Tim Dunn/CapeCod.com.
HYANNIS – The Town of Barnstable held a community planning event on Friday in an effort to prepare for the impacts of natural hazards caused by climate change.
Through the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program, area residents explored the current and future vulnerabilities to the Cape’s infrastructure and environment resulting from natural hazards and changing climate conditions.
The town put on the program with the assistance of staff from the Cape Cod Commission and Cooperative Extension.
“Part of the workshop is for the group to sort of discuss the main hazards they’re concerned about, so it could be a whole range of things,” said Cape Cod Commission Natural Resource Officer Heather McEllroy.
“But, this group is talking about things like coastal erosion, winter storms, extreme weather, wildfire I think is another one on their mind, flooding is certainly one of those threats the Town of Barnstable should be thinking about.”
The event also called for participants to develop and prioritize municipal and community response actions.
Participants worked with local and regional leaders to characterize hazards facing the community, identify community vulnerabilities and risks, identify and prioritize potential community actions, and recommend overall priority actions for the community.
“It’s a great turnout. We had about 35 people register today’s workshop. They committed to coming for the entire day, which is fantastic,” McEllroy explained.
“They are broken up into five different tables and in each of those small groups they’re working on maps to identify both problem areas and community assets.”
The workshop resulted from the town’s participation in the state MVP program. Communities that complete the program become certified as an “MVP community” and are eligible for state grant funding and other opportunities.
By TIM DUNN, CapeCod.com News Center
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