Climate change is not only an environmental threat to our coastline, it’s an economic threat to our state,” said Governor Maura Healey. “The recent hurricanes have underscored the urgency of this issue, reminding us that we must be proactive in safeguarding our communities. These Coastal Resilience Grants are part of our defense, protecting our shores from sea level rise and erosion, while strengthening coastal communities and preventing future damage.”

The Beachmont Residents Fringing Belle Isle Marsh: Near-Term Actionable Flood Adaptations project  will evaluate a range of near-term emergency actions and long-term solutions to address flooding in the Beachmont neighborhood. This project will build on previous regional vulnerability assessments and directly engage with Environmental Justice populations in the Belle Isle Marsh area.

“This project will help out the residents of the area by addressing flood risk in a residential area of Revere that experiences frequent and severe flooding from high tide and sunny day flooding under current conditions,” said Kristen Homeyer, the Resiliency Manager for the North Suffolk Office of Resiliency and Sustainability. “By identifying near-term actions and long-term solutions, the City can implement to increase resiliency in the area. By working directly with residents, the City can address concerns now and prepare residents for the future. “

This project aims to be a collaborative effort focused on community members abutting Belle Isle Marsh at Pearl Avenue, Summer Street, Crystal Avenue, and Winthrop Avenue and will provide information about risk and what preparedness measures individuals can take based on their capacity, and what measures the city can invest in to increase resiliency in this area, according to Homeyer.

The project intends to create timelines for specific actions that range from low or no-cost preparedness to cost-based protective actions. Since individual factors such as age, income, language, and disability status can affect one’s ability to prepare. The project also prioritizes connecting individuals with relevant subsidiary programs if available and will be guided by the best available climate change data, ensuring that the most at-risk sections around Belle Isle Marsh are identified and prioritized. It will leverage information collected previously in the region, such as the MVP 2023 Belle Isle Marsh Climate Vulnerability Assessment, repetitive loss property designations, and the Town’s FEMA-approved Hazard Mitigation Plans, according to Homeyer.

The proposed project will complete a detailed benefit-cost analysis and conduct a robust community outreach and engagement process. At the conclusion of the project, the City of Revere will have priority actions to reduce risk to residents now, as well as the context for and the conceptual planning of long-term solutions.

“Our coastal communities are on the front lines of climate change with rising seas and more severe storms,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “Through a whole-of-government approach, the Coastal Resilience Grant awards provide essential funding that would otherwise be a significant financial burden. These grants empower communities to develop and implement innovative strategies that strengthen their defense against climate impacts.”

CZM’s Coastal Resilience Grant Program provides funding and technical assistance to evaluate local vulnerabilities to coastal flooding and erosion. It also aims to raise community awareness and action on these issues, plan for changing conditions, redesign vulnerable community facilities and infrastructure, and restore shoreline systems to enhance natural resources and provide storm damage protection. Grants advance feasibility assessments, public outreach and engagement, design, permitting, and implementation of projects.

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