BARNSTABLE – State Senator Julian Cyr and Representative Will Crocker paid a visit to the Blish Point neighborhood of Barnstable Village Friday to talk about coastal resiliency.
The officials were there to meet with residents impacted by severe flooding this winter and offered thoughts on how the state can work on getting money to help with remediation plans for future flooding events.
“The big thing is getting that money released,” said Crocker, “Sometimes the administrations are slow with regard to releasing those funds, sometimes it can take six to eight months. You know, this area doesn’t have six to eight months because there could be a hurricane in two or three weeks.”
It appears funds have been approved through amendments to the House and Senate versions of the state budget to build resilience for the area between Maraspin Creek and Millway Beach which was heavily impacted by winter storm flooding.
A conference committee is working to reconcile both versions of the budget.
“I think that additionally there needs to be planning done here,” explained Cry, “And really looking at, you know, from a coastal resiliency perspective what are the risks, where can we do some hardening?”
Funds have been included in the State budget for improvements at Blish Point, though it is hardly the only area community facing flooding problems. Coastal flooding having been an issue throughout the Cape in recent years, with Sandwich, Chatham, Yarmouth, and Barnstable suffering substantial damages.
There are about 200 homes in the neighborhood and upwards of 30 were damaged by flood waters this winter. Discussions are continuing with town officials as well in hopes of providing additional aid to the community.
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