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Latest News – April 28, 2007
Ferry Beach addresses recent storm damage due to the Patriots Day Nor’easter
I am writing to share with you news of recent storm damage to the Ferry Beach / Camp Ellis area, and to ask for your immediate action in lobbying for a permanent fix that will protect Ferry Beach for years to come.
As many of you know, the Patriot’s Day Nor’easter that moved up the coast last week hit the Camp Ellis / Ferry Beach area hard. News reports showed several houses that had collapsed into the ocean and several others that had also been condemned. Much of the road beginning two blocks south of Quillen had collapsed and washed away. Ferry Beach, fortunately, survived the storm. Other than replacing a few roofing shingles and a few pieces of siding on Quillen, damage was limited to dune erosion, fencing, debris and a lot of downed limbs. We lost power from Monday morning until Wednesday afternoon, and were without drinkable water until Friday morning. The dunes, however, suffered most during the high tides. When the storm was over and the dunes were measured, we discovered that 16 feet of dune had washed away.
On Friday, April 20, 2007, a delegation of local, state, and federal officials, along with an entourage of media, descended on the area for a formal tour and press conference. Among the group were Senator Olympia Snowe and Senator Susan Collins, Governor John Baldacci, Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) David Paulison, and District Engineer for the Army Corp of Engineers Colonel Curtis Thalken. Saco officials included the Mayor, Town Manager, and Director of Emergency Response. Discussions both on camera and off were encouraging and frank. Along with Drew Dumsch, Ferry Beach Ecology School Executive Director, and Fayre Stephenson, Ferry Beach Program Director, I was struck most by the level of understanding our Senators and Governor had about the problems, and their willingness to ask the tough questions, especially to Colonel Thalken. In one television interview, Senator Snowe likened the destruction to Hurricane Katrina. With pressure like that, FEMA and the Army Corps have good motivation to finally get it right.
A permanent fix begins with the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 (WRDA) Bill (HR 1495), which passed the House on April 19, 2007 by a vote of 394-25. The legislation authorizes a variety of studies and projects by the Army Corps of Engineers, including $26.9 million to prevent and repair the severe erosion at Camp Ellis in Saco. Representative Tom Allen spoke on the floor of the House in favor of the legislation, which passed that evening. “Camp Ellis is experiencing the worst coastal erosion in the State of Maine,” said Representative Allen. “Thirty-eight homes have been lost to the sea. These dangerous conditions are caused by a structure erected, improved, and maintained by the United States Government. For that reason, I believe that the federal government has a responsibility to alleviate this situation.”
As Representative Allen noted, the erosion we experience is caused by a jetty at the mouth of the Saco River constructed in 1868 by the Army Corps of Engineers. It prevents the natural replenishment of the beaches at Camp Ellis, resulting in the devastation of our beach and the Camp Ellis community. The $26.9 million authorized by WRDA 2007 will construct a spur jetty and a series of breakwaters to allow replenishment of the beach and diminish the force of wave action upon Camp Ellis and Ferry Beach.
The bill has now moved to the Senate (S 865) where it is currently in the Committee on Environment & Public Works, chaired by Senator Barbara Boxer from California. Representatives for Senators Snowe and Collins hope the bill will be taken up by the full Senate before Memorial Day.
ACTION NEEDED NOW! We cannot emphasize enough how important it is for you to call your state’s two federal Senators and ask them to urge Senator Boxer to have her committee report S 865 out favorably and support the final version of the WRDA 2007 bill that
includes the Camp Ellis Beach Restoration Act when it comes to a vote in the Senate. As stated by Representative Allen, this bill is the next step in getting the funding to begin fixing the erosion problems at Camp Ellis and Ferry Beach.
You can get your Senator’s names and phone numbers by going on-line to http://www.senate.gov/ and clicking on your state in the upper right hand corner. The members of the Committee on Environment & Public Works are printed below. When contacting your Senator (either by phone, email, or letter), it is important to ask for a reply from the Senator stating the Senator’s position on the bill. Asking for a response gives the message more importance since they will have to respond.
The Shoreline Commission held a meeting at Wormwood's Restaurant in Camp Ellis on Tuesday, April 24, 2007. Over 150 residents and other interested parties, including a number of local, city and state officials were in attendance and spoke about their particular areas of interest and expertise. Clearly, we are not alone in our desire to save the area.
The following day, President George W. Bush signed a Presidential Disaster Declaration for 6 counties in Maine, ours included. “This is an encouraging first step from the federal government,” Governor Baldacci said. “The declaration makes it possible for work to begin on repairing and rebuilding the roads, bridges and public infrastructure that was destroyed in the storm.”
As it stands, the declaration covers only damage to public property. A separate determination must be made as to whether residents and businesses qualify for individual federal assistance. “It’s crucial that people report damage to their homes and businesses,” Governor Baldacci said. “We need to gather as much information as possible about the extent of the storm’s impact.” To that end, Ferry Beach has submitted its losses as well as the impact of the storm on the dunes.
Where does Ferry Beach go from here? There are several things we and Ferry Beachers can do to help slow the devastating effects of dune erosion until the larger solution is completed.
- Contact your two federal state Senators and ask them to vote IN FAVOR of passing the WRDA 2007 bill. Take 5 minutes out of your day and give them a call. It really works!
- Join with Ferry Beach and our neighbors in initiating a Beach Replenishment Plan. I have spoken to the Licensing Coordinator of the Portland Department of Environmental Protection about what we can do. In addition to replacing the dune sand that has washed away, we can replant dune grass, rope off all access to the dunes from the beach front, and build a new diagonally angled boardwalk to the beach that will slow the damage of storm surges. We intend to work on the new boardwalk during Work Week. We are also looking into the cost and logistics of bringing in more sand.
Please sign up for Work Week this summer and help us begin this important work. There will also be other opportunities to help during our summer conferences.
- Stay informed. Visit www.ferrybeach.org and the SOS Camp Ellis website for updates.
Based on the reactions we have witnessed by our elected leaders and the speed at which this issue is finally moving through the appropriate channels, I am confident that a solution will be reached soon. If the bill passes the Senate this year and if the money is appropriated in the following years budget, we could see work begin on the jetty within 2 years. Now is the time to act and secure our future!
Thank you for your continued support of Ferry Beach – we are looking forward to seeing you soon and having a wonderful summer!
The sub-committee members of the Committee on Environment & Public Works are:
Max Baucus (Chair) - Democrat
Thomas Carper - Democrat
Hillary Clinton - Democrat
Benjamin Cardin - Democrat
Bernard Sanders - Independent
Johnny Isakson - Republican
John Warner - Republican
George Voinovich - Republican
David Vitter - Republican
The committee members of the Committee on Environment & Public Works once it gets out of sub-committee are:
Barbara Boxer (Chair) - Democrat
Max Baucus- Democrat
Joseph Lieberman - Democrat
Thomas Carpe r- Democrat
Hillary Clinton - Democrat
Frank Lautenberg - Democrat
Benjamin Cardin - Democrat
Bernard Sanders - Democrat
Amy Klobuchar - Democrat
Sheldon Whitehouse - Democrat
James Inhofe - Republican
John Warner - Republican
George Voinovich - Republican
Johnny Isakson - Republican
David Vitter - Republican
Lamar Alexander - Republican
Larry Craig - Republican
Craig Thomas - Republican
Christopher Bond - Republican
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