Growing frequency, height of storm surges worries mayor
Another weekend of storm surges in Nova Scotia has a south shore mayor calling for provincial help to cope with the rising impact of climate change on waterfronts.
The mayor of the Region of Queens Municipality said Liverpool’s waterfront parking lot and a nearby street are being flooded more often, and intensifying surges of sea water are creeping into local businesses.
David Dagley, 66, says water has been about a third of a metre above normal levels in recent flooding, causing temporary closures and repeated cleanups of businesses and shops along Water Street in Liverpool.
He said in the 1970s the routine was one storm surge a year, but there have been three events just since Christmas.
“As far as the flooding in the downtown of Liverpool, it’s an issue we’ve had some internal conversations on, and it’s a work in progress ... funding is a primary concern at this point,” he said in an interview.
The mayor said with the small municipality operating on a $19-million budget and possible costs to keep the waters back exceeding $1 million, his community needs help from other levels of government.
“We have some research to do, and we need to secure some funding,” he said.
Linda Smith, the 45-year-old owner of Memories Cafe on the Liverpool waterfront, said the cleanups have become an exhausting routine for her restaurant since she bought it six years ago.
“Over time we’re going to suffer irreparable damage. The salt water comes right into our restaurant and travels through my entire dining room,” she said. “Depending on how quickly I can get in after the flooding starts, my table, my shelving, my counter where I serve customers all get soaked in salt water ... We rush in, clean up and get back to business, but over time it will become something devastating to my small business.”
Meanwhile, seven kilometres south of Liverpool, powerful waves have been battering a coastal causeway at Western Head.