Our Coastal Community Cannot Wait for the Next Storm

This winter has put a lot in front of people across our district. Hard weather. Stronger storms. Roads under pressure. Shorelines taking hits. Infrastructure and systems pushed to their limit. For Brewster, Dennis, and Yarmouth, it is a warning.

In this district, resiliency is not a “nice to have” issue. It is about whether roads stay passable, whether drainage systems hold, whether emergency access remains open, and whether the places that protect us naturally are being cared for before they fail.

We understand what it means when storms hit harder than they used to. Storm preparedness and resiliency have to be treated as core issues. It belongs alongside transportation, public safety, and infrastructure planning because that is exactly what it is.

When a culvert fails, a road washes out, or coastal flooding cuts off access, the consequences are serious. Families feel it. First responders feel it. Town budgets and small businesses feel it. So do the environmental systems that make this district work, from marshes to estuaries to fragile shoreline areas already under stress.

I believe Beacon Hill has to do a better job recognizing what coastal communities are up against. Towns like ours are expected to maintain old infrastructure, prepare for more severe storms, and absorb the rising costs of damage and delay is not sustainable.

Preparedness also means planning before headlines in the news. It means looking honestly at infrastructure that has been patched too many times. It means acknowledging that natural systems provide some of our best protection at the front lines of this battle with the climate.

This is not an abstract discussion. Our communities need to be prepared. I am committed to pursuing readiness and making sure state departments are paying attention to what coastal districts need to make strong decisions now to reduce damage and future costs.

That is the difference between reacting and leading.

The Cape should not have to wait for the next major storm, the next flooding event, or the next infrastructure failure before action becomes urgent. Stronger preparation now is cheaper, smarter, and safer than repeated band-aids.

This district needs a Representative who understands how coastal life is lived. I know what it means when storms down trees, block roads, and require emergency cleanup. I know what it means to work at the ocean’s edge and understand how exposed our coastal margins really are. And I know from serving as Select Board Chair that real preparedness depends on long-term planning before the next emergency arrives.

Coastal resiliency and storm preparedness are not minor issues. They are basic to the people who live here, work here, and rely on this community to function when conditions get ridiculous.

Our district deserves leadership that takes that responsibility seriously.