Thank you to the 163 members of the Tam Valley community who completed the recent survey on sea level rise. Your voices have been heard and are having a strong influence on our planning. Please read the survey summary below and find out what our next steps are.
Survey Results:
A large majority of the respondents are acutely aware of the challenges posed by sea level rise in Tam Valley, think we need to start working on solutions right away, and believe we have a collective responsibility to solve the problem. Specifically:
71% said that sea level rise needs to be addressed as soon as possible, and another 22% said within 5 years.
62% believe that SLR will have either a moderate or high impact on their day to day life by 2035.
In order of ranking, flooded roads, infrastructure damage, and ecosystem harm were the highest concerns from SLR. Note that nearly a third of respondents stated they were most concerned about their homes being flooded.
86% of respondents said that their mobility has been impeded by flooding at least twice, and 38% said more than 10 times.
Nearly 71% believe that protecting private property is a shared responsibility of the government and the property owner.
In order of ranking, responsibility for funding infrastructure improvements to increase resilience was #1, state and federal government; #2, local government; and #3, the local community.
More than 74% said that Tam Valley residents living above the flood zone should contribute financially to resilience measures.
To see the complete data and graphs, click here to download a PDF of the survey results.
Next steps:
We are grateful that we live in a community with so many talented people. Fifty residents so far have expressed an interest in serving in a working group to help figure out how we want to face the looming sea level rise challenge. We invite others to get involved.
Our goal is by December 2022, to produce a prioritized framework for sea level rise mitigation and adaption in Tam Valley that is science-based, realistic, and reflects the will of residents. This framework can then be used to guide decision-making at the local, state, and federal levels.
Our process is collaborative and inclusive, science-based, flexible, responsive to community concerns, and realistic.
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