Elise Leduc presented an update roughly two-thirds of the way through the process of developing Marion’s Hazard Mitigation Plan. Her July 27 overview, on behalf of the Woods Hole Group, also prompted the attendance of Leduc’s colleague Melissa Jaffy, Marion Town Planner Gil Hilario, and elected officials including Norm Hills of the Select and Planning Boards and Eileen Marum of the Planning Board and Energy Management Committee.
The two-fold purpose of the plan is to help Marion prevent loss of life and property damage, and also save the town money in the long term through the protection against the effects of natural hazards.
Grant funding is already involved in making the plan itself possible via state (MEMA) and federal (FEMA) emergency management agencies. Three ways Marion can access funding for projects addressing these natural threats include Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grants, the Flood Mitigation Assistance Program, and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
The hour-long citizen’s update focused on Chapters 3 and 4 of the Hazard Mitigation Plan, Hazard Identification and Vulnerability Assessment, respectively.
Under Hazard Identification, Leduc explained that the town must first reckon with state-recognized hazards, then add locally relevant potential hazards. In Marion’s case, that includes the addition of a potential dam and culvert failure. The report recognizes 14 hazards and details areas of town that are considered more vulnerable to each of them. Leduc said that the FEMA flood map is the go-to source and, having been updated this month, allows local governments to work with the “latest and greatest” information.
Sea-level rise has been discussed before and will remain a hot topic, as any expensive upgrades to infrastructural facilities will be designed to address long-term changes in climate conditions.
Displays included the Mass Coast Flood Risk model as presented by the Woods Hole Group with projections to 2030 and 2050, the latter display showing how the east side of Marion could become isolated as an island, impacting emergency response.
Coastal erosion, traditionally more prevalent in southern portions of town, has lately trended up in the east side of town.
Even through Hurricane Carol (1954) and Hurricane Bob (1991) tracked in a north/northeasterly direction off to the west of Marion, both storms flooded areas of Marion, including Front Street.
The Vulnerability Assessment looked at the flooding vulnerability of critical facilities and town-wide parcels, along with a qualitative evaluation of vulnerability of critical facilities to additional hazards. Even though wells belonging to Marion are located in Rochester, and though Old Rochester Regional High School/Junior High is located over the town line inside Mattapoisett, these two groups were included in the flooding assessment.
Approximately 25-percent of Marion’s 3,475 parcels are in the FEMA flood zone; the property values totaling $825,646,714. The total structural value in the flood zone is $270,341,100.
When the meeting was opened to public comment, resident Lance Scott asked about the possibility of grant funding for the removal of invasive species (phragmites) in Aucoot Cove on the basis of hazard mitigation. Leduc advised that Scott and his neighbors act as an association rather than an individual homeowner. “It’s always an expensive project, but you’re much, much more effective together,” she said.
Dot Brown, a member of Marion’s Board of Health who happened to be Scott’s neighbor, said the only way to get at grant funding to elevate houses is if the town has one of those plans and can access federal and state money. Scituate residents, she said, received funding mainly because of actual flooding.
“The goal, having the plan in and of itself is a useful exercise, but it allows the town to remain eligible for this funding. If you don’t have it, it’s hard to create a resilient town,” said Leduc.
Converse Road resident Barry Gaffey asked about evacuation plans for coastal residents in a catastrophic scenario. Hills said that Sippican School is the town’s designated sheltering place and has generators. If necessary, ORR would also function in that capacity, and then there is a place in Plymouth. “There is a plan that exists,” said Hills, confirming that wiring has been modified to three phase at Sippican. “Not the whole school, but the area we need.”
Hilario said that the prescribed evacuation route is conducted by Chief of Police Richard Nighelli and Town Administrator Jay McGrail, who disseminate emergency information from Plymouth County via email blasts and reverse 911 calls.
Tuesday’s presentation included public survey results, in which residents’ concerns were brought to light on a measurable scale. “I was really excited to see the level of participation in Marion,” said Leduc, noting 187 responses to the survey that was active for two weeks in May via website and Facebook.
Part of the 2017 Marion Master Plan’s Coastal Resiliency goals, the Hazard Mitigation Plan makes Marion eligible for grant funding and non-emergency disaster assistance programs. Such funding could potentially assist in the support of a new Creek Road pumping station designed at an elevation that meant to address 50-year projections of sea-level rise.
Leduc said a draft report will come out in September, and a meeting will be an occasion to present the complete plan that incorporates the survey feedback with a focus on mitigation plans.
Woods Hole Group plans to submit its plan to MEMA and FEMA so those agencies can respond by the end of the 2021 calendar year, then Marion can presumably apply for BRIC grant funding in 2022.
By Mick Colageo