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A group of homeowners in a Massachusetts beach town decided that the onus to protect their homes from intense coastal storms, erosion, and hurricanes was on them. The concerned group in Salisbury Beach pooled<\/a> together about $560,000, which they paid for out of pocket, and trucked in over 14,000 tons of sand to build a protective dune around several of the coastal properties over the course of five weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n The sand barrier lasted three days. But the sacrificial dunes did their job, claimed nonprofit Salisbury Beach Citizens for Change<\/a>. Without them, the Atlantic Ocean would have \u201ceaten up\u201d 10 to 15 houses in the historic enclave, the nonprofit wrote in a comment<\/a> on Facebook<\/a>. Salisbury Beach sits near the New Hampshire border and is home to 9,000 residents.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now, the Salisbury Beach homeowners are facing a persistent problem many who live in coastal areas are dealing with: trying to secure state or local funding to protect their homes. States like Florida<\/a>, Maine, <\/a>Massachusetts<\/a>, and New Hampshire <\/a>offer funding<\/a> or collect information on coastal resiliency grants<\/a> that communities can apply for. About 1 in 4 Americans live along U.S coastlines, according to a federal report<\/a>, which also found that the country\u2019s most diverse communities live near the water.<\/p>\n But they\u2019re also areas that are highly vulnerable to natural disasters. According to the report, in 2020 \u201cevery mile of the mainland Atlantic coast was under watch or warning from tropical cyclones at some point,\u201d and all but five coastal counties faced \u201ctropical storm-force winds.\u201d The stormier waters are caused by climate change, primarily driven<\/a> by greenhouse gas emissions from burnt fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas, which continue to warm the planet and create conditions<\/a> like rising sea levels and increased drought\u2013all of which contribute to more severe storms.\u00a0<\/p>\n And the problem is getting worse. According to the federal report, 2021 was the \u201cseventh consecutive year in which the U.S. experienced 10 or more billion-dollar natural disasters,\u201d and \u201cmany of them were along the coasts.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Tom Saab, president of the Salisbury Beach Citizens for Change<\/a>, told NBC<\/a> that what his community \u201cbuilt this past month, sure, we thought would last longer,\u201d and that its destruction, just three days after it was finished, was a shock. Salisbury has faced storms \u201cfrom nor\u2019easters to hurricanes,\u201d meteorologist Jonathan Belles told The Weather Company.<\/a> The town\u2019s proximity to the Atlantic Ocean \u201cgives them a source of moisture,\u201d which, combined with its northern latitude, places the town under a \u201cpowerful jet stream during much of the year.\u201d In January, the beach faced severe erosion<\/a>.<\/p>\n The homeowners\u2019 next plan is to establish snow fencing and plant dune grass, which, when planted beneath sand dunes, prevents<\/a> sand from blowing away or washing out with currents. State Sen. Bruce Tarr estimates<\/a> the new plan will cost at least $1.5 million, yet a source of funding to protect the homes there remains unclear.\u00a0<\/p>\n One of the biggest hurdles, the Salisbury group said on Facebook<\/a>, is that the beach is owned by the state of Massachusetts and \u201cit seems all they do is know how to regulate,\u201d rather than maintain it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSubscribe to Impact Report, a weekly newsletter on the trends and issues shaping corporate sustainability. Sign up<\/a> for free.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n