Apr 12, 2008 11:56 am US/Eastern
Storms Threaten To Wash Plum Island Out To Sea
PLUM ISLAND, Mass. (WBZ) ―
Heavy rain this weekend is threatening to finish the job of washing Plum Island out to sea.
Some homes are already in danger because of the erosion.
While the area has had some erosion in the past, it has been worse recently.
The town has brought in concrete jersey barriers and piles of sand in an effort to help hold back the force of the ocean. Officials are considering putting the sand into bags or tubes to help create a wall.
Geri Buzzotta's home sits dangerously close to a sandy cliff. And just this week, the town had to condemn a restaurant on the beach because erosion has eaten away at the ground underneath the building.
Officials and residents are concerned that if the buildings succumb to the ocean, there will be a wide-open path for water to flood the town's streets, which are below sea level.
"The most important thing is that we protect the center of the island so we don't lose the roads," said Sen. Bruce Tarr.
"We would have isolation of the island," said conservation agent Doug Packer. "There would be no way to get emergency personnel on or off."
With high tide peaking in a matter of weeks, it now comes down to a battle to save the tiny island.
"If (my house) went into the water, what would I do?" Buzzotta said.
There are more long-term proposals on the table. The town is considering drudging the Merrimack River and using that sand to replenish the beaches on Plum Island.
Another threat to the island's future comes the first week of May when the island is expecting unusually high tide that could wash away more beach.
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